The Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) consists of COSLA, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, and VisitScotland has been working on a single, joined-up, phased National Action Plan to not just combat the current issues but also look at how the industry could effectively recover once the lockdown is eased. This has been a real team effort, giving the agencies an opportunity to refocus plans and redirect budget, as well as working alongside the tourism industry to work through daily issues.
The Group may need additional representation, either on an ad hoc basis depending on the subject at hand or on a permanent basis.
This page includes key notes and actions for the following meetings:
1. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
Work continues on the Tourism Task Force report following additional feedback from STERG. Further input is requested from STERG members to help position the digital capability of the sector, including the recommendations from the DTS report (April 2019), case studies demonstrating digital adoption (there are many positive examples from across the sector including hospitality, tour operators and activity providers) and grant support available.
Action: Riddell Graham to follow up with the team at VS for views on digital capability including examples. It was noted that HIE have announced (10th September), a Digital Enablement grant for businesses, communities and social enterprises with an existing HIE relationship.
This grant forms part of their COVID-19 recovery support. https://www.hie.co.uk/support/browse-all-support-services/covid19/support-and-funding-for-businesses-and-third-sector/ Additional resources are being made available to Business Gateway to develop new ideas which could help SMEs to improve their digital capability. Tourism and hospitality have been identified as one of the specific sectors which should benefit from this.
The next draft of the report will be circulated to STERG by 11th September. A final version of the report, (which will include input from the Investment working group paper), is expected to be available for STERG sign off by 18th September. Following STERG sign off the report will be circulated to the Task Force. The Tourism Task Force report will be submitted to Cabinet before the end of September
The final meeting of the Investment working group took place on 8th September. It was noted that discussions with the Scottish National Investment Bank, to address some of the recommendations from the Investment working group, should start now and that STERG should be represented in these discussions.
The Task Force letter to DCMS and Treasury requesting a call is to be progressed. It is proposed that the letter will be more powerful if it is a joint request from Scottish Government and businesses. It is essential however that the ‘asks’ outlined in the letter are refined to focus on only 3 or 4 key priorities. 2. STERG Action Plan
The updated STERG Action Plan (1st September) was published on VS.org on 8th September.
Further work to refine the content of the Action Plan and to address feedback from STERG members will be done over the next two weeks before the next update.
The Action Plan working group and the Scenario Planning working group came together on 4th September with the purpose of looking at how the STERG Scenarios could begin to shape further development of the Action Plan. The implications of each of the Scenarios were captured and implications around workforce, business support and Marketing in particular were identified A further session will be scheduled w/c 14th September to progress.
It was acknowledged that the input received from the SLAED Tourism Group via Tracey Martin has been welcomed.
VisitScotland is continuing to progress the industry engagement plan for the Scenarios. A toolkit is currently being designed and will be tested with key sector associations to ensure it’s the right thing. Publication is expected in early October.
3. Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios
The industry scenario planning project, which is being led by Consultants Waldencroft, held its final meeting yesterday to discuss the implications of the Scenarios they had developed. A final report will be completed by 11th September and shared with STERG w/c 14th September. It was noted that the industry leaders involved came from a very broad cross section of the tourism sector.
It was highlighted that this set of scenarios, (with a c. 3 year timeframe) will compliment both the STERG Scenarios (c. 6-9 month timeframe) and the Scottish Enterprise / Scottish Government Recovery and Renewal scenarios for Consumer-facing industries 2020-2025 ( which includes implications for Tourism).
It was recognised that the industry scenarios were a very valuable piece of work and that they should be factored into the Task Force work. It was noted that once the final report was available it would be easier to see where they could feed in to the Task Force recommendations and in particular the detailed stand-alone Task Force paper which will accompany the report for Cabinet. (N.B. The STERG scenarios with a 6-9 month timeframe could actually be valid for up to 2 years given certain circumstances and should also feed into the Task Force thinking).
Action: Karen Christie to follow up with SG team and partners when the Industry Scenarios are published. Consideration to be given to the Scenarios forming the context to the detailed stand-alone Task Force paper.
It was also recognised that there was a need to bring the 3 sets of scenario planning work together. Action: Karen Christie to consider options with partners and put forward recommendations for bringing the Scenarios together.
It was noted that any communications regarding the Scenario work that has been carried out must have a consistent message.
4. Funding Packages Update
£14m Hotel Support Programme - The new Hotel Support Programme was launched on Wednesday 26th August and closed at 5.00pm on Wednesday 9th September. - Overall there has been a very healthy number of applicants for the programme. - An initial sift of the EOIs is currently taking place. This check will identify if an applicant is eligible or not and secondly, for those applicants who are eligible, it will check if further information is required. This process should take c. 10-14 days. - A partners meeting will take place on 11th September to review progress so far.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses - Applications for this scheme closed on 10th August. - The deadline to appeal has now passed. - Final appeals are being considered by the review panel.
£6m Events Industry Support Fund - Applications for the fund opened at noon on Monday 31st August 2020 and will close at noon on Monday 14 September 2020. - 791 applications have been received from a broad cross section of the events sector. - Applicants who are not eligible are being quickly notified - The first offers of funding have now gone out - Applications will continue to be assessed by the VisitScotland team.
5. Funding Gaps
It was noted that a request had been received from Scottish Independent Hostels for support to help mitigate the impact that COVID-19 has had on this sector.
It was recommended that STERG submit a list to Scottish Government of any known businesses / groups / sectors who are still severely at risk or are suffering as they have not been eligible to receive any support.
Action: STERG members to advise Bettina Sizeland of any known businesses / groups / sectors who continue to be at risk.
6. Partner Updates Business Gateway
The new Business Gateway campaign went live on 7th September. The core message is, …if you are in the dark we are here to shed some light…
Recent research conducted by Business Gateway with start-ups and existing businesses showed the following findings: - New start-ups wanted support to start their business, not run their business - For existing businesses COVID had actually brought positive changes such as improved efficiency and resilience. Many existing businesses felt that COVID had made them stronger. - Brexit is not helping anyone
The SGov team highlighted that there has been a recent rise in correspondence from successful businesses who are now finding themselves in a desperate situation and urgently need to be able to talk to someone for support. It was noted that Business Gateway, who support a broad range of businesses across Scotland, including existing businesses can be contacted for support. (Note for info: Calls to Business Gateway in this quarter from existing businesses were c. double the number of calls from start-ups) https://www.bgateway.com/coronavirus-business-support-across-scotland In addition, Hospitality Health, the charity which supports the mental health and well-being of those working in the hospitality industry can be contacted by anyone in difficult circumstances or struggling. http://hospitalityhealth.org.uk/
Skills Development Scotland
Work is continuing to formulate a response to the Scottish Governments Youth Guarantee.
