The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-12520, in the name of Kenneth Gibson, on the European conference for cold water island tourism. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I would be grateful if members who wish to speak in the debate would press their request-to-speak buttons as soon as possible. I would also be grateful if guests who are leaving the gallery do so quietly, please. The Parliament is still in session.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that 17 to 19 March 2015 marks the first annual European Conference on cold water island tourism, hosted on the Isle of Arran; understands that the conference will serve to create a means for cold water islands to come together and collaborate toward achieving a more sustainable tourism industry; celebrates the three overarching themes of the conference, which include opportunities from life, culture and heritage, access and business excellence, and congratulates the programme on highlighting and promoting what it considers the indispensable efforts of Scotland’s cold water island industries to deliver sustainable employment and prosperity.
12:31
I am pleased to open this debate on cold water island tourism. I hope to reveal in due course the significant impact that Scottish island tourism can and does have on the Scottish economy.
I thank all those who signed my motion and the delegates who are attending and supporting Scotland’s first cold water island tourism conference, which is currently being held in Arran in my constituency. In particular, I thank Alastair Dobson of Taste of Arran, who has worked hard to bring the event to fruition and make it a success.
More than 100 representatives from northern Europe have gathered to share their insights and experience of the successes and struggles that face the cold water island tourism sector. The conference will benefit Arran directly by giving a fantastic introduction to one of the many alluring islands on the Scottish coast. It is a great way to promote the natural beauty of our cold water islands. Experience of Arran and its hospitality is a great way of stimulating international interest in Scotland’s islands.
Just before I came down to First Minister’s question time, I was contacted by Alastair Dobson, who said that some of the key themes that are coming out of the conference are: that islands go a long way towards defining a nation; that the identity of each island is key to its success; that business-led joint and collaborative investment is important; and that islands are fragile, but are usually dynamic and innovative, as I am sure many of us already know.
In the past year, Scotland has played host to many prestigious events that have brought us to the international stage and amplified interest in Scotland as a global tourism destination. The 2014 Commonwealth games, the Ryder cup and even the independence referendum all contributed and built on earlier events—for example, the success of media productions such as the 2012 Disney Pixar film “Brave”—and renewed international visitors’ interest in Scotland. That helped to propagate an idea of our country as one of beautiful landscapes, castles and coasts, with good food and great people.
Scotland’s waters, our islands and, indeed, our mainland coastal communities offer tourists a unique opportunity to experience Scotland on a more intimate scale. We boast the longest coastline in Europe, with varied wildlife and unparalleled scenery. Each island is unique; each has a proud identity of its own and offers its own rich heritage. With 88 per cent of island tourism generated through small businesses, our islands allow tourists to experience a different and very Scottish experience.
The increased interest in Scotland in combination with devolved powers that could result in the Parliament being in charge of an increasing number of key levers that determine the success of our tourism sector creates a significant opportunity for the Scottish Government. Tourism represents 5 per cent of total Scottish gross domestic product, generates £10 billion of economic activity annually, and employs 200,000 people, which is 8.5 per cent of overall employment in Scotland.
Supporting Scottish tourism affirms our commitment to developing and sustaining fragile communities that depend on the tourism industry. Our islands are of particular concern, given that they are often relatively isolated from the main population centres on the mainland and the cost of doing business there is significantly higher, even when the road equivalent tariff and other initiatives are in place. Island communities have to work harder to earn their living in the modern world.
The Arran conference seeks to create a platform for communication between cold water islands in Europe, in an attempt to share their ideas, experience and economic development in the tourism sector. Sharing insights is fundamental to growth. The European conference for cold water tourism creates an arena for island communities to talk about what works for them and to discuss innovative strategies to build a sustainable future.
Of course, several strategies are already under way in Scotland to promote marine and sustainable island tourism. As we are talking about a European conference, it seems appropriate to touch upon the European Union’s hugely ambitious blue growth strategy, which was developed by the EU in an attempt to promote sustainable growth in European island communities—along with mainland coastal communities—with the aim of creating 5.4 million jobs and producing €500 billion income per annum by 2020.
