(TAN): A GBP 6 million fund (USD 8.2 million) is being made available to support inbound tourism to Scotland and businesses that promote and sell packages to international markets, VisitScotland said.
The Scotland Inbound Tour Operators – COVID 19 Business Support and Continuity Fund is open to inbound tour operators and Destination Management Companies that manage travel packages.
The funding is part of a wider package of support for tourism and hospitality businesses from the Scottish Government totalling GBP 104.3 million.
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Businesses that rely on international visitors for income have been hit particularly hard by the impact of Covid-19, since the crisis began last year. The one-off fund will help provide financial stability over the next four to six months and to help firms prepare for late 2021 business.
The fund will be managed by VisitScotland, with input from the Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Destination Management Association, the Scottish Incoming Golf Tourism Operators Association and UK Inbound, however applications are welcome from non-members of these groups.
It is one of nine funding streams administered by Scotland’s national tourism organisation on behalf of the Scottish Government.
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VisitScotland have redeployed more than 100 staff from other roles to help process applications as quickly as possible.
Malcolm Roughead, CEO of VisitScotland, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on the tourism and events industries and they will need financial support for some time to come to help them recover. Ensuring as many businesses as possible survive and can recover is our main priority at present.”
