Hansard

The Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism’s opening speech has illustrated the extent to which there is wide agreement on the value of marine tourism and the benefits that it brings to the Scottish economy.

Most people in Scotland live close either to the coast, to our inland waterways or to freshwater lochs, which also attract tourists and add value to the local economy. There is public support, and there is a general recognition that Scotland has a distinctive high-quality offer that attracts visitors from across these islands and beyond. That underpins cross-party support for a strategic approach to growing the sector.

I congratulate the minister on his choice of the Isle of Lewis as a holiday destination this year. At much the same time, my family and I will be enjoying the equally unspoiled attractions of the Gaelic coast of Argyll. I am looking forward to that immensely.

We should not shy away from the fact that there are some genuinely challenging issues to resolve. Tourism in the marine environment must take its place alongside many other important activities, and all those activities must go forward in a way that is sustainable in environmental and ecological terms. The sensitivity of that has been highlighted again in recent days, following announcements about the intended management measures in Scotland’s planned new marine protected areas. I am sure that ministers will agree to meet the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation to discuss its members’ concerns. Those concerns on the part of fishing communities highlight just how important it is to join up policy in all areas affecting the marine environment. Our amendment stresses that, and it stresses the importance of good environmental standards on our beaches. It also highlights the potential for ecotourism, onshore and offshore.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency reported this month that water quality at one quarter of Scotland’s designated bathing areas could be classified as poor when measured against the new, tougher European Union standards that have come into force. The cleanliness of Scotland’s beaches is hugely important to the families who use them for recreation and to the canoeists, surfers, divers, water skiers and others already mentioned who venture further offshore. This year’s report was clearly disappointing, but I am glad that SEPA has recognised the need to redouble its efforts with partners to sort that out.

I welcome the minister’s support for our amendment and his acknowledgement of its positive intent. Our focus is not just on the challenges but on the potential of the biodiversity of our coasts and seas as a tourist attraction. A good deal has been done over the past 30 years to address the pollution problem where it exists, and there is general agreement about the importance of partnership working to address challenges and opportunities.

Working through the Scottish marine tourism group, a range of bodies led by the British Marine Federation, the Royal Yachting Association and Sail Scotland have taken a collective lead in preparing the strategic framework to which the minister referred. In writing “Awakening the Giant”, those bodies had support from a range of public bodies including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Crown Estate, Scottish Canals, EventScotland, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International. That combination of private, voluntary and public effort is key to the success of the sector as a whole.

“Awakening the Giant” focuses on sailing and boating—activities that already generate more than £100 million of visitor expenditure each year. That sector could be even more lucrative with the right strategy rolled out, and I welcome much of what the document says. It is critical that any plan to increase involvement in the range of marine sports and activities includes all the public bodies, and in some cases private proprietors, that have responsibility for the management and sustainability of our waterways, coasts and harbours. The future of trust ports is of great importance, and that has already been debated separately this afternoon.

A good example of how harbours can combine tourism awareness with their core commercial business is provided by Aberdeen harbour, which is the busiest trust port in the country and is home to healthy populations of seals, porpoises and dolphins. Earlier this year, Aberdeen Harbour board launched a new code of practice to protect the dolphins that swim in and out in pursuit of salmon. The harbour also has its own marine tourism offer of boat trips around the harbour to see the seals and the oil industry support vessels up close.

Harbour authorities have a role to play in marine tourism, as do the Crown Estate and Scottish Canals, with respective responsibility for the foreshore and sea bed and for our purpose-built inland waterways. Local authorities also have extensive responsibilities, as do our national park authorities and public bodies such as SEPA and Scottish Natural Heritage.

It would be useful to hear the minister’s views on the future management and division of responsibilities for the Crown Estate’s marine assets in Scotland. As he will know, the Smith agreement laid down that the management of those assets should be devolved to Scotland, and the Scotland Bill, which was debated elsewhere yesterday, makes provision for that to happen. The Smith agreement also involved a commitment by all parties to the further devolution of responsibility for the Crown estate from the Scottish level to our island councils and any other local authorities that want such powers. The Scottish Government has not yet stated how it intends to take that forward, so perhaps the minister will indicate that today.

The involvement of Scotland’s enterprise and export agencies is also important. Tourism of all sorts is a revenue-generating business that contributes to the wider economy, and there is a need to develop sectoral strengths and address deficiencies in that context. It is important that VisitScotland and EventScotland continue to support the development of the marine tourism sector. Events such as the Scottish traditional boat festival at Portsoy are attractive in themselves and can also be used as a hook to bring in visitors who then explore other exciting aspects of what Scotland has to offer.

Our amendment refers to the importance of environmental standards in diversifying marine tourism in Scotland. Ecotourism is a growing industry, whether it involves highly accessible wildlife-watching boat trips or specialised diving and underwater photography. There are many other potential growth areas if we get our partnership working and priorities right. In that way, we can build on the strengths that we already have to diversify and grow the sector as a whole. I am confident that we can continue to do that on the basis of shared objectives, as long as we acknowledge where improvements still need to be made. This debate can help us get there. On that basis, I move amendment S4M-13510.1, to insert after “2015”:

“; recognises the importance of environmental standards in Scotland’s marine areas, including beaches, coastal and inland waterways, and the potential offered by marine biodiversity for growing eco-tourism”.