The strategy stresses the importance of renewable energy, aquaculture, sea bed mining, and blue biotechnology as the building blocks of sustainable development. The Scottish Government’s target of producing 100 per cent of Scotland’s gross annual electricity consumption and 11 per cent of Scotland’s heat consumption by 2020 from renewables supports those initiatives and will generate jobs in the process. I am pleased that Johan Gille, special adviser to the European Commission’s Directorate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries attended the conference in Arran to talk about the blue growth strategy in more detail and to provide support for innovation and communication in cold water island tourism developments.
The Scottish Government supports sustainable development for Scotland’s island tourism sector. Rather than provide details and steal the minister’s thunder, I am happy to wait for him to touch on that himself.
In addition, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, working in tandem with the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism, Fergus Ewing, recently launched the marine tourism strategy, which, as the name suggests, aims to bolster Scotland’s marine tourism, which is a hugely important sector and one in which my colleague, Stuart McMillan, takes a particularly keen interest; I am sure that we will hear from him before too long.
The five-year plan aims to improve the tourism experience, to develop skills and facilities within the sector, and to promote events and activities that intend to bring more focus to Scotland’s marine tourism. The STA hopes to achieve a 25 per cent increase in the total value of the sector by 2020, representing an increase in income of around £90 million per year.
Tourism gains from events and in many other ways, such as from cruising. The Scottish Government is working with Cruise Scotland and VisitScotland to continue to grow that market.
As we move forward, devolving responsibility for air passenger duty, if it happens, will give us the opportunity to end a burden that, since 2007, has resulted in £210 million less per annum being spent on tourism and 1.2 million fewer visitors across Scotland—not just in our island communities, but tourists being further away from them when they arrive in the UK does not help.
I look forward to hearing how the Scottish Government will further promote island tourism and from other colleagues in the debate. The European conference on cold water island tourism represents an excellent example of the potential that can be heralded by collaboration across islands similar to those in Scotland. The success of the Arran conference will encourage countries to share their findings and promote sustainable prosperity for our islands for many years to come.
12:38
I am well qualified to speak in this debate because it has been 44 years since I have been to a warm water island, but in the past seven years I have holidayed in Arran—I mention it first for obvious reasons and congratulate Kenneth Gibson on bringing the debate—Tiree, Skye, Orkney and Harris. I can testify to the coldness of the water because of a little bit of swimming on some of those islands.
Cold water islands, particularly those in the north Atlantic, face common tourism opportunities and challenges, and the conference was set up to consider strategies for economic growth and use of the islands’ natural resources. Tourism is a mainstay of those communities and therefore plays an essential part in sustaining their livelihoods.
Alastair Dobson of Visit Arran said:
“Island tourism tends to focus on warm water locations, such as the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. Cold water island tourism is vitally important to the economy for the island communities but, importantly, cold water islands offer tourists a wonderful opportunity to get close to nature and to experience authentic island life and for northern European markets these experiences are much closer to home.”
That is certainly true of Arran—and Kenny Gibson will be glad to know that this morning I was telling an American intern in the Parliament all about Arran, where she is going to spend the next couple of days.
One of the case studies at the conference, under the banner “food and drink” was the highly successful collaborative venture, a Taste of Arran. That initiative’s joined-up approach to the development and marketing of local produce provides a template that other similar islands could replicate. It incorporates the development of the product as part of an experience on the island and serves as a fundamental component of the branding, positioning and marketing of Arran.
The success of the islands in both the high season and the low season is as dependent on their wider connectivity as on their ability to articulate a distinct brand. Connectivity is an integral part of developing innovative tourism strategies for islands, which I believe was reflected in the discussions this week.
