Press statement: Scottish Tourism Alliance responds to confirmed RMT industrial action

Responding to confirmed RMT industrial action, Marc Crothall, CEO of the Scottish Tourism Alliance said:

“The industrial action confirmed by the RMT which is due to take place next week will have a severe impact on Scotland’s tourism industry, not only for visitors who are planning to travel to various destinations across Scotland but for the thousands of businesses across all sectors of the industry who will experience a drastic reduction in footfall for the duration of the strike.

Businesses are working harder than ever to recover from the impact of the pandemic and Brexit and as we move into the height of the tourist season, this is such a crucial time of year for maximising revenue and recouping some of the devastating losses which have been felt across all tourism businesses.

Restaurants will experience a sharp increase in cancellations; Moor of Rannoch Restaurant & Rooms tweeted yesterday that 70% of their guests usually arrive and depart by train and as a result of next week’s planned action, they have lost almost all of their bookings for that week.

There will be reduced numbers at events since people are limited in travel options; that all has an impact on the tourism and hospitality businesses across our destinations, particularly as we’re in peak Events & Festivals season with events such as the Royal Highland Show kicking of next week and many major live events and concerts taking place. The impact on the night-time economy will be catastrophic over the coming weeks.

The cost of fuel is preventing people from travelling by car across Scotland and the impact of that is already being felt. With train services being so disrupted, this is yet another challenge for visitors and day tourists.

This is bad news for anyone looking to travel and experience Scotland and what we have to offer from both a domestic and international market point of view and will almost certainly discourage visitors from booking a trip to Scotland this summer with what is becoming a stark situation with regards to availability and access to the main form of public transport for tourists.”