Scottish Government tells tourists: Wish you weren't here!
Campaigners gather outside Holyrood in protest of short-term let licensing. Campaigners from Save Self Catering in Scotland will gather outside the Scottish Parliament as First Minister Humza Yousaf sets out his Programme for Government. They will hold a giant postcard and other placards which say “wish you weren’t here” – the message they say the legislation sends to domestic and international tourists with the introduction of short term lets licensing.
The Scottish government is sending a message to domestic and international visitors that they are no longer welcome in Scotland.
That is the message campaigners and small tourism business owners from the self-catering sector sent to the First Minister as he prepared to present the Programme for Government.
The group said that unless Humza Yousaf takes urgent action in the days ahead to pause the legislation, thousands of small tourism businesses would leave the industry in a matter of weeks. This will severely affect the availability of affordable holiday options for people in Scotland and those visiting from further afield, the group said.
Gathering outside the Scottish Parliament, members of the Save Self Catering in Scotland group said that the legislation, set to be introduced on 1 October, will ruin their livelihoods and their ability to put food on the table, with some saying they despair about what the future holds for them and their families.
Many said that the debacle has already put many tourists off visiting Scotland.
Save Self-Catering in Scotland is a group of hundreds of people and businesses who are asking the Scottish Government to pause its flawed legislation until amendments can be made to protect law-abiding, responsible small businesses across Scotland.
Scotland’s tourism industry is worth £6bn to the economy, of 5% in total, with one in every 12 jobs depending on it. [1] Cross party MSPs have already urged the First Minister to pause the legislation until a workable scheme can be introduced.
Campaigners gather outside Holyrood in protest of short-term let licensing. Campaigners from Save Self Catering in Scotland will gather outside the Scottish Parliament as First Minister Humza Yousaf sets out his Programme for Government. They will hold a giant postcard and other placards which say “wish you weren’t here” – the message they say the legislation sends to domestic and international tourists with the introduction of short term lets licensing.
The Scottish government is sending a message to domestic and international visitors that they are no longer welcome in Scotland.
That is the message campaigners and small tourism business owners from the self-catering sector sent to the First Minister as he prepared to present the Programme for Government.
The group said that unless Humza Yousaf takes urgent action in the days ahead to pause the legislation, thousands of small tourism businesses would leave the industry in a matter of weeks. This will severely affect the availability of affordable holiday options for people in Scotland and those visiting from further afield, the group said.
Gathering outside the Scottish Parliament, members of the Save Self Catering in Scotland group said that the legislation, set to be introduced on 1 October, will ruin their livelihoods and their ability to put food on the table, with some saying they despair about what the future holds for them and their families.
Many said that the debacle has already put many tourists off visiting Scotland.
Save Self-Catering in Scotland is a group of hundreds of people and businesses who are asking the Scottish Government to pause its flawed legislation until amendments can be made to protect law-abiding, responsible small businesses across Scotland.
Scotland’s tourism industry is worth £6bn to the economy, of 5% in total, with one in every 12 jobs depending on it. [1] Cross party MSPs have already urged the First Minister to pause the legislation until a workable scheme can be introduced.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Chanting]
00:04 Save South Catering! Save South Catering!
00:08 I am outside Parliament with a whole load of other hard-working, good people like myself.
00:14 Lots of women, 70% of this sector is women working.
00:19 There are old people, there are retired, they're very well, if you're going to see our faces on camera,
00:25 that we are good people that are here.
00:28 And we're standing here today because this scheme, this legislation that's been created by the Scottish Government is not working.
00:37 Recent surveys last week by the B&B Association and the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers,
00:44 both of them had 60% of respondents saying that they were going to be leaving the sector.
00:50 60% of B&Bs in Scotland closing down.
00:54 And to date, all we hear from our First Minister is there's no problems here.
01:00 We hear it from the Housing Minister as well.
01:03 There are no problems here, there are no problems here.
01:05 Well, if there were no problems, you would not have 60% of a market saying that they want to give up.
01:12 And you would have application numbers in the thousands, in the high thousands.
01:19 But to date, in Edinburgh, I think there's been 240 applications.
01:24 And that, I think, tells you everything you need to know about the fact that this scheme isn't working.
01:30 Save Scottish tourism! Save Scottish tourism!
01:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]