SNP Holyrood candidate welcomes tourism fund commitment
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The pioneering Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund will continue at double its original funding if the SNP are re-elected in next month’s election, it has been pledged.
Kate Forbes, SNP candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, originally lobbied for the creation of such a fund.
It has distributed just over £3 million in funding per round and helped alleviate congestion and improve facilities at tourist hotspots including at Glenmore near Loch Morlich and elsewhere in the Cairngorms National Park.
Last week’s party manifesto stated that the SNP “will maintain investment of £6.2million per year in the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund to alleviate some of the pressure that tourism can have on local rural communities”.
Other pledges for rural areas include a further £1million for a seasonal ranger scheme to help support responsible tourism, and a £25million fund to help tourism recovery after the pandemic.
Ms Forbes said: “The RTIF was first created to meet the very problems highlighted by Highlanders, and it has certainly helped do so.
“To date, it has delivered almost £4 million of improvements to the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency – with lifeline funding helping popular tourist attractions like at Glenmore near Loch Morlich.
“The rapid increase in tourism in rural areas inevitably puts pressure on parking, toileting and camper van facilities, and RTIF has targeted funding at the places that need it most.
“If the SNP are re-elected I have every confidence this increased funding will continue to relieve pressures at tourism hotspots across the Highlands.”
