Letter: Staycation fix

IAIN Herbert is right that Scotland has become over-reliant on the staycation market (your article, 1 March), but an obsession with one market at a time is a perennial problem in Scottish tourism.

VisitScotland had always tended to be fixated with North America, but post-9/11 it started to recognise the importance of the European market, with outstanding results. More recently, however, there has been an overdependence on our Sassenach cousins travelling North and Scots holidaying at home.

Successful destinations establish their own destination management organisations to bring together public and private sectors in broad and innovative ways. Those that rely on the public sector alone will fail - and quickly.

Benjamin Carey

Chair, Tourism Society Scotland

West Preston Street

Edinburgh