Tourism

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 11:21 am on 17 February 2000.

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Photo of Sylvia Jackson Sylvia Jackson Labour 11:21, 17 February 2000

I do not think I can follow Allan Wilson on niche marketing. I want to say to Scott Barrie that tourists journeying from Edinburgh to the Highlands often stop off at Stirling.

I welcome the debate and commend the Scottish Executive for the extensive consultation and the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee for the part it has played. Tourism is a key aspect of the economy, particularly in the area I represent, which will be affected by the bill on the national park for Loch Lomond and Trossachs. I have had discussions with Jim Fraser, the chief executive of my local tourist board, which has the rather long name of Argyll and the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling and Trossachs Tourist Board.

I would like briefly to outline several of the issues that arose in those discussions, which are also addressed in the strategy document. They include future markets, marketing in general and the need for research on tourism. The decline in the number of Scots holidaying in Scotland has been mentioned, as has the new market in international travellers from the USA and Germany. We need to think about how we can attract more visitors from those sectors and about how we can extend the tourism season, particularly in rural areas.

Some of the solutions suggested in the strategy document are to be welcomed. The industry website, by June 2000, will present relevant market research and allow individual marketing plans to be tailored to niche markets, such as golf and culture, which are very important in my constituency. An on-line booking system is addressed, as is e-commerce, not only for booking accommodation—the target is 90 per cent by 2005—but for events and transport.

One of the main points I was going to make, about low pay, has already been made by Pauline McNeill. My local area tourist board raised quality as a vital issue and I am sure it is true generally. We must work to improve and maintain quality. Also mentioned in the report are the quality adviser's role, best practice, training for managers and improving training and skills generally. The tourism skills board, which will bring in modern apprenticeships, individual learning accounts and the rest, is also mentioned. Centres of training excellence and mentoring systems can also all be very useful. The University of Stirling is setting up a chair in tourism—it may already have done so; I am not sure. That is a much-needed approach to research and marketing.

A lot has been said about boosting tourism in rural areas, but the importance of signposting has not been mentioned. I hope that the minister will take that on board. I do not know whether the problem of inadequate signposting affects only my area, but I could offer long quotations about signposting, particularly on trunk roads.

I reinforce what George Lyon and others have said about finance. The three-year programme that has been suggested must be monitored by the Scottish Executive and local authorities. The area tourist boards have grave concerns and feel that direct funding from a central source might eventually be the answer.

I do not agree entirely with the view that there are no structures in the report. It mentions the importance of involvement at all levels of government—by the Scottish Parliament, by Westminster and by MEPs—but there must also be involvement at local level. There must be a review of how local enterprise companies can work with the tourist boards, and I welcome what the minister said about the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee undertaking that work.

I am interested in sustainability, and I welcome the report's mention of green tourism. In considering tourism we must balance social, economic and environmental concerns. As members know, those concerns will affect our debate on the national park.

The document contains some good points; it is a good start, but funding must be monitored. We must decide in which areas we should go further to ensure that we have the necessary skills and the necessary research facilities to build on what has been done so far.