Tourism and hospitality leaders demand action to support hard-hit industry
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DOZENS of tourism and hospitality business leaders from across the north Highlands have signed an open letter to Nicola Sturgeon demanding action to support their industry, which has been "hit very hard" by the coronavirus lockdown.
The North Coast 500 organisation and North Highland Initiative are among 75 signatories to the letter. They say that together they represent more than 1200 full-time-equivalent seasonal and permanent jobs and that tourism spend in the Highlands is worth more than £1 billion a year, creating more than 15,700 jobs.
In their letter they tell the First Minister: "Tourism and hospitality have been hit very hard by the lockdown, perhaps nowhere more so than in the Highlands, with its tiny, highly dispersed population, fragile communities and short season.
"However, we recognise that the long-term recovery of this vitally important industry is only one consideration.
"Many of our communities have largely avoided the virus to date, and we are very aware that within these communities there are many who regard a wholesale reopening to visitors from outwith the area as a dangerous and short-sighted move.
"This anxiety is understandable given our experiences over the last few months and the focused message issued by our politicians.
"The reopening must, therefore, be handled with care to take this feeling into account. Otherwise we risk opening the way for community divisions, and potentially damaging press coverage that will risk the survival of the famous ‘Highland Welcome’ for which we are known around the world.
"There is a view that we must choose between businesses and the economy on the one hand and community health on the other.
"This is absolutely not the case. We are all in this together. Businesses, their owners and employees are just as much part of these communities as everyone else, and we too have friends and family here.
"In every sense, many have our entire lives here, and the safety of our employees, our communities and our guests is paramount.
"However, it is now time to widen the discussion from the short-term impact of this virus to the medium and long-term consequences of extended lockdowns.
"Short-term protection, whilst vital, cannot be the sole factor in determining our policies going forward.
"The long-term health impacts caused by widespread unemployment, increased poverty and deterioration of mental health may be less tangible and difficult to quantify but are nonetheless real.
"As soon as it is safe to do so, we need our businesses to open in alignment with the rest of Scotland, ideally the rest of the UK.
"The ‘stay at home’ message from government has been very effective thus far, with a very high proportion of the rules being upheld.
"There have been calls to extend the lockdown in the Highlands for longer, beyond the rest of Scotland or UK.
"Given the timing and realities of our situation, this could be ruinous. If our businesses cannot open until the autumn then, given the short season, it will be less viable for those that are seasonal to reopen until next year, meaning many will have been shut for 18 months.
"The difference between reopening in July or September could likely be the determining factor in the survival of our industry, its suppliers and producers here."
The "absolute imperative" is to protect lives from the immediate danger of the virus, they say. Once this threat recedes, they urge the Scottish Government to:
- Ensure ministers take a positive lead to help allay the understandable anxieties within communities about the prospect of tourists returning once more.
- Balance both the short and long-term impacts when evaluating the risks.
- Unless there is clear scientific evidence to suggest otherwise, to unlock the Highlands in alignment with the rest of Scotland, ideally the rest of the UK.
- Set out a clear, comprehensive and transparent plan, including timelines.
- Avoid a "one size fits all" approach to the industry and ongoing financial support that recognises the difficulty of bridging the winter period.
David Whiteford, chairman of the North Highland Initiative, and Tanja Lister, from the Kylesku Hotel in Sutherland, are leading the group of tourism businesses, destination management and business associations.
Among those signing the letter are Trudy Morris, of Caithness Chamber of Commerce; the tourism promotional body Venture North; and the operators of Mackays Hotel (Wick), the Seaview Hotel (John O’Groats), the Northern Sands Hotel (Dunnet), the Ulbster Arms Hotel (Halkirk) and the Caithness Collection of three hotels (in Thurso, Wick and Castletown), along with many business owners from Sutherland and across the wider north Highlands.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are continuing to carefully consider how best to plan for the restart and long-term recovery of Scotland’s hospitality industry – including businesses across the Highlands – which is so important economically and socially for everyone who lives here and who visits Scotland.
“The Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group, chaired by VisitScotland, has been in place since the beginning of the crisis. It comprises members from Scottish Government, our enterprise agencies, Cosla [the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities] and the Scottish Tourism Alliance. The group has developed a National Action Plan to respond to the impact of the virus on the sector and that work will help inform how we move forward as we slowly and carefully emerge from this crisis.”
