Speaking in the Scottish Government Debate on Homecoming. Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife has called on Scottish Ministers to ensure local focus on future development of tourist information services.
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife said:
“Homecoming has presented a welcome umbrella to showcase the vast programme of over 800 events which are taking place the length and breadth of Scotland and also to provide a welcome national profile for the many smaller events which are at the heart of our local communities and which do so much to attract wider participation. One need only look at the imagination and creativity which is present this year in so many of these communities to realise just how important they are in terms of attracting tourists.
“One of the areas I wanted to touch upon in my comments is the future of tourism promotion in Scotland. The Homecoming has done much to promote new ideas and initiatives but if the region of Mid Scotland and Fife is anything to judge by, serious concerns remain about some barriers within the industry.
“In a recent letter to me regarding the closure of Crieff’s VisitScotland Information Centre, the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism stated that changes in consumer behaviour and the increase in smart phone usage was the reasoning behind the potential closure of local tourist information centres. He’s right that there have been changes but I do worry that in somewhere like Crieff – already struggling with town centre regeneration to ensure it can regain its former significant attraction – that there will be a complete closure.
“A number of local businesses in Strathearn as they embark on the process to secure a future within the Scottish Government’s Business Improvement District were horrified to find that the Crieff tourist information centre is marked for closure at the very time when it stands to benefit most. And, for the smaller visitor attractions and the smaller hotels and bed & breakfasts there is considerable concern that they will ultimately lose out so I believe there is a real need to develop an approach which actively includes them in planning for the future. Perhaps we have much to learn from other nations like Switzerland and Austria where tourism is so highly developed. Technology in these countries is as modern as you can find anywhere but it has not been at the expense of tourist information offices – far from it.
“I fully appreciate the fact that economies of scale can result from tourist hubs in our urban areas but for many who have long been involved in the tourist sector they have seen such re-organisations before and they worry about the effects on our smaller communities. We do not want to create a situation where visitors to Scotland are simply sent from Edinburgh or Glasgow Airport up the A9 in search of the Loch Ness Monster by-passing the many first class local visitor attractions which Perthshire and Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, Fife, and Stirlingshire have to offer visitors.