New Scottish Tourism Alliance survey highlights the scale of the challenge for the sector
SCOTLAND’S tourism industry is struggling to overcome a series of issues as it tries to recover from the effects of the pandemic, according to the latest report by the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA).
The survey found that almost 40% of businesses have seen a decrease in spending since May 2021, with 50% of tourist businesses reporting that they have fewer bookings for June to August this year compared to 2019. Half of businesses polled said they have seen a decrease in customer spending in comparison to the same period in 2019.
Business owners revealed that they believe revenues are down due to a combination of factors including the current cost of living crisis across the UK and Scotland’s inability to compete internationally on price and value for money.
With more than 700 businesses taking art in the survey, 34% described their business as currently in…