Work to support apprentices continues – displaced apprentices / individuals coming out of school
PACE service has been ramped up – A helpline and online support is available
A proposal was recently submitted to the rural skills fund identifying support required for tourism specific skills.
Discussions are continuing with the Enterprise Agencies regarding the support SDS can offer to the new Hotel Support programme.
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme continues to be the key focus.
A new green stimulus fund is being discussed at HIE for rural and tourism infrastructure investment.
Action: Anna Miller to send details of the fund to Bettina Sizeland in order to clarify whether this is part of the low carbon fund
Visit Scotland
Working on the announcement for the new events fund which will be launched next week.
Working with marketing colleagues on the autumn / winter campaign which will have a cities focus. As noted previously, countryside searches are for the first time ever ahead of searches for cities.
STA
Elaine Townsend retires from the STA on 14th September.
The next 2-3 months will very much depend on what we hear today at the FM’s briefing. This will determine whether concern within the industry will escalate.
The cities still need help
Scottish Government
The Task Force report continues to be a priority, it is essential that this is submitted in time to be considered in the spending review.
Internal updates are ongoing to ensure SGov colleagues and ministers are aware of the rapidly changing industry situation and can respond accordingly.
6. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured.
Action: Karen Christie to confirm with John Evans whether there are tourism related redundancies that have been captured for the South of Scotland and which could be included within the STERG document.
Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
7. AOB
No AOB noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Wednesday 16th September, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
Feedback from STERG on the first draft of the Tourism Task Force report has been collated and is currently being reviewed. Work on the draft has continued, particularly on the prioritisation criteria which will be used to sort the proposed recommendations. It was noted that it was critical for STERG to get the prioritisation criteria right. A further draft is in progress and will be circulated to STERG later in the day.
Action: STERG members to review the second draft and forward all comments to Bettina Sizeland by close of play Monday 7th September.
It was highlighted that none of the Food tourism recommendations, which were submitted with the Recovery Working Group’s paper, feature in the draft report. It was agreed that they will be added and scored alongside the other recommendations.
It was suggested that key industry requests are laid out in a letter to the UK Government. The letter would be directed to DCMS and the Treasury from the Scottish Government. It was proposed that the letter would be progressed this week.
It was acknowledged that for Cabinet and the Scottish Government all recommendations should be segmented into immediate actions that need to happen now and more medium term actions that will support the sector moving forward. It was suggested that once the prioritisation criteria is agreed the recommendations will be reviewed by the three Task Force working groups.
It was noted that available funding sources such as the low carbon fund are being eroded quickly and there is an urgent need for Tourism to develop a robust business case to support recommendations.
2. Programme for Government
The Programme for Government was announced by the Scottish Government on 1st September. It was noted that there were was nothing unexpected within the PfG for Tourism.
Highlights of the PfG, specifically relating to Tourism can be found on the STA website: https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/scottish-government-outlines-new-plan-for-2020-2021/
It was noted that the actions outlined in the PfG were aligned to Scotland Outlook 2030, the national tourism strategy and that the continued importance of sustainability came through strongly
Concern was raised about access to funding for the Tourism sector, particularly to implement the recommendations of the Task Force as this was not mentioned in the PfG.
SDS has been asked by the Rural Economy Division to submit a proposal, by 4th September, which addresses the need for specific rural skills as there is potential funding available for this. SDS has consulted with ASVA, HIT and Springboard. It was noted that Marc Crothall would try to quickly gather some additional input from Agritourism and Food Tourism however given the tight timelines this may not be possible.
Action: Lawrence Durden to share the headlines of the proposal to ensure these can be reflected consistently in other documents or proposals.
Action: Fiona Cook to organise a call with the Rural Economy Division to ensure the SG Tourism team can
feed into this.
Multi-year funding for digital has been received well, however it is not clear whether this will apply to the Digital Boost initiative. Strategic planning and procurement is very difficult without multi-year funding being in place.
It was noted that the there is a strong emphasis on employability which is welcomed, however this needs to be balanced with equivalent business support to ensure jobs can be safeguarded and new jobs created.
3. Funding Packages Update
£14m Hotel Support Programme
- The new Hotel Support Programme was launched on Wednesday 26th August.
- A steady flow of expressions of interest are being received.
- All expressions of interest must be received by 5.00pm on Wednesday 9th September.
- A partners meeting will take place on 4th September to review the submissions so far.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses
- Applications for this scheme closed on 10th August.
- Successful and unsuccessful applicants have all been notified and many of the successful applicants
have already received funding.
- An appeals process is in place for unsuccessful applicants.
- A review panel currently meets daily to respond to all appeals received.
£6m Events Industry Support Fund
- Applications for the fund opened at noon on Monday 31st August 2020 and will close at noon
on Monday 14 September 2020.
- 697 applications have been received from a broad cross section of the events sector.
- Applications are currently being assessed by the VisitScotland team.
4. STERG Action Plan
The updated STERG Action Plan (1st September) has been circulated to STERG for approval. Minor
updates were noted. The updated Plan will be published on VS.org w/c 7th September.
The need for additional actions in the Plan to address localised lockdowns was discussed. It was agreed that the current protocols in place were sufficient.
Further work will be done on the Action Plan over the coming weeks to refine the content.
The Action Plan working group and the Scenario Planning working group will come together for a joint session on 4th September to stress test the Plan against the scenarios. Output from this meeting will drive the next stage of the Plan’s development. A summary of the session will be shared at the next STERG
meeting on 10th September.
VisitScotland is progressing the industry engagement plan which aims to share the STERG Scenarios more broadly across the sector.
The industry scenario planning project, which is being led by Consultants Waldencroft, recently held a 2 day online workshop to progress the development of the scenarios. A raw version of the scenarios will be sense checked on 4th September and the final scenarios presented to the group on 9th September. The representatives involved are from a cross sector of the industry and are keen for this work to feed into the recovery plans.