One experience of island tourism that we will all be familiar with is the trip aboard CalMac Ferries ships, which have connected our communities for many years. CalMac has recently announced plans to turn the journey into an opportunity to promote Scottish culture and products while using digital connectivity to encourage travellers to visit key sites of interest. The company plans to introduce pop-up tastings, fashion shows and pop music to entertain visitors as they head to Scotland’s islands. In a move designed to give tourists a flavour of what awaits them, CalMac will serve locally produced island food and drink, along with providing tourist information via free wi-fi. Details of places to visit on the island where the ferry is heading will be sent to passengers’ mobile phones and via a smartphone app. That is in essence what maximising our island potential is all about: key sectors working in collaboration to make sure that the overall enjoyment of visiting the island supports the island economy and people buying into the ethos. The sense of destination package will be available on ferries to the Hebrides. Clyde routes such as Arran will also be included.
CalMac has also become adept in its use of social media to promote its various destinations. Its new blog site offers a glimpse of the various attractions that islands have to offer. For example, one family give their account of their time island hopping and visiting Barra—I do not think that I have time to share that account.
Our beautiful islands are there not to exist in isolation but to be experienced, lived in and connected to our mainland. They are to be appreciated for their vibrant and productive communities with their generosity and hospitality. Meeting other small islands, collaborating and sharing ideas and best practice are the best ways to ensure that whatever business opportunities are pursued are pursued with and for the communities themselves. I believe that that is what this week’s conference was about and I congratulate Kenny Gibson on drawing it to our attention this week.
12:42
I, too, congratulate my colleague Kenneth Gibson on securing the debate. As he said, I chair the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, so I will struggle to limit my comments to four minutes.
Kenneth Gibson mentioned cruising. I believe that we are having a members’ business debate on the cruise industry in Scotland next week, so I will not say too much about that today.
Today’s debate illustrates once again the Scottish Parliament’s commitment to and interest in cold water island and marine tourism in Scotland and its appreciation of the vast benefits drawn from that important sector in our economy.
Spending by tourists in Scotland generates some £10 billion in economic activity and contributes roughly 5 per cent of the country’s GDP. The tourism sector accounts for more than 200,000 jobs. All those numbers continue to rise, thanks in part to the efforts of organisations such as VisitScotland and Visit Arran and conferences such as the one that we have discussed.
Scotland’s islands have recently been recognised on the world stage for their breathtaking beauty and the unique opportunities that they afford to tourists. Lewis and Harris were named number 5 on tripadvisor’s list of the top islands in the world, beating much of the tropical, warm-weathered competition. They were the highest ranked cold water islands and were surrounded on the list by islands in warmer climes to the south. Although cold water islands are not traditionally thought of as major tourist destinations, that accolade acknowledges the beauty of our islands and it will hopefully lead to more tourism in future years.
One of the issues that has come up in the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism is just how important tourism is to the island communities across the country in terms of investment into infrastructure in the islands, particularly the infrastructure for marine tourism activities, whether that involves sailing, boating, canoeing, kayaking or whatever. Investment in those activities helps to stimulate and promote the economies of those island communities. As we know, these are cold water communities.
Cold water islands offer a unique destination for tourists that often includes marine-based activities, hand crafts, archaeology, lessons about the history of Scotland and of the islands’ inhabitants, the spectacular natural beauty of Scotland and the food and drink aspects that we have already heard about. Visitors to the islands have the opportunity to get close to nature and the dramatic landscape, and to find insights into island life.
As we have heard, representatives from Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands and Denmark, among other places, are meeting in Arran this week to discuss strategies to increase cold water tourism. I look forward to finding out the outcomes of the conference.
Kenneth Gibson mentioned the recently published marine tourism strategy document, “Awakening the Giant”. The strategy started in the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, after we held a symposium in March 2013. As a consequence of that activity, we have got to the point of having an actual marine tourism strategy for the country. On behalf of the cross-party group, I will take some credit for helping to fashion the first marine strategy that Scotland has ever had. I also wanted to put on record the work of not only that cross-party group but all cross-party groups in the Parliament and the things that they can bring to the table with regard to fashioning a policy agenda.
