Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid)

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Official Report 1001KB pdf

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Scottish Tourism Month 2022

The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-02970, in the name of Evelyn Tweed, on Scottish tourism month 2022. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. As ever, I invite members who wish to participate to press their request-to-speak button or place an R in the chat function.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament recognises that March is Scottish Tourism Month; understands that the aim of this is to engage, connect and inspire all of Scotland’s tourism businesses and organisations, as well as celebrate what it sees as the enormous contribution that tourism makes to Scotland; considers that the sector has been severely impacted over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic; understands what it sees as the importance of tourism to a sustainable recovery, with the sector reportedly worth £11.5 billion pre-pandemic and accounting for 8.5% of jobs in Scotland; welcomes the opportunities that the industry provides to people, places, businesses and communities by, it considers, acting as a stimulus for entrepreneurialism and investment, the benefits of which it believes spread far beyond tourism; further believes tourism to be a force for good across the country, enriching the economy, communities and environment; commends what it sees as Scottish tourism’s significant contribution toward Scotland’s profile on the world stage; considers that tourism can also play an important part in promoting wellness, particularly as people emerge from long periods of isolation brought about by the pandemic, and notes the view that it will take investment, support and time for the industry to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels.

17:34  

I am delighted to lead this debate on Scottish tourism month—a month when our nation’s tourism industry comes together to host events under the Scottish tourism banner. I thank all members who will contribute to the debate.

The aim of Scottish tourism month, which is co-ordinated by the Scottish Tourism Alliance, is to engage, connect and inspire all of Scotland’s tourism industry. It celebrates the enormous contribution that tourism makes to Scotland’s economy and is an opportunity to showcase what our country has to offer both domestic and international visitors.

After two long, hard years, this is a critical time for tourism, and a focus is required to address some of the issues that the sector faces while declaring Scotland open for business. After all, Scotland may be a wee nation, but there is nothing small about our offer. Scotland boasts big, beautiful landscapes, with 30,000 lochs, 282 Munros and around 3,000 castles. Our incredible food and drink is of the highest quality and is world renowned, even if the more squeamish tourists may think twice about trying haggis.

As Scotland celebrates the year of stories in 2022, we enjoy stories and poetry of centuries of Scottish history, filled with epic battles and equally epic romances. Every year, millions of visitors enjoy our cities and towns, which are bursting with culture, talent and creativity. We should remember that Edinburgh festival fringe is still the largest arts festival in the world. Scotland has something to offer everyone, no matter the season or the weather. As Billy Connolly once said,

“There are two seasons in Scotland: June and winter.”

I promise that the weather does get a little warmer in the summer.

Brand Scotland is one of the strongest national identities in the world. In recent years, thanks to the success of popular shows such as “Outlander”, tourism has boomed at historic sites such as Doune castle, which has seen visitor numbers rise by 200 per cent. Scottish tourism is an economic and social powerhouse. It creates wealth, jobs and social benefits in every part of the country, while enhancing the wellbeing of our holidaymakers.

Spending by visitors in Scotland generates approximately £11.5 billion of economic activity for the wider Scottish supply chain. It directly contributes around £6 billion to Scottish gross domestic product, and 8.5 per cent of all businesses in Scotland are related to tourism. Tourism is a driving force for providing the jobs of today and tomorrow. For every £60,000 that is spent by visitors, a new job is created in Scotland.

In 2019, in Forth valley alone, there were 683,000 overnight visits, 8.1 million day visits and a spend of £328 million. However, during the pandemic, this strong and iconic sector arguably took a bigger hit than most. A VisitScotland survey in 2020 found that 99 per cent of businesses had experienced cancellations, a decline in bookings or fewer visitors. Many of those businesses experienced losses of up to £50,000, and for some, losses were substantially higher. By the end of 2020, more than a third of Scottish businesses overall reported to VisitScotland that they did worse than expected when they reopened in early autumn, although one in four did better.

To say that it has been a dark and worrying time for our tourism industry would be an understatement. However, it is always darkest before the dawn. With the confident strides that we are making out of Covid, there are encouraging signs of what lies ahead. In my constituency, bed and breakfasts on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond have advised that visitors are booking up very early for the year ahead, and in numbers; Stirling castle is developing exciting plans for the new season and is seeing visitors returning; and last year, Go Ape in Aberfoyle had one of its busiest years on record. Their hope is that, with the world becoming ever more conscious of its carbon footprint, the staycation trend is here to stay.

