BUSINESS INSIGHT: Don’t let tourist tax put Highlands at competitive disadvantage
Congratulations to the successful candidates in the recent general election and our members look forward to engaging with and working with our MPs across the region as we work towards growing an economy that delivers prosperity for all people and places.
At the beginning of 2024, Prosper members contributed directly to the independent review of Scottish business engagement with government which was conducted by Benny Higgins on behalf of the UK and Scottish Labour Party.
An early visit to Scotland by the new Prime Minister sent a powerful message that our collective call for better co-ordination and co-operation between Westminster, Holyrood and local government and efforts to foster better public/private sector relationships have been heeded.
We also welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, and parliamentary under-secretary Kirsty McNeill.
Our CEO Sara Thiam was pleased to commit Prosper’s convening power to bring business, local government, academia, third sector and wider civic society together to create the right solutions to unlock the opportunities and meet the challenges of our time.
With the summer season in full swing, it has been pleasing to hear members across hospitality and tourism reporting positive numbers of visitors across the region and that the Highlands and Islands continues to attract domestic and international visitors in significant numbers.
With a number of economic factors and staffing continuing to be a cause for concern in the industry, we must ensure that the Transient Visitor Levy [also known as the tourist tax], which will be introduced following consultation, doesn’t overburden businesses administratively or put our region at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace.
I was at Edinburgh Airport last week and upon seeing the narrow-body jets coming and going servicing routes to North America, I couldn’t help but think about just what it would take for Inverness Airport to have these routes, and for our area to be directly linked to such a big market for business and tourism. I have heard our members talk about this before but certainly one for us to reconsider.
Grant Campbell is Prosper’s regional manager.