Once again, I thank Kenneth Gibson for bringing this debate to the chamber. I am sure that the conference will be a tremendous success.
12:47
I also thank Kenneth Gibson for bringing this important motion to the Parliament. Loving Arran as I do, it is a great pleasure to take part in this debate.
I should mention that I am currently registering an interest that is relevant to the debate. On 8 March I was a guest at the annual dinner of the Arran Society of Glasgow, at which I spoke. I received hospitality and accommodation in connection with the event.
The first annual European conference on cold water island tourism, which is being held on the beautiful island of Arran, is a triumph of local resourcefulness and ingenuity. I join others in mentioning Alastair Dobson, and I pay tribute to him and to Visit Arran. As some have already said, behind the initiative is a vision of making small cold water islands destinations of choice, with the aim of helping to make them sustainable economically, socially and environmentally, while also making them attractive places in which to live and work.
The conference organisers could not have picked a better location for their conference. Arran is unique. It is close to the mainland, yet far from the bustle of the mainland. It is diverse in scenery and recreational opportunity, noted for geology and tourism and abundantly provided with quality accommodation and places to eat. No wonder it enchants all who visit.
The conference’s mission is ambitious. It is to create
“a unique network of cold water small island destinations in order to benefit from having a representative voice of influence”
and to forge
“collaborative working and sharing practical solutions based upon successful actions and evidence.”
That is a purposeful and relevant mission.
Indeed, the conference’s prospectus describes the objectives as being, among other things, to
“Share knowledge of successful practical projects; Create networks of expertise and information; Discuss common issues and opportunities to grow the value of tourism; Identify innovative solutions to underpin sustainable growth; Celebrate and recognise best practice projects;”
and
“Develop a common agenda for support and development”.
That reflects a very practical and sensible approach to the huge potential of cold water islands.
I could not help but notice that the conference prospectus has a stunning photograph of Machrie Bay, which was where I used to swim on my regular visits to Arran—and, yes, cold water island is a good description.
The islands of many cold water maritime countries make a valuable contribution to the tourism experience and to the economy. As Stuart McMillan said, there has been comparatively little research on value, market demand and economic impact to enhance our understanding of those issues. Any aim to redress that situation and recognise and identify cold water islands as viable tourist destinations is commendable. The whole initiative is tailor-made for Scotland and is relevant to all our island communities.
Island tourism can work hand in hand with island businesses, which tend to be microbusinesses. Arran is not short of successful local businesses that have forged themselves into providers of niche products that are sold well beyond Arran’s shores. Not only are those businesses vital for the overall survival of island communities, but they enhance, and are enhanced by, expanding tourism.
I, too, am delighted that more than 100 delegates from across northern Europe have gathered in Arran to hear success stories, listen to experts involved in the economic development of islands and build networks and friendships. The first-ever conference examining cold water tourism is a unique event. It is a feather in Scotland’s cap and a coup for the island of Arran. I congratulate all involved.
12:51
I thank Kenneth Gibson for bringing the subject to the Parliament. I also congratulate him on wearing the same tie as me—for members who do not know, it is the tie of the charity Enable. There are at least three of us wearing the Enable tie today.
For me, the ideal place to go on holiday is an island. Being surrounded by water gives me the feeling of being away from it all and being able to wind down and relax. Today, I will be totally self-indulgent and talk about islands that I have visited. For example, last summer, just before the final few weeks of the referendum campaign, I spent nine days on Coll and Tiree and had an absolutely superb time.
I am not exactly sure where my attachment to islands first came from, but I remember as a youngster going on day trips to Millport on Cumbrae, and I had a teacher at school who took us on weekend trips to Arran, which is the island that I visited most recently, when the Finance Committee was there in December.
As a student, I remember a group of us going to Islay, which is due to be my next island destination when the Equal Opportunities Committee goes there after the Westminster election. If the weather is better, I hope to be camping when we go to Islay. That is my probably my ideal holiday: camping on a Scottish island.