For me, the Scottish staycations that I shared with my family were a silver lining of the pandemic. We even had one in my own constituency during one of the lockdowns, which was absolutely fantastic. We had some of our best holidays ever. Scotland truly is a beautiful, amazing and welcoming place and—a wee plug—if you have not been to Stirlingshire, please come and see us soon. We need to ensure that we capitalise on our staycation offer in order to boost our economies and see for ourselves what a wonderful country we live in and what it has to offer.

Trade is returning, but any growth in tourism must be sustainable. Parts of rural Scotland in particular have become bucket-list destinations, which brings with it significant challenges around labour, housing for staff, infrastructure and connectivity. We must work together to seek solutions to those issues and ensure that our tourism sector is viable, sustainable and thriving for the future. Scotland is throwing open its doors to allow our vitally important tourism industry to flourish once more. My message today is simple: Scotland is open for business and we cannot wait to see you.

17:41  

I thank Evelyn Tweed for bringing the debate to the chamber. It comes at an important time for the tourism industry in Scotland, as we slowly begin to emerge from two years of restrictions as a result of Covid.

To say that our tourism industry took a hammering during Covid is a huge understatement, but the signs are that it is recovering slowly, as we move into spring and—we hope—into a warm and welcoming summer. Evelyn Tweed’s motion, which is supported by many members in the Parliament, recognises the huge difficulties that are faced by the industry. However, it also applauds the wonderful efforts of the sector to get back on its feet, in particular by promoting wellness, which can play an important part in reversing the sense of isolation that we all felt during the darkest days of the pandemic.

Was it not the worst feeling not to be able to go out: to travel somewhere to our favourite spot in Scotland to spend a day or so, to enjoy a break, helping the local economy at the same time, or to make that trip to the sun that so many enjoy? I recall that the nearest that I got was to visit the Waterside hotel in Seamill with my partner, when travel was permitted only inside our own health board area. The restrictions were well enforced, but the welcome that we got from the staff was pretty special. We could tell that they were genuinely delighted that we had made the effort to come.

What has definitely emerged from the pandemic experience is that many more people have begun to enjoy walking more than ever before. They have been enjoying their local countryside, including hill walks and the wonderful beach walks in Ayrshire, which were featured on television by Kate Humble as she walked Ayrshire’s coastal path routes, taking in Culzean, Dunure and Greenan castles. New tourism offerings might do well to recognise that and try to incorporate some of those experiences for people as they broaden their horizons and expectations for leisure breaks in the future.

I look forward to hearing members championing their local areas and what they have to offer. Of course, I am no different in promoting that wonderful part of Scotland, Ayrshire. We have some of the world’s finest golf courses; the greatest food to offer; and spectacular beaches and castles along the coast and in my constituency, with the amazing Dean, Rowallan and Craufurdland castles all offering something unique for visitors, as well as our historic Loudoun Hill. We also lay claim to Scotland’s big three—Wallace, Bruce and Burns—and the heritage that is associated with those three giants of Scottish history can literally be felt and touched throughout Ayrshire.

How should those offerings change after Covid? I mentioned that people are doing things differently and having different experiences that they might want to retain, such as walking and cycling, and taking part in urban walks and storytelling, bringing our town’s historical past to life, combined with flexible booking and the ability to mix and match those experiences to get the best value and make the best use of their leisure time. We might want to retain some of the measures that were put in place to help protect people. By that I mean still providing safe spaces for people and their families, who might value that and enjoy the space and security that that delivers.

The industry in Scotland will recover, and it will develop its offering to people from far and wide once again, always focusing on quality. It will need to innovate to reach out to new markets and new experiences that people may now want to be included when they come to Scotland. I am certain that the industry will go from strength to strength in the coming year.

I once again offer my congratulations to my colleague Evelyn Tweed on securing the debate. I am looking forward to the rest of the contributions from other members.

17:45  

I thank Evelyn Tweed for bringing the motion to the chamber for debate.