5. Partner Updates
STA
The UK Visitor Economy working group meeting with Nigel Huddleston took place yesterday. Feedback from industry highlighted the following points:
- Expedia reported that initial signs of recovery are now tailing off and that forward bookings for autumn are behind where they were expected to be. Booking windows have shortened, there is little interest in cities and enhanced cleaning and safety practices are ranking highly in search criteria.
- VisitBritain presented an overview of the new £5m UK wide campaign ‘Escape the everyday’. The campaign will launch in September and will have a strong presence on channel 4. The campaign will also have a strong cities focus.
- Bourne Leisure commented that despite high demand, social distancing rules was severely impacting the ability to make a profit. This is a common issue across all major operators within the sector and provides a clear rationale for the need for continued support.
- There continues to be major concern around international markets and particularly around airline survival given the impact of air corridors / quarantine restrictions in addition to the end of furlough.
- It was noted that the same themes are being echoed on this call as in Scotland
The SGov emphasised that any representation to the UK Government by the Scottish Government would be more powerful if it could focus on 2 or 3 key industry priorities. To improve the chance of success, Nigel Huddleston needs 2 or 3 things that could really make a difference rather than a long list of
requests which can get very complex. Industry is asked to consider what these priorities should be.
Action: Marc Crothall to liaise with UKH to ensure that messaging on priorities are consistent
The absence of international markets is severely impacting on tour operators. Following a recent meeting involving the airports and inbound operators the SGov Tourism team has followed up with Jason Leitch and Transport colleagues to push for progress in this area. The SGov Tourism team will continue topursue with Health and Transport.
Concerns continue that cities are still not seeing a revival
Eat Out to Help Out scheme has generally performed well with some business choosing to continue the scheme into September to encourage customer loyalty and maintain cash flow.
The first in a series of ASSC webinars took place on Tuesday with Malcolm Roughead and Marc Crothall.
C. 180 people attended.
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme continues to be a key focus.
Following the announcement on 28th August of a new £59m funding package to support Scottish culture and heritage, Scottish Enterprise is working with Creative Scotland to help disburse the funds.
Business Gateway
There is concern over the potential impact of newly imposed lockdown restrictions on 3 council areas in the west of Scotland, (Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire). The new measures are not the same as those imposed in Aberdeen, however transmission rates are going up and the situation could get worse. The question was asked whether there will there be resource to support businesses should it be needed.
The SGov tourism team advised that consideration is being given as to what happens next, however as yet there is no evidence to suggest that additional funding would be available.
The underspend on the coronavirus (COVID-19) business support fund grants which were disbursed by local authorities was discussed recently at a Council leaders meeting and clarity about what had
happened to the remaining funds was requested.
The SGov tourism team advised that they have continued to press this same question however have not
yet received clarity.
Skills Development Scotland
Rural skills proposal to be submitted to the Rural Economy Division on 4th September
Discussions ongoing with the Enterprise Agencies regarding the support SDS can offer to the new Hotel
Support programme.
Continuing to work with Scottish government to develop programmes of support based on the recommendations of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board report and the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery. These include:
- Upscaling the PACE service
- Protecting Apprentices. Expanding the Adopt an Apprentice Programme and developing a pathways to
Apprenticeship programme
- Expanding and developing the Individual Training Accounts and developing a Transition Training Fund
Visit Scotland
Concern has been raised with the SGov Tourism team about the new VisitBritain campaign which is due to kick off in mid-September. Currently VisitScotland are not permitted to run their domestic marketing campaign instead having to continue with the Scotland only campaign, there is a risk that the VisitBritain
campaign will encourage Scots to holiday in the rest of the UK. Our cities in particular could be impacted as VisitScotland cannot currently campaign outside of Scotland.
The SGov Tourism team noted that the VisitBritain campaign was on their radar.
VisitScotland are currently working on a cities campaign and this is due to launch in the next couple of weeks. The campaign will focus on exploring the many different neighbourhoods within our cities.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested that the opening of the V&A in Dundee has had a significant impact on hotel occupancy rates in Dundee – this needs to be investigated further.
Festival 2022, a UK wide festival of culture and science will launch next week. £12m has been allocated to Scotland. This is a positive example of collaboration.
Scottish Government
The Task Force report is the current priority, it is essential that this is submitted in time to be considered in the spending review.
The proposal for a ‘Scottish Tourism Emerging Talent Employee Retention and Training programme’,
which was proposed to Fergus Ewing and Jamie Hepburn is still under discussion.
6. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured.
Action: Redundancy updates to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
7. AOB
No AOB noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 10th September, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Key Notes & Actions
1. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
A first draft of the Tourism Task Force report was circulated by Bettina Sizeland to STERG in advance of the meeting. The paper was acknowledged as a starting point for STERG to work on. It was noted that the recommendations from the Investment working group have not yet been included. These will be forwarded to STERG separately.
It is intended that the Tourism Task Force report will highlight to Scottish ministers and UK ministers the key recommendations only, with a further report containing the detailed recommendations. The detailed recommendations will act as working menu for STERG to consider. The draft report outlines a set of criteria for prioritising recommendations and STERG are asked to review this criteria. Once the criteria is agreed the priorities can be reviewed based on that.
It was confirmed that the use of the word ‘sustainable’ in the draft report refers not just to financial viability but to broader sustainable development encompassing economic, social and environmental dimensions. The final report will be submitted to Cabinet in early to mid-September.
Next steps were outlined as follows: - STERG to review and feedback comments on the first draft by Tuesday 1st September - Revised draft of the report will be circulated to STERG for the next meeting on Thursday 3rd September
- Further revised draft issued to the three Task Force working groups for review w/c 7th September
- Final report to Cabinet early to mid-September
Action: STERG members to review the draft and forward all comments to Bettina Sizeland by close of play Tuesday 1st September.
The likelihood of imminent additional support for the sector from the UK Government was discussed and it was noted that this was unlikely. DCMS have put forward the case to Treasury however Tourism is not the loudest voice. The Task Force recommendations need to be forwarded quickly to Nigel Huddleston to open direct treasury discussions which include all other devolved nations. It was highlighted that tactics to ensure Scotland’s voice is heard more loudly needed to be identified.
It was noted that the STA were meeting with Oliver Mundell in the afternoon and steps were being taken for further engagement with the Scottish Office. The importance on focusing on just a few, big asks, which could support the whole of the sector, was reiterated. However there are some key areas that we must not lose sight of such as aviation and the travel trade. It was noted that the STA have a meeting set up with UKInbound to understand the actions they are taking with the UK Government.
