North Highland Initiative urges launch of 'nuanced' messaging from Scottish and UK Governments to ensure warmer welcome
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New messaging is needed from government ahead of the possible reopening of the Highlands tourism sector next month, a leading business organisation believes.
The chairman of the North Highland Initiative, David Whiteford, has welcomed news that the region's tourism industry can provisionally reopen from July 15, subject to further improvements in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
But he is concerned that important early lockdown messaging that the Highlands was 'shut' to outsiders will leave communities fearful of tourists coming into the area when lockdown restrictions are eased.
And he has urged the Scottish Government and Westminster to promote more "nuanced" messages to alleviate those fears - and ensure tourists are not given the cold shoulder when they do return.
It comes after repeated reports of people breaking lockdown to visit the area, and vocal criticism of those committing such acts by numerous Highland communities.
Speaking this morning Mr Whiteford said: “After many weeks of lobbying the Scottish Government to provide more clarity on a timeframe for reopening the tourism sector this summer, the North Highland Initiative welcomes the conditional reopening date of July 15 announced by Fergus Ewing earlier this week.
"The date along with the announcement that sectoral guidelines will be released on the 18th June gives tourism and hospitality businesses in the North Highlands a workable target to plan and adapt their premises so that they can be in a position to provide visitors with a hearty but safe welcome.
“Given this reopening date, we believe that it is now essential that the Scottish Government adopts more nuanced messaging to ease anxieties across the country especially in Highlands.
"The ‘stay home and save lives’ message has been very effective, but for many people, especially those living in more remote and rural communities, there is a fear that changing this behaviour may pose a risk to public health and wellbeing.
"Our famous ‘Highland Welcome’ is at risk of becoming tarnished, affecting tourism long term, so we now need the Scottish Government to implement a national and local campaigns to allay anxiety amongst local Highland communities and deliver a positive, uplifting message as we take safe, measured steps to emerge from lockdown.
“We also urgently need to review the appropriateness of the two-metre social distancing guidelines in hospitality settings. For many businesses it will not be possible to reopen if it is not reduced.
"We need to look at what other countries have done with social distancing by reducing it from two metres to one metre. It’s the only way that many tourism and hospitality businesses will be viable.
“We’d also like to see the Scottish Government working with Westminster to remove VAT completely for one year and then raise to a 50 per cent level, as well as creating a support mechanism to see businesses through the winter off season.”