I note the immense efforts made by Scotland’s tourism sector over the past two years. Many businesses have struggled. They have had to cope with an ever-shifting landscape of restrictions and some have gone under, sadly, over the course of the pandemic. The sector is a backbone of the Scottish economy, and it requires our support. Accordingly, I urge every MSP to learn about their local attractions this week, to give them some support and to encourage people to visit. After all, if our representatives are not enthusiastic about visiting, why would anybody else be?

Will the member take an intervention?

Not at the moment.

Tourism has a vital role to play in Scotland’s recovery—that is without doubt. Scotland was on a roll prior to the pandemic, with a 33 per cent increase in visits between 2018 and 2019 and a 37 per cent increase in spend by tourists. Much of that tourism was domestic. In fact, 37 per cent of all overnight stays were undertaken by visitors from Scotland. The United Kingdom market still greatly outweighs the overseas market, with more than a third of visits to Scotland coming from English, Welsh and Northern Irish visitors. Those figures will only have risen during the years of the staycation. A key priority now should be to retain those visitors, ensuring that Scotland remains competitive against cheap flights abroad and winter sun.

Investments such as that in the mountain biking centre in Innerleithen, which was announced recently, are an encouraging development. With hill walking, mountain biking and kayaking, active tourism is a major market upon which Scotland has an infinite capacity to capitalise. That is down to both Scotland’s Governments. After all, visitors often tie in a visit to Scotland with visits to other UK nations. As we go forward, it is really important to retain the active tourism market and to encourage repeat visits. That is why it is reassuring to see the UK Government and the Scottish Government working together through the Borderlands deal. The £19 million that has just been invested in Caerlee mill is a great example of how Westminster and Holyrood can work together to deliver world-class facilities. The new centre will not only bring together companies and athletes from around the world, but build upon the success of the world mountain biking championship in Fort William and create a great local facility for the people of Peeblesshire.

Scotland’s festivals are returning, which is a welcome boost for the tourism sector. Having met many of their representatives over the past months, I have seen how hard things have been for them, and it is great to see how excited they are about their festivals returning. Not only are those festivals important parts of the regional economy; they have a major role to play in bringing culture to parts of Scotland beyond the traditional heartlands of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Events such as the Boswell book festival, the Spectra festival of light in Aberdeen and the Doune the Rabbit Hole festival in Cardross, as well as culinary celebrations such as Taste of Shetland, all attract visitors and fuel rural economies.

Local authorities have a big job to do here. Many of them do excellent work with tight budgets, but that is precisely the problem. Arts and culture fuel a huge chunk of Scottish tourism, yet those budgets are being cut by nearly every council in every corner of Scotland. The issue lies with local government funding. Councils simply need more support from central Government. Without a serious intervention, many more events and festivals may suffer.

Once again, I urge all members to get behind their local events and tourism businesses as much as they can.

17:49  

It goes without saying—although I will say it—that businesses that depend directly on tourists, or indirectly, as suppliers or through tourist footfall, have had a tough time over the past two years. Thank goodness for Government support here and through the UK furlough scheme, which let at least some of those businesses keep ticking.

Covid also had an upside, as folk travelled close to home rather than take flight—literally. Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale boast much to attract, from the National Mining Museum in Newtongrange to the small independent museum in Melrose, the Trimontium, which narrates the story of the nearby Roman settlement and the spread of the Romans across Scotland—they even reached the Isle of Skye; I do not know whether they reached Orkney, but I will check that out for you, Presiding Officer.

Then there is Abbotsford, the eclectic home of Sir Walter Scott, also near Melrose. Incidentally, in the armoury there, the shield for the Scott family is on the wall right next to the family shield for the Grahame family—and that is Grahame with an E; members can read into that what they like.

Galashiels is now the location of the great tapestry of Scotland and—something that I like a bit better—a wonderful statue of the charismatic Robert Coltart, who devised Coulter’s candy and the famous jingle,

“Ally bally, ally bally bee”,

which I think was the first advertising jingle ever to be developed. I think that that is more interesting.

Most of those attractions can be reached by travelling along the Borders railway. This is where I repeat my call for integrated ticketing for train journeys and bus day tickets, with discounted entry to tourist attractions.

For someone of an energetic frame of mind, there is ample scope to cycle many of the dedicated routes or to have a go at mountain biking on the trails at Innerleithen and Glentress, which have been mentioned—although they are only partially open just now, due to storm damage. Borders Buses lets people know—literally, as it says on the buses, “The bus you can take your bike on”—that they can take their bikes when they travel.