The proposal for a ‘Scottish Tourism Emerging Talent Employee Retention and Training programme’, which was prepared by a sub group of the Task Force Recovery working group (and included members of the Tourism Skills Group), has been submitted to Fergus Ewing and Jamie Hepburn. The proposal is currently being reviewed and potential funding options are being discussed. It was stressed that for this proposal to be feasible, funding was required to cover both the training element of the programme and the wage subsidy element. Further discussions with ministers to look at possible funding options are required.
2. STERG Action Plan
The updated STERG Action Plan was published on VS.org on 24th August.
The Action Plan working group and the scenario planning working group will come together for a joint session on 4th September to stress test the plan against the scenarios.
Action: Karen Christie to feedback the output from the meeting to STERG on 10th September.
3. STERG Scenario Plans
An industry engagement plan, prepared by Chris Greenwood, VS, was circulated to STERG in advance of the meeting. The plan outlined an approach to sharing the scenarios with industry. All STERG members agreed this was the right way forward and the green light was given to progress the immediate actions identified.
Action: Barbara Clark to link in with Chris Greenwood regarding communication support.
4. Funding Packages Update
£14m Hotel Support Programme - The new Hotel Support Programme was launched on Wednesday 26 August after a huge amount of effort by partners to reshape the criteria based on industry feedback. 6 expressions of interest have been received already. No technical issues have been noted so far. No feedback has been received from industry. Workstreams across all the Enterprise Agencies, VisitScotland and Skills Development Scotland are working on the next steps, the appraisal process, the support packages, the reporting etc.
All expressions of interest must be received by 5.00pm, 9th September. Local Authorities will support the launch of the Programme by making the business community aware of it. Local Authorities will also be involved in discussions around the business support packages.
It was noted that final details of the Hotel Support Programme should be sent to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee. Action: Scottish Government officials to forward the final details of the Hotel Support programme to members of the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses - 78 applications have been approved and the businesses have been notified. - Remaining eligible applications will be advised shortly. - Rejected applications are in the process of being notified. - An Appeals process is in place.
£6m Events Industry Support Fund - The new £6m Events Industry Support Fund, was launched on Monday 24th August. - The fund is being managed by VisitScotland / EventScotland and a large team of people have been brought together to respond to the demand for the fund. - Applications for the fund will open from noon on Monday 31 August 2020 until noon on Monday 14 September 2020. - It was noted that significant effort had been made to ensure the eligibility criteria was clear. - So far there has been 10,000 views on VS.org and 2,500 downloads of the guidance document.
5. Cities
Increasing concern was raised about the ongoing, devastating impact of COVID-19 on tourism within our cities, particularly in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. There is concern that tourism is being portrayed, through the media for example, as doing well which is masking the desperate situation that our cities are facing.
It was highlighted that the retail sector is also very concerned about city centres particularly as there is no day time trade happening. People are staying at home, they’re working from home, they have no need to go into the city. Our cities need to be supported with positive messages from the media which promotes how great our cities are, that they are safe places to visit and people should be encouraged to go out and enjoy them.
It was noted that VisitScotland are working with the cities on marketing activity (currently targeted at Scotland) and that the autumn / winter campaign has a cities focus. The biggest challenge right now is that all marketing activity beyond Scotland is on hold.
It was acknowledged that marketing is only part of the issue and that the STERG Action Plan should be reviewed to identify the actions that are currently being undertaken to support the cities and whether new actions are needed. Action: Karen Christie to coordinate a review of the Action Plan. Action: Barbara Clark to put together a communication which reflects actions being undertaken to support the cities.
The question of further support for Aberdeen was raised. It was noted that no additional funding beyond the £1m fund being administered by Aberdeen City Council would be available.
6. Partner Updates Business Gateway
A campaign to push Business Gateway and DigitalBoost services will be launched on 7th September.
Work is ongoing to push businesses to findbusinesssupport.
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme is a key focus.
Working with Creative Scotland on the £2.2m Grassroots Music Venue Stabilisation Fund https://www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/grassroots-music-venues-stabilisation-fund
Visit Scotland
Promoting the new £6m Events Industry Support Fund is a priority.
Recent tracking data has shown that for the first time countryside breaks have overtaken city breaks in online searches. Romance and luxury are 2 of the most popular themes being searched for.
STA
The current position on weddings continues to be an area of concern. A recent submission has been made by the STA recommending a 20/20 position is adopted. It is hoped that an announcement on this will be made imminently.
The industry scenario planning project, which is being led by Consultants Waldencroft, recently held a 2 day online workshop to progress the development of the scenarios. The industry representatives are from a cross sector of the industry and have voiced strong concerns about the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
The meeting notes from the STA Forums which were held last week will be circulated today.
Scottish Government
A final review of the Programme for Government was carried out this morning. No surprises are expected for Tourism.
Support for fun fairs has not yet been secured, this will be pursued jointly with the Culture team in the SG, a further submission will be made to Fiona Hyslop.
Capital budget is being pursued through the capital spending review in order to support initiatives to address issues with Wild Camping and the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund.
Funding opportunities may exist with the low carbon fund. Scottish Government Tourism team will work with STERG to put forward recommendations.
7. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured. Action: Redundancy updates to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
8. AOB
No AOB noted.
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Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 3rd September, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Future Meetings
Thursday 17th September will be moved to Wednesday 16th September.
Thursday 24th September and Thursday 1st October will be chaired by Marc Crothall in the absence of Riddell Graham.
Key Notes & Actions
1. Scenario Planning Update
The STERG Scenario Plans were approved by all members of the group.
The group agreed that the Scenario Plans could now be shared more widely, in particular with the Task Force and with participants involved in the new, longer term Scenario Planning work which is being led by consultants Waldencroft.
It was agreed that the content of the scenario plans should be shared in a meaningful way with businesses.
Action: Karen Christie to circulate scenarios to the Task Force and the participants in the Waldencroft scenarios. Action: Working group to liaise with Barbara Clark to look at ways in which the output of the scenario plans could be shared with industry.
2. Funding Packages Update
£14m Hotel Recovery Programme Partners are continuing to work closely to finalise the criteria for the programme. Extensive industry engagement has taken place to ensure the approach being taken is right.
