Tourist industry must be its own saviour

PETER Lederer, outgoing chairman of VisitScotland, will sound a warning bell today on our tourist industry. It needs, he says, to wean itself from dependence on government hand-outs. VisitScotland itself faces budget cuts and would be better off focusing on marketing, with its website sold into the private sector. Since much of the whingeing complained of centred on the website, it is quite an admission after years of toil.

There is no doubting the underlying message that salvation ultimately lies in better service standards and targeted marketing. A cheap pound alone won't solve the industry's problems as many countries are suffering the same economic problems we face here. The loss of corporate and conference business will be difficult to make up any time soon, while last year's boom in "staycations" may well succumb this year to weather fatigue – Scots and English households desperate to escape the miserable weather and opt for a holiday in sunny destinations. One thread of hope for the industry is that the other edge of the cheap pound sword will make itself felt – foreign holidays proving more expensive for millions on tight budgets who have not had a pay rise and see no prospect of one on the horizon.

So, for all the challenges, there is still opportunity, and across all the levels that a diversified industry should be able to offer. As in so many areas of business life, it will now be up to companies and individuals to make the difference, not government hand-outs.