For the hyperactive, the Pentland hills are there for the taking, although—mind—people should treat them thar hills and the livestock with respect.

For someone who likes people gazing, taking a seat outside a local pub or hotel on Peebles High Street or Penicuik precinct and taking their time over a glass of wine or coffee—or perhaps both—will get them going.

At this time of year, someone who wants to admire rhododendrons and azaleas—that is my gig—should take a ramble through Dawyck or Kailzie gardens. After that, they could pamper themselves and deal with their aches and pains at nearby, award-winning Stobo castle.

That was my little tour of the tourist attractions in the Borders. My constituency is a hidden gem, a stone’s throw—or a short bus or train journey—from here, our capital city. I invite all members to visit some of the attractions that I mentioned, to see for themselves. I especially invite the minister, because I want to educate him about the benefits of the Borders and Midlothian.

My hope is that the staycations of recent months become a habit. Whether we are talking about a day out or a weekend away, all the wee local shops, businesses, hotels, pubs and B and Bs benefit. With this week’s weather, what more could we ask? Sunburn is not good for our skin, we will not lose our luggage and we will be doing our bit for the local economy.

Thank you, Ms Grahame. Your invitation to Stobo is surely in the post.

I call Paul McLennan, to be followed by Claire Baker.

17:53  

I thank Evelyn Tweed for securing this evening’s debate.

I am kind of disappointed that none of our colleagues from the Labour Party is in the chamber and that only one colleague from the Conservative Party is left here. I want to put that on the record—

Mr McLennan, I have called Claire Baker to speak next. She will be joining us remotely.

I apologise.

As co-convener of the cross-party group on tourism, I am delighted to speak in the debate. East Lothian is a tourism hot spot with a spectacular history and landscape. According to the “East Lothian Visitor Survey 2021”, tourism generates £280 million a year for the local economy and accounts for 10 per cent of the jobs in our area.

As well as bringing economic benefits, tourism plays a key part in maintaining wellbeing and good mental health and providing educational opportunities.

As part of Scottish tourism month, I visited the Scottish Seabird Centre, which enables visitors to engage with coastal wildlife, observe birds on the Bass Rock and enhance their learning. If members have not had a chance to take a boat to the Bass Rock, I urge them please to do so in the next few months.

The Bass Rock is home to more than 150,000 northern gannets at the peak of the season, which makes it the world’s largest colony of those birds. If members have not seen it, they should do so because it is a spectacular sight. The gannets spend most of the year on the Bass Rock, arriving in late February and leaving about the end of October, when they set out on their long journey down to the west coast of Africa.

Golf tourism is also huge in East Lothian, with Gullane and North Berwick attracting visitors from around the globe. We also have Muirfield golf club, Archerfield golf club and the Renaissance golf club, among others that have hosted Scottish and British open championships. Recently, four of the East Lothian courses between Gullane and North Berwick were listed in the top 100 golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Alongside golf, there are regular visitors to the coast for water sports such as surfing and to the wonderful Foxlake Adventures facility just outside Dunbar. Of course, East Lothian is also home to the National Museum of Flight on the UK’s best-preserved second world war airfield, which is home to Concorde and another 50 aircraft. We are also blessed with the wonders of Tantallon castle among others.

Tourism plays a key part in our local economy. Restrictions and changing behaviour have meant that the industry has struggled across East Lothian and Scotland over the past couple of years. There have also been struggles in the sector because of Brexit. Labour shortages are hitting the sector extremely hard at the moment.

In its briefing for the debate, UKHospitality stated that the taxation regime imposed on hospitality is an unfair burden on businesses. We have to raise that point. UKHospitality has argued for a reduction in VAT for hospitality businesses. Tourism businesses need the UK Treasury to retain the VAT rate at 12.5 per cent. The Scottish Government and the Parliament have supported that as well. We will wait and see what the Chancellor of the Exchequer says in his statement tomorrow, but let us hope that the UK Government will do that.

Only last week, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions said that tourism venues were struggling to cope with the lack of overseas visitors. Let us hope that that changes this summer. In the past couple of years, people have been avoiding indoor venues and tourist attractions as well as avoiding international travel. Now that restrictions have eased again, I hope that the situation will continue to improve this summer.

