Can
the Scottish Government realistically achieve its aim for a 50% increase in
tourism revenue by 2015? This is just one of the questions posed by the
Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee in its call for
evidence on the feasibility of the Scottish Government’s ambition for tourism
growth.
In
2006 the then Scottish Executive published a report on Scottish Tourism
containing recommendations for the sector over the next decade. From this the
Scottish Government has adopted an ambition for a 50% increase in revenue from
tourism by 2015. The Committee considers this to be a challenge for the
Scottish tourism sector and wishes to explore a number of factors affecting the
industry’s ability to deliver the increase. These factors include investment in
the industry, availability of skilled staff, quality of Scotland’s transport infrastructure
and the quality of the visitor experience.
The
Committee’s Convener, Tavish Scott MSP, said:
“Tourism
is one of Scotland’s
main industries and one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy.
While it is important that Scotland
keeps pace with this expected growth, the Committee is concerned that the
intention to increase tourism revenue by 50% is overly ambitious unless
significant steps are taken. This
inquiry will focus upon the key challenges to meeting this ambition and
effective measures to overcome these.”
The
Committee would like to hear from individuals and organisations with an
interest in the Scottish tourism industry.
Key
questions to be considered by the Committee include:
- How realistic is
the proposed ambition for a 50% increase in revenue in the tourism sector
by 2015? How was this ambition set
and on what basis can it be reached?
- What are the
specific challenges in Scotland’s
tourism industry in relation to skills, training, quality standards, service
levels and leadership and how can these be overcome?
-
What are the
other challenges in meeting the growth ambition and what can be done by both
the public and private sectors to overcome these?
- What are the
implications of the Scottish Government’s plans for VisitScotland,
how will its role change, particularly in relation to its relationship
with the formed enterprise network and Scottish Development International,
and its increased responsibilities for attracting international visitors?
The
full terms and reference for the call for evidence can be viewed on the Committee’s
web pages: www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/eet
The closing date
for receipt of written submissions is 19 December 2007.
