Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee

Meeting date: Thursday, February 27, 2020

Official Report 490KB pdf

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Public Petition

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National Tourism Strategy (PE1721)

Agenda item 4 is consideration of petition PE1721, by John Hanks on behalf of Friends of Geilston, on the national tourism strategy for Scotland and the role of the National Trust for Scotland. The petition was referred to the committee by the Public Petitions Committee for consideration under our remit.

Members are invited to comment on the following proposed actions. We could close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders, on the basis that the National Trust for Scotland is already involved in the development of the national tourism strategy; we could close the petition under that rule, but, in doing so, we could agree to consider the issues raised in the petition in the wider tourism strategy, once it is published—it is not yet published—as part of our business planning day, following the summer recess; or we could take another action, if the committee considers that appropriate.

I suggest that we take the second option, and include the topic on the agenda for the business planning day. As you rightly said, the new tourism strategy has not yet been published, and that could be a good opportunity for the committee to engage further on this area of tourism.

I agree absolutely with Stuart. It is a very interesting—probably underdeveloped—area of tourism activity. I love my garden, so I am up for it. I hope that we will have opportunities, as potential tourists, to visit some gardens.

Bring your wellies.

I promise that I will not come along to this committee often, but Geilston garden is in my constituency, so I supported the petitioners. A number of high-profile gardens have been closed down in the past, and that may happen in future to other gardens, including to Geilston garden. The UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee produced a very interesting report on tourism strategies, including the garden economy.

I would be delighted if the committee would consider the issue further, whether as part of the onward work programme or otherwise.

I invite everyone on the committee to come to see Geilston garden. I am sure that you would enjoy it thoroughly.

Thank you. I certainly love a good garden myself, so I will give serious consideration to that invitation.

Is the tourism strategy referred to in the petition due in the spring? Do we have an update on that?

We were told that it was due in March. We have had discussions on that, although I honestly cannot remember whether they were in public or in private. It is probably something that we would want to look at as a committee, given that tourism is in our remit.

I think that the tenor of the discussion is that we close the petition and consider the issue further on our business planning day.

10:10 Meeting continued in private until 10:20.