The Covid-19 business support and continuity tourism fund has been important. Through that, VisitScotland was allocated nearly £29 million, with £9 million going to tourism businesses. That went down particularly well with the Scottish Tourism Alliance.

Last week, I attended a lunch hosted by the Scottish Tourism Alliance. The sector has been through a hard time, but the businesses and organisations represented at the event were very positive and enthusiastic about the future. Connectivity was a word that I heard many times, not only in the sense of travel but with reference to the various sectors in the industry working together.

Sectors such as our leading visitor attractions, our conference facilities such as the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and the Scottish Event Campus, which are attracting business tourism, and our growing agritourism offering, which has the ambition of doubling the sector’s value to £1 billion, all work well together, and we need to harness that. Alongside the area attracting visitors to our wondrous scenery and attracting day visitors, our events industry is also growing.

We can all play our part in helping our tourism industry to recover from the pandemic. The benefits from the industry are endless. I join members in supporting our tourism industry and championing the successful businesses that we have throughout Scotland.

I call Claire Baker, who joins us remotely.

17:57  

I apologise that I cannot be in the chamber this afternoon.

I thank Evelyn Tweed for securing the debate. Over the years, the Scottish Parliament has engaged with Scottish tourism month, often with a debate like this. It can be a time for members to highlight their regions, encourage visitors and celebrate local businesses and festivals. However this year, although members might wish to do that, we have to recognise and respond to the significant challenges that tourism has faced during the pandemic and the uncertain and long road to recovery that the industry faces.

We saw a degree of recovery for the sector last summer as UK visitors increased and people holidayed at home. However, although restrictions are easing and there is potential for growth, that activity did not compensate for the losses experienced and the coming months will be challenging.

Last week, it was a pleasure to attend the Scottish tourism month business leaders lunch. The speeches at that event were focused on recovery and were positive about the sector’s contribution to our economy, jobs and community investment, but there were also words of caution and concern. The impact of leaving the European Union and ending freedom of movement is contributing to labour shortages in certain areas, including tourism and hospitality. Combined with the pandemic, which led to many people returning home, that means that there is an acute shortage of workers.

The Economy and Fair Work Committee has recently undertaken work on supply chains. Just as the supply chains appeared to be starting to ease as global trade recovered from the pandemic, the war in Ukraine—which we are all watching with horror and about which we are all experiencing uncertainty and unrest—began to contribute to rising costs, which all businesses and households have to deal with. It also threatens food security, and that has the potential to impact on our food and drink sector, which is integral to tourism. Although some of those pressures appear far away from us just now, the situation is unpredictable.

In the face of that turmoil, the Scottish tourism sector is trying to reopen and recover, but most experts do not expect a full recovery until 2024 or later. The sector has relied on overseas visitors because, although UK tourists are good news and were crucial to sustaining the sector during the pandemic, they do not typically spend as much as overseas visitors or stay as long. Travel restrictions are easing, but the pandemic is still active around the globe. The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts “a shaky recovery” for tourism and says:

“Tourism has endured a terrible pandemic, and the bad news is that 2022 will only bring a partial recovery. Borders are reopening, but international travel will still be difficult. Compliance with climate-change regulations, as well as higher fuel prices and wages, will also push up air-travel costs in 2022.”

As well as concluding that the Scottish Government’s support for Prestwick airport

“ensured there is not a level playing field across airports in Scotland’,

yesterday’s “Airports in Scotland” report from the Scottish Affairs Committee argues that differing Covid travel rules to other parts of the UK damaged the financial stability of Scottish airports, and calls for a UK recovery plan for airports.

The Scottish tourism recovery task force was established to provide a strategic approach to recovery that would take the lead from business. Although phase 1 of the recovery plan was funded, there is as yet no financial support for the delivery of phase 2 and, although the Government agrees with the importance of phase 2, that was not included in the 2022-23 budget. The Economy and Fair Work Committee has expressed concerns over the lack of financial support and is urging the Government to explore other options for support.

