Mike Cantlay: We now have the chance to change Scottish tourism

Playing it safe is not an option. We have a three-year window in front of us – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the face of tourism in Scotland – and VisitScotland and EventScotland intend to do everything to exploit it.

I call them “The Winning Years” – starting with the Year of Creative Scotland in 2012 to the end of Homecoming 2014 and including some of the biggest events on the planet.

The 2012 Olympics provide us with a platform to present our culture to the world and bring people to Scotland from a crowded south of England. The Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup in 2014 will focus the eyes of the world on Scotland. We need to translate the worldwide media coverage into visits to Scotland.

Then there’s Brave, the biggest film and tourism opportunity to hit Scotland since Braveheart. We can only do so much and I am appealing to the tourism industry to help us grasp this opportunity. These winning years can only be delivered if everyone works together – from the smallest B&B to the biggest resort hotel.

We need to make tourism the hero of the Scottish economy. This is about catching the moment – every public sector body, every business and every member of the Scottish population needs to be on board. It’s about creating new products – from developing family facilities complementing Brave to simply providing a welcoming face to every visitor. We need to improve visitor access, work with new destination organisations locally, encourage capital investment and ensure the next generation is well supported and trained to sell Scotland.

So, here we are at the crossroads. Are we going to ignore the winning years or take the right turn to an amazing future for Scotland’s largest industry? I know which way I am going.

• Mike Cantlay is chairman of VisitScotland