Grant’s plea for U-turn on tourist centre closures falls on ‘deaf ears’
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant is “astonished” at the complete lack of accountability from the Scottish Government over VisitScotland’s closure of its 25 iCentres throughout Scotland.
Her latest ‘hold everything’ plea to Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead as concerns of unions and VisitScotland are addressed was rejected out of hand.
The MSP has been raising concerns with VisitScotland and with the Scottish Government since the closure programme - which will account for Aviemore’s ever-popular facility - was first announced at the end of March. 94% of VisitScotland’s core funding from 2024/25 comes from Scottish Government Grant in Aid and 6% comes from other sources, such as retail and commercial income.
The phased closure programme began in September with the Centre in Stornoway being one of the first to close the following month. The closure programme is due to end in March 2026 as VisitScotland claims that the demand for information centres has reduced while the demand for online information and booking has continued to grow.
A dozen of the Centres facing closure are within the Highlands and Islands region.
Mrs Grant said “The demand for the iCentres did plummet during the pandemic as no-one was allowed to travel for recreational purposes, but they have increased year on year since then with 1.37million people visiting a centre in 2023.
“Indeed eight of the centres have increased sales from their pre-pandemic figure including four in the Highlands and Islands region – Craignure, Lerwick, Rothesay and Ullapool.”
In her latest plea for a moratorium on closures, Mrs Grant asked specific questions on redeployment opportunities within the organisation; the commitment to no compulsory redundancies which is only in place until March 2025; the quoted footfall numbers; the fact that no real work has been put into diversifying the operations of the iCentres to try and increase numbers and offer a more attractive visitor experience.
She continued “I am astonished that having put very detailed questions to the Cabinet Secretary, his stark response addresses none of those concerns but instead bats the issue over to VisitScotland as an operational matter for them.
“The Scottish Government funds 94% of VisitScotland’s budget but that appears to be of no concern to the SNP Government.
“I say again, with depopulation being one of the biggest challenges facing Highland and Island communities it makes absolutely no sense to remove jobs and services from these areas.”
Mrs Grant said: “I am seeking a meeting with the new Chief Executive of VisitScotland to encourage her to freeze this decision while the concerns of staff, customers and Unions remain.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson told the Strathy:
“We understand that the closure of iCentres will be disappointing for some, however, it remains an operational matter for VisitScotland. The decision will bring VisitScotland into line with VisitEngland and Visit Wales, neither of which operate tourist information centres.
“The Scottish Government has made clear that VisitScotland should listen to any concerns that communities and businesses have about the closure of its iCentres. It should also continue to engage with local authorities, regional destination management and marketing organisations and other community partners to explore options for existing iCentre buildings including the potential asset transfer of owned properties.”