I asked the First Minister about that at the recent Conveners Group meeting. She emphasised the importance of confidence for the recovery of the sector, but it also needs investment. There needs to be a recognition of the supply chain businesses that are connected to tourism. If a large hotel chain is facing financial difficulties, that impacts on its laundry service, catering suppliers, taxi firms and tour operators. The self-catering sector, which is still concerned about the impact of new regulations, must be valued as a generator of local businesses, because they are all interdependent.

The spring statement is due tomorrow, and UKHospitality and others in the sector are calling on the chancellor to continue with the VAT cut. To increase VAT at this point risks nipping the shoots of recovery in the bud and, as other costs rise, we all need to do all we can to support a future for Scottish tourism.

The final speaker in the open debate is Emma Harper.

18:02  

I congratulate my colleague Evelyn Tweed on securing the debate and I welcome the opportunity to speak.

The pandemic has been awful for us all and it has hit the tourism industry very hard. I thank the Scottish Government for the financial support that has been provided so far. In addition to Scottish tourism month’s aims to “engage, connect and inspire”, it is really important for our tourism industry to aim for recovery, rebirth and renewal.

As a representative of Scotland’s bonniest regions, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland, I am proud to shine a light on the sooth. The beautiful scenery and the world-class food and drink are fantastic, and the outdoor pursuits and our enormous contribution to Scotland’s national environment are really important.

The Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway have something for everyone, including forest and family holidays, historic abbeys and castles, distilleries, cycle trails, water sports and spa retreats, as my colleague Christine Grahame also mentioned. With miles of stunning coastline, rolling hills and beautiful forest, there is no better place to escape to, and history lovers can follow in the footsteps of Robert the Bruce, Walter Scott and our national bard Robert Burns.

People can also explore the many wonderful ruined abbeys that are dotted all across South Scotland, from Sweetheart abbey to the world-famous Melrose abbey. The south of Scotland also boasts some great gardens, such as Logan botanic garden. Located on the south-western tip of Scotland, it is warmed by the gulf stream and is a place of tropical beauty, with many plants that normally grow in antipodean countries.

We noo have world-class whisky, gin and rum distilleries as well, including Annandale, Bladnoch, Crafty, Ninefold, Oro, Borders, Selkirk, Dark Art and the Moffat distillery, which is still under construction.

As part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations, Dumfries has applied to be recognised as a city. When Perth, Stirling and Inverness received city status, they went from strength to strength—economically, socially and culturally—and attracted people and lots of new investment to their areas. If Dumfries receives city status, the town and our whole region could benefit similarly. The south really is Scotland’s adventure playground.

Will Emma Harper join me in applauding the great work that is being done in South Ayrshire Council with the launch of the Destination South Ayrshire tourism website?

I will give Emma Harper time back for the intervention.

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

I thank Siobhian Brown for raising that issue. I am aware of what has been launched in South Ayrshire, and I welcome it. I thank her for making that intervention so that we can highlight that.

In addition to the cycle routes at Glentress, which Christine Grahame talked about, there are other 7stanes cycle routes in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders. The award-winning 7stanes mountain biking trails provide among the best mountain biking that is available in Scotland.

We have the southern upland way, which is Scotland’s only official coast-to-coast long-distance footpath, and which runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea—from Portpatrick on the west coast to Cove on the east coast—and we have the Galloway international dark sky park, which has been named a gold-tier park as a result of its breathtaking and rare stargazing conditions. We also have the Galloway and southern Ayrshire United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization biosphere, which is the first UNESCO biosphere in Scotland and part of a family of 700 biospheres around the world.

Those are all fantastic resources. They really help to put South Scotland on the map, and they are all hugely important to Scotland’s economy. However, more can be done.

Stranraer Water Sports Association is involved in the development of Stranraer waterfront. Loch Ryan is a beautiful and peaceful loch, and there are huge opportunities in its potential for tourism development.

I pay tribute to the work of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, South of Scotland Enterprise, VisitScotland Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders Council and the many organisations that work to promote tourism across the south, and I ask the minister to commit to do all he can to ensure that South Scotland is promoted as a world-class tourism destination as we recover from the pandemic.

18:07  

I congratulate Evelyn Tweed on securing what has been an excellent debate. Indeed, the theme of “engage, connect and inspire” is apt for the contributions to the debate. They have all been engaging, they have all connected us with a sense of place in the various locations around Scotland, and they have certainly all been inspiring.