The programme is expected to launch w/c 24th August. The communication and guidance which is to accompany the launch of the programme will be key to ensure the process is as seamless as possible.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses - Opened 3rd August / closed 10th August - Over 200 full applications received and logged - The assessment panel have now assessed all applications - Offers will be issued this week - Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with a clear rationale explaining why the application was rejected - An Appeals process is in place
Many thanks go to the ASSC for their support in assessing the applications.
£10m Events Sector fund The launch of a fund to support businesses in the supply chain to the events sector, is expected to be announced imminently. This fund will account for a proportion of the £10m. A second fund, accounting for the balance of the £10m, is to follow, date TBC.
It was noted that there is a lot of working going on within Scottish Government looking specifically at venues and in particular wedding venues, both on guidance and support. A new trade body for wedding venues has been established, the Association of British Wedding Businesses (ABWB), this is an association that aims to support members of the British wedding industry during COVID-19.
3. STERG Action Plan
The updated STERG Action Plan was approved for publication on VS.org w/c 24th August
It was highlighted that the scale of activity being undertaken is significant however it was noted that there are actions which could now be closed off as they have been delivered.
Since the Action Plan was launched there have been 13.5k visits to the Action Plan page and 2,627 downloads of the Action Plan.
Action: Karen Christie to circulate the STERG Action Plan to the Task Force
4. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The third meeting of the STRT will be held on Monday 24th August where all three working groups, (Stimulating Demand, Recovery and Investment) will report on progress and discuss their recommendations.
The final Task Force Recommendations paper is expected to be submitted to Cabinet in early September. Consideration is to be given to the format of the final paper.
It was noted that the availability of funding to support the implementation of Task Force recommendations was critical and there is ongoing discussion as to whether new money will be available or existing budgets will need to be repurposed.
In response to an urgent request from Mr Ewing to address immediate workforce retention issues the Recovery working group submitted a draft paper to the Scottish Government for a programme which addresses the immediate need to retain our emerging talent within Scottish Tourism. Feedback on the proposal from Mr Ewing is expect by Monday 24th.
The importance and value of a united front between industry and the Scottish Government when making representations to the UK Government was stressed.
5. Partner Updates Skills Development Scotland
SDS working with Scottish government to develop programmes of support based on the recommendations of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board report and the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery. Key areas of focus are: - Providing Guidance.
Expanding the PACE service for displaced staff and the Next Steps programme for young people under 18. - Protecting Apprentices. Expanding the Adopt an Apprentice Programme, supporting displaced apprentices to complete their training and developing a pathways to Apprenticeship programme - Options for Learners.
Expanding and developing the Individual Training Accounts and developing a Transition Training Fund
Business Gateway
New £1m support fund is to be made available via Aberdeen City Council for hospitality businesses directly impacted by the local lockdown in that area.
It is expected that the Health & Safety Executive will issue guidance on the requirements for ventilation within premises. It will be critical to understand the implications of this for businesses.
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Recovery Programme continues to be a key focus. Work is currently ongoing to finalise the details of the programme.
The supporting Communities Fund which is administered by HIE will shortly be moving into Phase 2.
This phase will be recovery focused and it is hoped that it will be themed around community and tourism. HIE have been approached to support research funding on Motorhomes
The HIE board are currently considering a paper that recommends a revised medium term approach by HIE regarding future support to Destination Management Organisations. This is line with Wider COVID strategic sector support.
Visit Scotland
Members of STERG met on Monday 17th to review the role, remit and sustainability of Destination Organisations as requested by the Stimulating Demand working group. A final document with STERG recommendations is being prepared.
VisitScotland is convening a new group (in addition to the comms group), to look at the impact which dirty camping is having on communities and the environment. This group will take a holistic view of the issues which are being raised and in particular look at infrastructure.
A number of issues were highlighted as contributing to the current situation, in particular the fact that many campsites have been unable to open and the availability of public toilet facilities. A further issue to consider is the inflated prices of some self-catering businesses could be driving people to choose camping when previously they wouldn’t have.
It was noted that ministers are keen to see to see actions being taken to address this however it was recognised that it may be too late for this season and may need to wait until next season. The importance of getting the balance right between education and infrastructure was stressed.
STA
The STA are continuing their business survey on the impact of the ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme which launched on 3rd August. It was noted that Aberdeen venues have missed out on the scheme and that there is an ask to extend this scheme beyond August.
There is ongoing concern that there are still a number of areas within the sector that are not yet open for example, wedding venues, Exclusive use properties, business events and conferencing.
The Scottish Government highlighted that the guidance related to exclusive use properties was dependent on whether there is a shared kitchen or a separate kitchen.
With regard to business events, there are still significant public health concerns here and detailed analysis of this is ongoing. An indicative date of September has been given but nothing specific.
6. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured. Action: Redundancy updates to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
7. AOB
No AOB noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 27th August, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Scenario Planning Update
Chris Greenwood and Raymond McIntyre presented the final Scenario Planning document to STERG for comment. It was noted that the Scenario Planning document had been stress tested with the Scottish Tourism Consultants Group and a number of their recommendations had been incorporated.
It was noted that once the document has been signed off, the working group will look at ways in which the content could be shared in a meaningful way with businesses. It was highlighted that the STERG Scenarios will complement both the Scenario Planning work completed by Scottish Enterprise and the new industry driven Scenario Planning work which is being facilitated by Waldencroft.
Action: Chris to pick up with Bettina for input once she has returned from annual leave on 17 August.
Action: STERG to review the Scenario Planning document and provide feedback, comments, questions etc., to the working group by close of play Tuesday 18 August. Please email feedback to: chris.greenwood@visitscotland.com raymond.macintyre@visitscotland.com Karen.christie@stalliance.co.uk A final version will be circulated to STERG for sign off on 20 August.
Action: Barbara to work with Chris to look at potential options for communicating the output of the scenario planning work to industry.
Funding Packages Update
£14m Hotel Recovery Programme Following the announcement of this programme on 29th July the partners have been working closely to define the detail ensuring that the feedback received from stakeholders is being taken into account. The formal launch is expected at the end of August.
The importance of getting the criteria and approach right for this programme was acknowledged and therefore the launch date may be postponed.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses - Opened 3rd August / closed 10th August - Over 200 full applications received and logged - Over and above the 200…Between 40-50 incomplete applications were received and additional evidence has been requested for these. - The assessment panel have assessed 143 applications to date
o 28 Approved
o 45 Approved – awaiting check from Local Authorities
o 17 in query
o 53 Rejected
- Successful applicants and unsuccessful applicants will be notified at the same time. Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with an explanation as to why they were unsuccessful.