It is not only Scotland that has great islands; other countries do too. A name that I have always known from the shipping forecast is Lundy, which is an island off the north coast of Devon, in England, and is well worth visiting.
Ireland, too, has a number of islands, some of which I have visited, including Aran—with one r—Rathlin, which is across from Kintyre, and Clare Island, which I found one of the most exciting and is in my favourite Irish county of Mayo. The Irish allow competition on their ferry routes and on a particularly windy day, with a choppy sea, we had two ferries racing each other across to the island. It was probably not safe, but it was good fun.
When we think of Wales, we might think of Anglesey, or Ynys Môn, as it is known. However, it has two bridges, so is it really an island? How do we define an island? I am a fan of Hamish Haswell-Smith’s book on Scottish islands, and I agree with his definition that an island has to be surrounded by seawater at lowest tide and have
“no permanent means of dry access”.
By that definition, Anglesey is not an island, and neither is Skye. In my opinion, the Uists and Benbecula form one island, not three.
The British isles contain more than just Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. The Isle of Man was a traditional holiday destination from Glasgow. Its location is stunning, with all four surrounding nations in sight. Being there, we realise how central the island was in the past. When the seas were the motorways of the time, the Vikings knew that Man was right at the centre.
If we are looking for history, Jersey and Guernsey take some beating. The whole story of the occupation during the second world war is fascinating. Many of the fortifications can still be seen—the islands were the most heavily fortified part of Hitler’s Atlantic wall.
Continuing the war theme, I note that the Faroe islands were occupied by Britain in the second world war, and it was the British who encouraged them to have and use their own flag, rather than the flag of Denmark, which at the time was occupied by Germany. The closest country to the Faroes—where I stood a couple of years ago—is Scotland. However, it is disappointing—both to me and to the Faroese—that there is no regular transport link. I went by chartered plane. Perhaps the minister can look at transport links to the Faroes.
I hesitate to say that I have a favourite island in Scotland. However, the one place that I had long wanted to visit was St Kilda. When eventually I managed to, I found it absolutely superb. Sailing out from Lewis or Harris, I was almost out of sight of land, and then, out of the middle of the ocean—like in some spectacular film—came the cliffs, the amazing sea colour and thousands of birds.
The history and the evacuation in 1930 I find extremely moving, and there is a magic about the place. However, I reckon that it is somewhat spoiled by the military buildings. If I can finish with two suggestions for the minister, one would be to get rid of the military buildings, if he can do that. I also think that repopulating St Kilda would be a good project.
Mr Mason, I ask you to draw to a close. Perhaps you would like to come back to Arran, if possible.
I welcome the conference coming to Scotland. The islands are one of our great assets; let us do all that we can to encourage and support them.
I invite Derek Mackay to respond to the debate.
12:56
I am delighted to speak in today’s debate on the cold water island tourism conference in Arran. I congratulate Kenny Gibson on securing the debate and North Ayrshire Council on its vision in supporting the conference’s inaugural event.
Members might wonder why I am responding to the debate but of course I have ministerial responsibility for the islands—it is not just because tourism minister Fergus Ewing is not available. Malcolm Chisholm rather helpfully made a point about transport connections and how we can make cultural connections through transport. Given our capacity in that regard, there is a clear linkage.
I do not want anyone to draw any conclusions from the fact that I have been holidaying in Arran for the past 10 years or so. I am not permitted to have a favourite island, but members can draw their own conclusions from the fact that I am a regular visitor. Like Annabel Goldie, I may have visits to declare, although I think that they have all been at my own expense or, in a couple of cases, for Government events.
I am struck by the entrepreneurial spirit of Arran. How people there work together is certainly very impressive. The term “cold water conference” may conjure up an image that is not all that tourism partnerships would want, but, having swum off the coast of Arran, I can reveal a public health message: I have been sunburnt there, too. There is certainly warmth of hospitality in Arran, but the sun often shines as well.