Evelyn Tweed was absolutely right to speak about brand Scotland and to recognise Scottish tourism as an “economic and social powerhouse”. In my later remarks, I will touch on some of the economic support that the Government has been providing. However, Evelyn Tweed was also absolutely correct to raise sustainability issues.

I draw the Parliament’s attention to the support that has been provided, including our £15.2 million rural tourism infrastructure fund. Sixty-six projects have been awarded funding since 2018. There is also the work that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy is undertaking in leading the visitor management steering group, and there was the recent announcement of an additional £3.9 million to support more than 200 new countryside ranger posts in this summer season. I am sure that that will be very welcome.

I will try to touch on as many members’ contributions as possible.

Paul McLennan and Willie Coffey spoke about wellness and reminded us of the very challenging experiences and the lack of opportunities that we all faced when restrictions were in place during the pandemic. Evelyn Tweed eloquently described some of her experiences of tourism and staycations in her area. I think that we all welcome the opportunity to travel a bit further afield now.

Mr Coffey spoke about some of the attractions in his area. I will give him Bruce and Burns but, as the MSP for Elderslie, I am not going to cede ground as far as William Wallace is concerned.

Christine Grahame gave us a fantastic tour of her constituency. I very much look forward to being further educated by her in due course.

Christine Grahame rose—

I am certainly happy to give way to Christine Grahame. I feel that I am about to be educated.

It is fatal to turn around and look at me, because I will intervene.

I invite the minister to liaise with the Minister for Transport to pursue integrated ticketing for trains, buses and local attractions. I am going to bang on about that until something happens. While he and his Cabinet colleagues are at it, I invite them to trial that across the Borders to see how good it is.

I will ensure that Ms Grahame’s request is suitably conveyed to the Minister for Transport. I very much look forward to visiting Ms Grahame’s constituency in due course.

I was heartened to hear Ms Grahame’s reference to a family connection in relation to Abbotsford house. Genealogical references have been sorely missing from the chamber since the retirement of our dear friend Stewart Stevenson.

Emma Harper made a powerful contribution that championed the south of Scotland. I am sure that she is aware of the value that we place on the south of Scotland. We passed legislation to create South of Scotland Enterprise in the previous parliamentary session, and there is our support for the Borderlands deal. The south of Scotland could have no greater champion than Emma Harper, and I know that, in her position, she will continue to champion the area throughout this parliamentary session.

Sharon Dowey was absolutely correct to recognise the immense efforts of the tourism sector over the past two years. Christine Grahame touched on the importance of the furlough scheme. Claire Baker touched on the economic impact that tourism has faced and, crucially, she stressed the importance of overseas visitors. I completely recognise the point that Sharon Dowey made: we want to encourage as many people from across the UK and, more broadly, from Ireland to visit Scotland. I also recognise the very important contribution that visitors from overseas make.

As has been touched on, the tourism sector is a key part of Scotland’s economy. In 2019, day and overnight visitors spent almost £11.6 billion in Scotland. Before the pandemic, the tourism sector contributed £4.5 billion in gross value added to Scotland’s economy—about 3 per cent of total GVA. It also employed 229,000 people, which is almost 9 per cent of employment in Scotland, or one in every 11 jobs.

The pandemic and the measures that were necessary to contain the virus have had a profound impact on the sector. For instance, in May 2020, GDP in the accommodation and food services sector, which comprises a large part of our tourism sector, was almost 84 per cent below its pre-pandemic level—in comparison, GDP in the economy overall was 21 per cent below its pre-pandemic level. By December last year, GDP in the sector was still almost 13 per cent below February 2020 levels.

Although restrictions have been lifted and conditions are improving, it is important to recognise that the sector, particularly those parts that rely on international visitors, is still recovering from that shock. It is important that we continue to build confidence in those markets and that we let people know that Scotland will welcome them.

We have already taken steps to start that process. Recognising that we have to build consumer demand, we commenced an international marketing campaign in 2021 as part of our phase 1 tourism recovery programme. We hope to see the results of that campaign in the 2022 season.

Phase 1 of our tourism recovery programme supported nine other projects, with up to £25 million set aside for them. Some of the projects are now complete, and some are on-going. One particular highlight was our days out incentive fund, which provided £1.57 million to businesses to offer up to 50 per cent off subsidised tickets for local attractions. The scheme was designed to encourage more visits in the off season, and more than 140 attractions signed up.