£10m Events Sector fund Event Scotland and the Scottish Government are in the process of finalising the criteria and eligibility for the fund. Sign off from the Scottish Government is expected this week and it is anticipated that a communication will go out next week regarding the fund.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The third meeting of the STRT will be held on 24 August where all three working groups, (Stimulating Demand, Recovery and Investment) will report on progress and discuss their recommendations.
All three working groups continue to meet in preparation for the 24th.
It was noted that the Recovery working group has submitted a draft paper to the Scottish Government for a programme which addresses the immediate need to retain our emerging talent within Scottish Tourism.
Members of STERG will meet on Monday 17th to discuss their guidance on the future of Destination and Sector organisations as requested by the Stimulating Demand working group.
Further details about the Task Force including minutes and papers can be found on the SG website www.gov.scot/groups/scottish-tourism-recovery-taskforce
Partner Updates Skills Development Scotland
Scottish Government £10m funding to support a range of measures to recruit and retain apprentices, including additional funding for the Adopt an Apprentice programme, Lawrence Durden in discussion about prioritising Tourism within this fund.
Additional £10m announced for the flexible workforce development fund which addresses broader support for businesses such as upskilling and reskilling the workforce.
SDS currently discussing how they can contribute to the wrap-around business support and advice being offered as part of the new Hotel Recovery Programme.
Working with the Task Force Recovery working group and members of the national Tourism Skills Group, a draft paper has been submitted to the Scottish Government outlining a programme which addresses the immediate need to retain the emerging talent within Scottish Tourism.
In addition, as chair of the Workforce Recovery sub group, within the Task Force Recovery working group, longer term workforce recommendations are being developed to support recovery of the sector.
Business Gateway
In response to the ongoing lockdown in Aberdeen there is a lot of work going on to identify the support that businesses need.
Additional £1.5m funding announced for Business Gateway’s Digital Boost programme. The funding will run until 5th April 2021. It is envisaged that this additional resource will offer the opportunity to pilot new ideas which can then be developed and rolled out next year. It was noted that the Digital Boost Programme Manager keeps in contact with HIE and SE. It was recommended that the Programme Manager contacts Aileen Lamb at SE who is doing a lot of work in this space.
Enterprise Agencies
HIE Let’s Grow Adventure Tourism programme was launched on 16th July and closed on 7th August. HIE are delighted with the volume of applications received demonstrating a real appetite for support in the Adventure sector. The programme will start late September / beginning of October.
The Hotel Recovery Programme is taking up the majority of time as partners work to finalise the detail of the programme.
Engagement with Local Authorities has increased recently due to discussions on how the City Deals and Growth Deals could accelerate recovery.
Visit Scotland
A communication plan is being worked on for the new Events Sector funding scheme.
Two major golf events will take place in the next two weeks, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open and the AIG Women’s Open. Both events will be TV-only events with no crowds in attendance.
Dirty camping continues to be an ongoing issue and a working group is looking at this.
C. 6,300 are now signed up to the We’re Good to Go scheme and over 3,500 are listed on VS.com. A Gaelic version of the logo is also now available.
STA
The STA are continuing the two business surveys this week. - The new ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme launched on 3rd August and the STA are keen to understand how this initiative is working for businesses. Is it successfully driving footfall? Is it displacing weekend bookings? - Forward bookings for accommodation providers vary significantly across the sector. For hotels in particular the majority are looking at <20% occupancy in the coming months. This survey looks to capture a snapshot of bookings for August and September / October.
Issues with wild camping remain. A workstream is looking into this.
There are still a number of areas within the sector that are not yet open for example, Exclusive use properties, swimming pools, events. There is an increasing nervousness among hotels on whether events (of any size) will be given the green light or not, for many this will have a critical impact on their survival.
The licensed trade requires more clarity around the guidance, i.e. what’s mandatory and what’s not.
A recent letter from the WTTC to the Prime Minister has highlighted the urgent need for the G7 nations to work together collectively. Are the G7 messages feeding down to the devolved ministers? This should be considered by the Task Force.
Scottish Government
The immediate focus is on changes to sector guidance, including mandatory collection of customer details for Test & Protect and the ongoing lockdown in Aberdeen.
Work is continuing on the guidance for those places which are not yet open, it is hoped that there will be more on this at the next review point on 20th August.
Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured. Action: Redundancy updates to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
AOB
Oliver Mundell MSP has been appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism in the recent Scottish Conservative reshuffle. Rachael Hamilton MSP now takes on the role of Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 20th August 11.00am-12.00pm.
Scenario planning update
VisitScotland updated on the progress being made on the scenario planning work. It was noted that all actions agreed at the previous meeting have been completed, i.e. narratives have been developed for all four scenarios, based on a set of agreed assumptions and an economic overlay has been provided highlighting the economic implications.
The completed work will now be stress tested with for example the Scottish Tourism Consultants network before the final document is presented to STERG on 13 August.
Funding packages update
The Scottish Government will publish a summary of the applications for the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund, Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund (PERF) and Creative, Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund (CTHEHF), and Bed and Breakfasts Hardship Fund (B&BHF).
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-hardship-and-resilience-funds-statistics/
N.B. Details of the coronavirus (COVID-19) business support fund grants (correct to 4 August) can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-support-fund-grant-statistics/
he new £1 million Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses, which opened on 3 August and is being administered by VisitScotland with support from the ASSC, has seen 750 downloads of the Application guidance document and 250 applications. The fund awards will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The first 100 applications are being checked now.
The new £14 million Hotel Recovery Programme is being administered by the Enterprise Agencies and is intended to be live by the end of August. The importance of getting this fund right was noted and the Agencies team working on the detail will take into account feedback from industry, learnings from previous funds and try to anticipate all the challenges, all within a very tight timeframe. It was acknowledged that £14 million is not enough and that the projected number of hotels which could be helped by this programme (c. 50-60 hotels) won’t make the difference required, however it was also recognised that the cash pot is not endless.
It was noted that prior to the launch of the new Self Catering Support Scheme and the Hotel Recovery Programme there had been discussions about supporting the Coach sector. Clarification is sought as to the current position on supporting this sector.
EventScotland and the Scottish Government are currently working on the criteria and eligibility for the recently announced Events fund, a report is due on Monday. It is hoped this fund, which aims to support organisers of cultural, community, and sporting events, as well as supply chain firms facing hardship, will be launched soon.
