(TAN): More than GBP 5.8 million (USD 8.05 million) in recovery funding from the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) will be spent improving infrastructure and creating jobs at a number of Scotland’s popular visitor destinations and nature hotspots, VisitScotland said.
STERG is supporting tourism recovery following the unprecedented Covid-19 situation, through three separate funds to help improve infrastructure and the overall visitor experience as part of responsible tourism work being carried out by VisitScotland, NatureScot and a number of other partners across the country. This includes the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) with the announcement of over GBP 2.4 million funding for 10 sites across Scotland; NatureScot’s GBP 3.1 million Green Recovery Better Places Fund for 120 projects to improve busy nature destinations across the country; and the pilot Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Fund, which supports a further 10 applications totalling almost GBP 307,000.
[ALSO READ: Bookings soar- Lufthansa deploys Boeing 747, Airbus 350 on Frankfurt–Mallorca route]
Managed by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish government, the RTIF was created to improve the quality of the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland that have faced pressure on their infrastructure due to this increase in visitor numbers. The latest applications from local authorities and National Park authorities, in partnership with their communities across Scotland include Point of Ness in Orkney, Tobermory in Argyll and Bute, the Pentland Hills Regional Park, Edinburgh; Loch Ness and Aden in Aberdeenshire.
The sites will see infrastructure improvements including car, coach and camper van parking and accessible spaces, toilet provision and chemical waste disposal points, footpath improvements and electric vehicle charging points.
Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said: “Scotland has world-leading legislation giving people rights to access our countryside but it’s important that these are exercised responsibly and with respect for others, for wildlife and for the land itself. Investing in visitor management and supporting our rural communities is a crucial part of sustainable tourism growth.”
[ALSO READ: IHCL to open 775-room hotel at Bengaluru airport]
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland CEO, said: “Over the last three years, the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund has played an important role in improving the visitor experience, be it car parking, toilets or footpaths, as we want people to have a must visit-must return experience, so I am delighted to see another 11 projects receiving funding.”
