STA Calls for Cabinet-Level Recognition For Scotland’s Tourism Industry
Following the Scottish Parliament election, the Scottish Tourism Alliance has urged the incoming Scottish Government to put tourism and hospitality at the centre of its economic agenda.
The STA is calling for a dedicated, named Cabinet Secretary or Minister role, with shadow positions, to champion the tourism and hospitality sector and support cross-portfolio working.
The ask was one of the headline calls in the STA’s Holyrood 2026 Manifesto and was repeated in its recent open letter to Scotland’s new MSPs.
In that letter, the STA said that if jobs, growth and the economy are priorities for Scotland, then tourism and hospitality must be too.
The STA also called for the next Parliament to:
• Accelerate business rates reform
• Nurture the tourism and hospitality sector rather than stifle growth, working in partnership with business to identify, shape and deliver a new set of ambitious policies
• Develop a Scottish Tourism and Hospitality Growth Plan that recognises the sector’s role as a priority growth sector and key export industry
• Empower, protect and invest long-term in the tourism and hospitality sector to support competitiveness, confidence and growth
• Urgently invest in our people to address sector recruitment and retention challenges
• Position and invest in the tourism and hospitality sector as a future industry, embracing new developments in AI and other technologies
• Hold a national debate on the economic policy, bringing together the Scottish and UK Governments and opposition parties to shape ambitious policies for transformational economic growth that will raise GDP per head in Scotland
• Deliver transport and digital connectivity that sets Scotland out as a world leader in 21st-century tourism
Marc Crothall MBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said: “Tourism is Scotland’s shop window to the world and one of our most resilient industries, but we must not mistake resilience for strength. Too often, people assume tourism will simply look after itself; however, Scotland’s tourism industry is now at a crossroads.”
“The choices made by our politicians now will determine whether we invest in and grow one of our greatest economic and cultural assets, or whether we risk a gradual decline that would be catastrophic for businesses, jobs and communities across the country.”
“There is not a constituency or region in Scotland where our industry is not a critical source of employment and business. Tourism is not just about visitors. It is the lifeblood of communities across Scotland. In many rural and island areas, it is the main employer.”
“Half of Scotland’s tourism and hospitality businesses are at risk due to a lack of cash reserves. Businesses need more than warm words. Our industry is asking for recognition of its role as a safe bet for investment, one that delivers jobs, strengthens communities and returns far more to the economy than it takes out.”
According to the most recent VisitScotland figures, 1 in 11 jobs and businesses in Scotland are in the tourism sector, making tourism-related industries now the single biggest source of employment in Scotland, recently surpassing business and financial services. The sector supports around 239,000 jobs and more than 16,000 businesses nationwide. Visitors to Scotland spend £11.4 billion a year.