A new £2.2 million support fund for Grassroots Music Venues is expected to launch on 20 August and will have a 10-14 day window for applications. This is a pan Scotland fund intended to keep grassroots music venues alive.
Industry update
The announcement of renewed lockdown restrictions in Aberdeen has prompted many questions from businesses. In the first instance businesses should be directed to the available guidance, however if further clarity is required questions are to be channelled through the STA to the SG team.
It is suggested that a common sense approach should be applied when interpreting the guidance.
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-protection-coronavirus-restrictions-aberdeen-city-regulations-2020/
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-measures/
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-update-first-ministers-speech-5-august-2020/?fbclid=IwAR20ptC1xQBU1CG325PovY4WiuOAB1yGGEhhYb7gUp35jZ8HNTHURek-pcI
It was noted that VisitAberdeenshire have paused their Marketing activity.
The STA are running two business surveys this week.
- The new ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme launched on 3 August and the STA are keen to understand how this initiative is working for businesses and whether it is successfully driving footfall.
- Forward bookings for accommodation providers vary significantly across the sector. This survey looks to capture a snapshot of bookings for August and September / October.
- Both surveys will close on Sunday 9 August. Insights will be shared with partners w/c 10 August.
It was noted that self-catering bookings still remain strong, however there is a very mixed picture within the hotel sector, Glasgow and Edinburgh occupancy levels remain low at c.20%, however, there are pockets where some hotels are performing strongly, for example Fort William.
It was highlighted that a simple urban / rural split is not reflective of the current situation, there are rural hotels for example in the Highlands running at c. 20% occupancy and comments have been made that this could be due to negative media coverage for example.
VisitScotland IRM’s and other VisitScotland colleagues are currently trying to get a picture of the real situation.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The first meeting of the Investment working group was held on 3 August. Action:
The Stimulating Demand working group has requested that STERG provide guidance on Destination and Sector organisations for consideration in the working group’s submission to the Task Force
Initial discussion document is to be shared with STERG with a follow up meeting w/c 17 August. A response is required before the end of August. HIE is currently preparing a proposal for the CEO and Leadership team on regional destination support required for recovery.
The Recovery working group continues to develop their recommendations on Business and Workforce Recovery. Three sub groups have been created in order to focus on specific priority areas.
The next meeting of the Task Force will be held on 20 August. Further details about the Task Force including minutes and papers can be found on the SG website: www.gov.scot/groups/scottish-tourism-recovery-taskforce
STERG Action Plan
The working group reviewed and updated the STERG Action Plan as appropriate. A refreshed Action Plan (4 August) was approved for publication by STERG.
It is noted in the Action Plan (6.5) that Local Authorities are undertaking consultations with businesses to aid Economic recovery planning. It was highlighted that this information, if consolidated, could help inform the Recovery Working Group.
Good to Go Scheme / Tourism & Hospitality Guidance
Currently c. 6,043 businesses in Scotland have signed up to the ‘Good to Go scheme’, (30,000 total UK, Scotland has the second highest number of businesses signed up). It was noted that although c.6,000 have signed up only c.1,000 businesses have updated their listings on VisitScotland.com. All businesses are to be encouraged to update their listings to indicate, 1. That they are open and 2. That they’re 'Good to Go' if accreditation has been received. VisitScotland concluded 500 business advice calls last week with businesses to check that everything is ok with the scheme. Businesses with more than one property e.g. Premiere Inn, are required to apply for accreditation for each individual property to ensure compliance.
At a recent meeting with all the ‘Visits’ two proposals were shared. The first, a consumer facing video to drive the awareness of the ‘Good to Go’ scheme and the second is an interactive map which could sit on VisitScotland.com and which would geographically show who is ‘Good to Go’.
It was highlighted that the test & protect procedures across the sector is incredibly variable and that checks are a good thing, there is concern that there could be businesses who gain the accreditation to the ‘Good to Go’ scheme but then do not put the measures into practice. Cairngorms and Lochaber are currently testing an online app to make the Test & Protect process easier. Results have been very positive. 5pm have also developed an online solution.
EHO’s have been very active recently, despite the inconsistencies at the beginning, EHOs have been great on spot checks.
VisitScotland to check and confirm whether the Events sector guidance could be used as the back-drop to the Good to Go scheme
Partner updates
Skills Development Scotland: Following the publication of the Scottish Governments response to the report by the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery (AGER) report and the report by the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board sub-group on measures to mitigate the Labour Market impacts by COVID-19, SDS are now developing their response.
Links to the Scottish Governments responses:
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/economicrecovery-implementation-plan-scottish-government-response-to-the-advisory-group-on-economic-recovery/
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/addressinglabour-market-emergency-scottish-governments-response-report-enterprise-skills-strategic-board-sub-group-measures-mitigate-labour-market-impacts-covid-19/
SDS has published its latest COVID-19 Labour market Insights Report: www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do
PACE has seen a significant increase in numbers in July: June 284 hospitality workers / 7 hospitality employers, July 930 hospitality workers / 34 hospitality employers
SDS currently discussing how they can contribute to the wrap-around business support and advice being offered as part of the new Hotel Recovery Programme.
Working with the Task Force Recovery working group and members of the national Tourism Skills Group to develop an immediate programme to retain staff who are at risk of redundancy through a package which includes a wage subsidy and a training & development programme. A paper will be presented to the Cabinet Secretary imminently. Also working on longer term workforce recommendations to support recovery of the sector.
Business Gateway: to work in closer collaboration with SDS, DWP and SLAED on PACE. Resilience support (pre PACE) continues. Positive stories have been noted. Furlough has provided time for individuals to be able to work on a business and not in it.
A noticeable increase in interest in Start Ups has been recognised as people have had time to consider ideas.
Following the publication of the Scottish Governments response to the AGER report, Business Gateway is working on its response. A couple of problematic areas have been identified so far, conditionality on business support and despite the importance of digital skills and adoption in the report, Digital Boost, the Business Gateway programme is not mentioned.
BT are offering a Small Business Support Scheme
Enterprise Agencies: SE working on their response to the Scottish Governments response to the AGER report. More focus on regional development is suggested, this will drive what SE will do but will not be everything that they will do.