It is our sincere hope that the recovery programme will support a strong bounce back for the tourism and hospitality sector over the next few years. It will not only help the sector to recover but help us to deliver better on Scotland outlook 2030—the national tourism strategy—which has not been fully realised in light of the pandemic. The recovery programme will help to shape our approach to supporting the sector’s growth through the new national strategy for economic transformation. We will therefore continue to work with the industry and key partners as we consider how best to support the 13 proposals that were put forward for phase 2 of the programme.

Previously, tourism has been a key sector for supporting employment, particularly in rural areas, as has been touched on in the debate. Before the pandemic, tourism represented a larger portion of employment in rural areas than it did in Scotland’s economy overall. For example, in 2019, tourism employment accounted for about 17 per cent of the workforce in Argyll and Bute, 15 per cent in the Highlands and 11 per cent in Edinburgh, so it is clear that tourism is helping our rural economies to thrive.

The sector not only is valuable to the economy but has the potential to support important Government policies. For example, it is estimated that 24 per cent of children were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2017 to 2020. Consequently, a huge number of families in Scotland never experience even a short break. Therefore, our ScotSpirit holiday scheme, which was one of our phase 1 recovery measures, involves the sector working with charity partners to provide short breaks to low-income families, disadvantaged young people and unpaid carers. Although the trips are supported through Scottish Government funding, it is important to have good collaboration with the sector, which can support the families when they visit.

Although addressing climate change will create challenges for the sector, tourism also has the potential to support our climate change targets. Our destination net zero programme therefore aims to support Scotland’s tourism sector to transition to a low-carbon future through globally recognised leadership. Not only is that the right thing to do but, with consumers now being much more conscious of their carbon footprint, it is important that we offer low-carbon, guilt-free experiences. Our Scandinavian neighbours already pride themselves on doing that, and their tourism economies remain strong.

It is important to recognise that the sector has experienced challenges in restarting after the pandemic. Recent data from the business insights and conditions survey indicates that 48 per cent of businesses in the accommodation and food services sector were experiencing shortages of workers. In comparison, 37.5 per cent of businesses with more than 10 employees in the economy overall were experiencing such shortages.

Historically, non-UK nationals have been a critical part of the workforce. In 2019, 16 per cent of the workforce was made up of non-UK nationals—that is almost double the Scottish average—but visa requirements are now making it challenging to recruit from that pool of able and willing candidates.

Unfortunately, in 2019, more than half of employees working in the sustainable tourism sector—53.3 per cent—were paid less than the real living wage. Although a commitment to paying the living wage might go some way towards making jobs more appealing, there are sometimes other contributing factors, such as demanding hours, a perceived lack of opportunity for career progression and the sector being seen as offering unstable employment following the pandemic. We recognise all of those challenges and are committed to working with the industry and the UK Government as we seek to address them.

Although we have come some way since the initial lockdown in March 2020, the industry unfortunately continues to report low consumer confidence in visiting local attractions, so let me conclude by picking up on a point that Sharon Dowey made eloquently. As elected representatives, we have an opportunity to lead by example, by demonstrating that we believe it to be safe to visit these places once more. Scottish tourism month affords us an opportunity not just to celebrate achievements but to publicise our many local attractions.

As others have done, I encourage all members to visit their constituency’s attractions, to listen to the experiences of the operators and to reassure their constituents that the Scottish Government believes that it is safe to, once again, be out and about for leisure purposes. With about 80 per cent of our overnight visitors coming from within the UK, our example is bound to make a difference in building local confidence.

Again, I thank Evelyn Tweed for securing the debate. In Scottish tourism month 2022, let us celebrate the very best that our sector has to offer. We have shown that we can be resilient; it is now time to flourish once more.

Thank you very much, minister.

In the interests of pre-empting a point of order, I point out that Willie Coffey has said in the BlueJeans chat function that Wallace was born in Ayrshire, that Elderslie did not exist in the middle ages and that Ellerslie, which is in Ayrshire, did. I am sure that the battle between the minister and Mr Coffey is set to rage for the remainder of the session.

That concludes the debate.

Meeting closed at 18:18.