Tourism backs the Mather approach

Published on Tuesday 28 August 2007 00:51

TOURISM leaders yesterday hailed a "very refreshing" new approach towards the industry from the Scottish government, after the first major tourism growth strategy meeting since the May 2007 election.

But they stressed that the industry would require the new administration to decide "sooner rather than later" on possible changes in the public-sector tourism support mechanism, and called for an early lead on the 4.1 billion industry's performance targets.

Yesterday's keenly-anticipated meeting saw the new tourism minister, Jim Mather, give his first public endorsement of the Tourism Industry Framework for Change, the strategy document painstakingly agreed between the previous Scottish Executive and the industry, which contains a pledge to grow revenue across the industry by 50 per cent by 2015.

Earlier this year the chief executive of VisitScotland, Philip Riddle, raised doubts about the achievability of this target without more public and private investment. These doubts were later intensified by official revenue figures which saw a 2 per cent slump, equivalent to 800,000, in tourism takings in 2006-7, despite a 14 per cent rise in foreign visitors.

Yesterday Riddle praised the meeting as "very constructive".

Peter Taylor, the chairman of the private-sector Scottish Tourism Forum, said: "The seminar identified both the opportunities and barriers for the growth of tourism in Scotland. We found the minister's approach very refreshing

"There may have been no conclusion to the question of the 50 per cent target, but the minister made clear he sees it as a good starting point. He clearly thinks the opportunities for the industry are bigger than that."

Several participants in yesterday's Victoria Quay seminar in Edinburgh, which included outspoken critics of VisitScotland and VisitScotland.com, such as Alan Keith of the Association of Dumfries and Galloway Accommodation Providers (ADGAP), noted Mather's "businessman-like" approach to eliciting views and responses, which he entered directly into "mindmapping" computer software.

Robin Worsnop, chief executive of Edinburgh tour company Rabbie's Trail Burners, which was last week nominated for two Thistle Awards - Scottish tourism's "Oscars" - said: "We were all commenting to each other afterwards how unusual it is for a politician to come to a meeting to listen rather than to announce.

"I thought Jim Mather facilitated the meeting brilliantly. There was a new sense of purpose, and we got the impression that he took a lot out of it, though of course the real results will be revealed in what happens from now on.

"We picked up hints that there is going to be some kind of restructuring, but we are not quite sure what it is yet, and it would be good to have some clarity about that sooner rather than later in order that the industry can come together to take that forward.

Mather said: "We all know that tourism is of paramount importance to Scotland's economy. So I am delighted that this was such a positive and constructive meeting which allowed me to engage with some of Scotland's key tourism stakeholders.

"The Scottish government is determined to work with the industry to build on our successes, boost tourism figures and increase sustainable economic growth. It was clear that everyone attending the meeting this morning shares in that vision."