The debate is about the conference, which is a fantastic event that brings together partners and stakeholders to release islands’ potential. The involvement of Visit Arran and Taste of Arran is further evidence of close working and highly successful relationships across the whole island. I commend the branding therein.
The conference also has support from VisitScotland, through its conference bid fund. I hope that that sends the clear message that the conference bid fund can support businesses and conferences of 50 to 5,000 delegates across Scotland—it is for rural areas as well as cities. All conferences play a vital role in boosting the visitor economy in Scotland and acting as a showcase for all that Scotland has to offer as somewhere to live, study, learn from, invest in, buy from and visit again and again.
Arran has many attractions: stunning scenery; a range of activities for all tastes and levels of fitness; and delicious, locally produced food and drink, including that from the local distillery at Lochranza, the Arran Blonde series of beers and a range of delights from chocolate to cheese and from ice cream to rapeseed oil. They show that Arran is a microcosm of what Scotland has to offer. Arran Aromatics and many others also contribute to that sense of destination.
The year of food and drink in 2015 offers the industry so much to become involved in. It builds on the global exposure that Scotland had in 2014, which we should capitalise on.
The conference recognises that Scotland is doubly blessed. In addition to food and drink, we have a great network of coastal assets and inland waterways that facilitate a range of routes that marine tourists from the Nordic countries may take. As others have said, there is interest in the market potential there and in expanding that blue traffic throughout the seasons.
As the conference programme recognises, Arran is seizing the initiative and thinking about how to position all its attractions and enterprises not only during 2015 but during the other themed years from 2016 through to 2018.
There is European attention as well. Kenneth Gibson mentioned, and I am equally pleased, that Johan Gille of the consultancy firm Ecorys has been working closely with the European Commission’s directorate-general for maritime affairs and fisheries, or DG MARE, on connectivity and innovative tourism strategies from an islands perspective.
Scotland stands to benefit from an EC focus on marine resources and we have been active in shaping European thinking in the sector. Stuart McMillan MSP, who is convener of the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, mentioned the potential of the sector, on which he has had good engagement with Commission officials. VisitScotland fielded a speaker at the EC conference on coastal and maritime tourism in Venice last year, and I know that DG MARE has been most impressed by its contacts to date with Scottish activity around coastal and marine tourism. It is vital that Scotland continues to provide positive input, such as the Arran conference, as the emerging pan-European approach to marine and coastal tourism is being actively developed.
The potential of marine tourism in opening up coastal areas has long been recognised, and it features as an approach in our work to date on the national marine plan and on the national planning framework, which I led.
VisitScotland’s national tourism development framework shows an estimated £336 million of investment in tourism infrastructure, which will impact across Ayrshire and Arran over the next three years, further enhancing the quality of the visitor experience.
The industry-led Scottish marine tourism development group launched a strategic framework for Scotland’s marine tourism sector on 5 March. It will put further energy into the right kind of infrastructure and the right decisions to support that work.
Crucially, as the conference recognises, this is not just about how to grow the marine sector, but about ensuring that sustainable economic growth carries across to coastal communities, inland waterways and wider tourism businesses to provide an authentic visitor experience.
A conference
“to promote, celebrate and help develop tourism on small cold water island destinations around the world”
is visionary and timeous. The Scottish Government for one would welcome receiving further detail on the conference outcomes once they become available. We will continue to work in partnership. The conference will clearly help us to understand not only how we can further increase all that Arran has to offer the visitor, but what more is possible for all our islands in Scotland, whether that involves transport, tourism, marketing or infrastructure. VisitScotland and its partners will all come together to learn the lessons from the conference.
The key to successful delivery of sustainable economic growth via the various sectors in our tourism industry is partnership working, which Arran has showcased. It has been an exemplar of how to develop an attractive model, particularly for tourism, to ensure that our islands in Scotland have a long, sustainable and successful future.
13:03 Meeting suspended.