Hansard

I pay tribute to the tourism leadership group’s work and its report, “Tourism Scotland 2020: The future of our industry, in our hands”.

I will talk about a number of aspects of the report, but first I will talk about the Labour amendment. The Government motion rightly points to the report and highlights the opportunities of the winning years, but it is silent on the target to increase tourism by 50 per cent by 2016. We think that it is right to reiterate the target at the outset of the winning years.

As we heard, this year is the year of creative Scotland, the London Olympics, the diamond jubilee and the release of “Brave”. I am delighted that the minister is getting an invitation to the première in Inverness and I very much hope that he has embarrassed the organisers into inviting the rest of us—we might have to stand him some popcorn if that happens. There are huge opportunities this year, next year we will have the year of natural Scotland, and 2014 will be the year of homecoming, the Ryder cup and the Commonwealth games. The winning years present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build our industry and achieve the 2016 target.

The warmth of the welcome that the Olympic torch received as it travelled through Scotland showed that there was the potential to make the most of the London Olympics, but I feel that we have missed that opportunity. The reception was amazing. In areas that I represent, people travelled a huge distance to see the torch. I seemed to be travelling after it for some time. I missed it in Inverness and I missed it in Orkney, but I eventually caught up with it outside the Parliament building. I arrived in Inverness about half an hour after it had left. Thousands of people had converged on the city and people were moving around for hours afterwards, so the torch’s visit provided a much-needed and much-appreciated boost to the businesses around the event. We need to make a success of such opportunities if we are to achieve the 2016 target.

The tourism leadership group’s report mentions other opportunities, such as Scotland’s nature, heritage, destination towns and cities, events and festivals and business tourism. Scotland has much of which it can boast, given its scenery and natural and cultural heritage. Those are timeless attractions, on which we can build. We have the ability to grow green and eco-tourism, too. We have not fully capitalised on the opportunities in that regard, but the year of natural Scotland will provide the ideal opportunity to do so.

The report also mentions business tourism and the Government motion mentions Glasgow’s success in winning additional conferences. I join the minister in congratulating the team that achieved that success. We need to ensure that business tourists have the opportunity to explore the hinterland and further afield. There is also an opportunity in a growing market to provide conference facilities in our smaller cities and towns, which could help to create year-round tourism in many areas.

The report talks about areas in which we could do better. Needless to say, infrastructure is one such area. Internet and mobile phone coverage is identified as an area that requires improvement. I agree. More and more people expect to keep up with work and with family while they are on holiday, using their mobile and internet connections. They are often astonished at the lack of coverage in our more rural areas. The Government has a role to play in that—it needs to ensure that coverage reaches all areas, otherwise we will be at a disadvantage. If people go somewhere and have a bad experience they will not return.

The report also identifies the quality of accommodation, eating out and travel as areas that require attention. We cannot drive up quality without training and the ability to attract the brightest and best to our industry. Despite Scotland’s reputation as a tourist attraction, the hospitality industry does not seem to be a particularly good career choice. That has led to poor workforce retention, motivation and skills development.

We need to understand that tourism is everybody’s business. We all need tourists. Even if it is just a case of someone being stopped and asked for directions, how they respond to tourists can actually make their holiday experience. Last week I visited First ScotRail’s training academy in Glasgow. I heard about the emphasis that it puts on customer service, which is included in the training at all levels. It understands that the transport industry is part of the tourism industry and it takes that responsibility seriously. I met a class of apprentices in customer services in the Parliament last year. I was lucky enough to meet them again last week in the academy. I was absolutely amazed at how they have grown in confidence and at how they have really taken on board their learning experience. They completed their Duke of Edinburgh awards as part of the course, which really complemented their training. They are a group of young people who have the ability and skills to be ambassadors for our tourism industry.

The report also highlights leadership and collaboration, as well as marketing, as key to the step change that is required. In areas where collaboration works well, so does marketing. Take the example of the Cairngorms national park—I have spoken about it in the chamber before. The Cairngorms Business Partnership is a collaboration between the Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce, Cairngorms hostels and a destination management organisation. They work together to provide their own tourism offer. The involvement of the chamber of commerce means that all businesses—not just those that are recognised as tourism businesses—have a role to play. I was really impressed by the way that such a wide range of businesses worked together to manage their market and market their industry. They were aware of their interdependence. The top-of-the-range hotel knew that the bunkhouse also had to provide quality and service so that people using those facilities would return to the area.

Their tourism offer also covers a range of activities from high intensity sport to wildlife tourism to leisurely breaks—something for all the family. The Cairngorms Business Partnership also includes retail as part of its organisation. We often forget that retail is hugely important to the visitor offer and that we have a lot to learn. It struck me that retailers probably need to do the same thing as the First ScotRail academy in terms of training to convince their own people that they are part of the tourism experience.

As touched upon in the Conservative amendment, the report talks about more direct air routes to and from our growing market. The route development fund would make a big difference—it was certainly successful in the past at attracting new routes to Scotland and to some of our more outlying areas.

The report also asks for improved transport infrastructure throughout Scotland—better roads, rail and ferry routes. We need to find ways of encouraging visitors to travel throughout Scotland. Our rural areas are not just for the intrepid traveller—they should be an enjoyable experience for all. Other countries do it so well—the plane meets the bus and everyone can find their way about without hunting for the connecting public transport.

We have seen visitor numbers increase because of staycations. That is due to problems with the economy—people are looking for shorter breaks closer to home. We need them to continue to holiday in Scotland, especially when the euro may provide cheap breaks abroad. We need to work on what has happened and build on those trends.

The report worryingly says that

“if the long-term trend in overnight visitor spend witnessed since 1973 was to continue, we would see ... no real growth in the coming decade”.

We need to do more and learn from bodies such as the Scotch Whisky Association that provide a good tourist experience.

I welcome the tourism leadership group’s strategy document. It is good that the industry is taking matters into its own hands, as that can only be a benefit. However, we need to ensure that the small businesses that form the backbone of our tourism industry are included in the strategy. We also need the Government to drive forward on the 2016 target. With an industry and Government moving towards growth, there is an unprecedented opportunity provided by the winning years for our tourism industry to grow and make a contribution to our economy.

I move amendment S4M-03400.1, to insert at end:

“, and urges the Scottish Government to retain the target to grow tourism by 50% by 2016.”

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