Hospitality in Scotland in 2023 - there’s plenty of reasons to be positive as we go into 2024

While there are still problems facing hospitality, there are reasons to be cheerful and hopeful for 2024.

While challenges still exist for hospitality in Scotland, there are reasons to be positive as we head into 2024.

International Tourism Statistics from Visit Scotland show visitors to Scotland are staying longer, and spending more. In fact the average sum they are each putting into local businesses is up by nearly a quarter. While tourists are flocking to Scotland for our beautiful places, people and events, they’re also increasingly visiting for our produce. “Gastro experience” touring is on the rise and Scotland has a reputation not just for growing some of the world’s finest ingredients but for having the best chefs to prepare them too. Whisky too is still on its stellar rise, with the global value of whisky exports for example growing last year to more than £6 billion for the first time. There was also double-digit sales growth in Singapore, Taiwan, China and India now making Asia-Pacific the industry’s largest regional market. As more people are exposed to this kind of high-end Scottish food and drink, still more are filled with the desire to travel here to taste our food and drink in land in which it was created, and where, arguably, it tastes the best.

Promising as this progress is though, we cannot expect these natural resources and traditional skills alone to pull the sector out of its present woes. Getting back to where things were pre-Covid and then pushing far beyond that requires everyone to embrace data analytics and modern technology. They are the twin keys to doing more with less, to improving customer experiences, to adapting to changing times and habits and to reaching the widest possible audience. ResDiary’s Beyond the Booking UK Hospitality Industry Report 20233 laid bare the scale of some of the existing and emerging threats and challenges. Threats like the seemingly irreversible trend away from offices. As firms offer staff more and more opportunities to work from home, there is a direct impact on businesses reliant on corporate footfall. Whether it’s quick-service restaurants providing grab-and-go meals, coffee shops, sit down working lunch venues or popular bars for after-work drinks, all are impacted. Jennifer Tilly, Head of Operations at ResDiary said: “Staff shortages also remain a significant concern in Scotland, just as elsewhere in the UK. Our findings earlier this year showed just over half (52 per cent) of restaurants are now open on fewer days each week due to recruitment issues with 64 per cent looking to fill staff vacancies. too, as suppliers are forced to upgrade vehicle fleets to meet the regulations. Everyone who makes their living from feeding and entertaining the public is feeling these same pressures. Within this turbulent landscape however, those who have sharpened their strategic focus on harnessing the power of data to do more to attract diners and improve their customer experiences are seeing the brightest light at the end of the tunnel. Online booking systems, discovery platforms, reservations apps and contactless payments all provide opportunities for both growth and operational efficiency in equal measure.”

Continuing to push our excellent produce, businesses and embracing technology should help our return to where we were before Covid and beyond.