Borders MP, John Lamont, welcomes the UK Government Tourism Recovery Action Plan to help the sector build back better from the pandemic.
In Scotland, this includes a new rail pass and vouchers for popular tourist attractions that are at the heart of a plan to return domestic tourism across Scotland and the whole UK to pre-pandemic levels by 2022 and international tourism by 2023.
The rail pass for “staycationers” will be launched later this year, helping to make it easier and more sustainable for domestic tourists to get around the UK. The new pass will build on the success of the BritRail pass, which is sold through VisitBritain and currently gives international visitors flexible travel across the country, as well as providing discounted entry to tourist attractions.
A £10 million voucher scheme will be launched by The National Lottery this autumn to encourage trips beyond the peak summer season, with players having the chance to claim vouchers to redeem at tourist attractions across the UK between September 2021 and March 2022.
In 2019, Scotland welcomed almost 3.5 million inbound visitors who spent £2.5 billion while here, but the sector has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout this period, the UK Government has acted decisively over the past year to protect jobs and businesses in Scotland’s tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors, with the furlough scheme, self-employed income support scheme and VAT cuts.
John Lamont MP said:
“Tourism is a cornerstone of the local economy, so it’s fantastic that this ambitious UK Government plan is helping the sector recover.
“Borders tourism and hospitality businesses have faced huge challenges throughout the pandemic and I know local businesses are ready to welcome visitors back.
“The launch of a new rail pass will encourage people from across the UK to come and explore our beautiful country while giving the tourism and hospitality sectors a much-needed boost.
“Scotland and the Borders have a huge amount to offer tourists and I know that my MSP colleagues will be urging the SNP Government in Scotland to match the ambition of the UK Government to help this crucial sector recover.”
Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston MP said:
“Our brilliant tourism sector is one of our country’s greatest assets, making a huge contribution to our economy and delivering jobs across all communities. This is why we’ve provided it with £25 billion in support so far during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Tourism Recovery Plan is our blueprint for how the sector can build back better from the pandemic, even faster than forecasts predict.”