The ILG review, led by Nora Senior (Chair, Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board) was recently published and highlights the positive work done by the Tourism ILG. The report also outlines recommendations for how an ILG could or should engage in the future. All partners should consider this moving forward. www.gov.scot/publications/industry-leadership-groups-review
SE Account Managers are reporting some good news stories particularly around businesses thinking and doing things differently as a result of the crisis. Those businesses who have more of a digital background are seeing good opportunities.
Enterprise Agencies: HIE Let’s Grow Adventure Tourism programme was launched on 16 July and will close on 7 August. So far there has been a very positive response. An update will be provided at the next meeting.
Second series of HIE Road to Recovery Podcasts commenced 10 July and completed on 31 July. The podcast series will now take a short break.
VisitScotland: Work to begin on VisitScotland.org to tidy up the look and feel ensuring the balance of information is right going forward.
STA: The Tourism Scenario Planning programme, an initiative kick started by Gordon Dewar, will begin on 12 August and run until the 9 September. 20 participants will take part representing transport, hospitality, tour operators, visitor attractions, golf tourism & events, marine tourism, business tourism, supply chain, legal and destinations. This work will complement the STERG scenario planning work which is being led by the Scottish Government and VisitScotland as it is intended to be broader in scope and longer in time frame (18 months+ - 5yrs).
Scottish Government: Further announcements to ensure compliance with the Tourism and Hospitality Guidance is possible within the coming days.
Redundancy update: An update on redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured.
Industry update
STA highlighted:
- Selfcatering still strong.
- Hotel occupancy still challenged with some hotels notably in the cities sitting around 20% on average and smaller hotels still sitting around 35%.
- Visitor Attractions – ASVA survey suggests that approx. 60% open by end of the month.
- Restaurants still a bit hit and miss aware of inconsistencies around application of mitigation and adherence to guidance. Suggestion that Environmental Health and Licensing write to their clients reminding them of their responsibilities.
- Not a great picture around Scotland.
- North Coast 500 and issue of wild camping, still a challenge.
HIE agreed re wild camping, this is the headline in HIE area, sheer volume of campervans and wild camping on some beaches never seen before this year. A lot of comms issued through various channels so unsure what else can be done to inform / educate those few who are acting irresponsibly and ruining the experience for everyone else.
On a positive note more engaging with Good to Go and eateries diversifying.
South of Scotland Enterprise seeing slow pick up, bed nights are a fraction of what is expected at this time of year. Parts of South West Scotland rely on coach tours, these are non-existent. Local messaging that it’s a slow recovery around hospitality and consistent picture with the rest of Scotland.
SE, echoed the city challenge, hearing from a broad range of businesses, hotels in city
or the attractions, retail, and eateries that they are finding it very difficult, huge drop in numbers and footfall in key streets in Edinburgh down to less than 10% from a normal July. Account managers hearing about redundancies coming through. Still very challenging times.
VisitScotland referred to a note from Scottish Independent Hostels, 86 throughout Scotland, which had been sent to all MSPs with a request for funding but also covering operational issues which made it difficult for many to operate.
Guidance on this hasn’t changed and still stands. First Minster very cautious, not expecting further shift or specific exemptions. On the specific question of funding Scottish Government clarified that this sector wasn’t currently being considered for support. In terms of any further funding for the wider tourism sector, this is being tackled at a UK level, there is nothing further identified at the moment.
Funding update
Two announcements today, one for self-catering and the other for the hotel sector.
Scottish Government updated on the self-catering fund with the £1 million cash limited pot specifically for those that missed out first time round as didn’t meet the 140-day threshold for eligibility of previous grants for 2019/20 season. Being administered by VisitScotland in partnership with ASSC. Will be £10,000 grant to the first 100 business that meet the eligibility criteria.
Hotel recovery programme will be administered via Enterprise agencies in partnership with VisitScotland and STA. Invite expressions of interest towards end of August. The aim is to protect employment/jobs, working with lager hotel businesses. The funding available is £9 million resource and £5 million capital. This represents a move away from hardship into protecting core business across Scotland.
HIE highlighted a live enquiry regarding the self-catering fund. It was noted the comms will be
issued today and will appear on VisitScotland.org, in the first instance, with the process and application form and will point people in the right direction. Comms out to self-catering database for VisitScotland and ASSC.
SDS – had only seen press release this morning and asked what the mechanism was for SDS involvement regarding providing its support. Scottish Government stated that the aim is for a team Scotland approach, before opening for expressions of interests looking at designing and developing this in next few weeks.
STA welcomed the news of these funds to protect some jobs, but it is clear that more support is
required from UK Government for a lot of business to survive in the longer term.
HIE expressed concern that all agencies on front line could get a trickle or flood of enquiries from
businesses and asked that an effort be made to at least provide a more detailed briefing between
now and launch. There is a potential issue for hoteliers who own more than one hotel, but each individual unit has less than 50 employees, although collectively they have more than that employed, the way fund developed at moment makes them ineligible. Anticipate this could possibly be where some complaints/ feedback will come from.
On the issue of hotels that had already accessed funding from other sources, HIE was aware that nothing excluded an application apart from employee numbers, but in the application form previous funding will be taken into consideration as part of the final decision making.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
First meeting of Investment sub- group to be held on Monday 3 August with supporting economic
papers provided by Sc Govt team. VisitScotland will circulate a copy of the draft note from the last meeting of the stimulating demand subgroup which contains a specific ask of STERG regarding Destinations and set up a separate discussion on how to tackle this as response required by end of August.
Good to Go Scheme / Business re-opening
Currently 5,700 businesses have signed up. Frustration, which also applies to business re-opening, is that they have been slow to update entries on VisitScotland.com. Further comms and chasers being sent next week.
STA to include chaser comms in next newsletter to members.
STERG Action Plan
Plan published as agreed on VisitScotland.org. Next week’s meeting will receive first draft of scenario planning work.
Partner updates
Business Gateway | finalising tail end of applications for funds, a lot quieter than it has been.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) |circulated Labour Market Insights, which is available on website and 74% furloughed highest sector, 45% temporally paused, 90% report decrease in staff working hours. Across sector 59% few that six months survival. Discussion internally about additional £100 million with focus on: Youth Employment Guarantee, COVID specific transition fund, upscaling of PACE, support around apprenticeships.
STA | mentioned Scenario Planning Programme and that Gordon Dewar is involved. Targeted invite, 10 August, good range of people committed to take part. Feed into and be complementary to wider STERG scenario planning work being led by Sc Govt.
Scottish Government | next review point tomorrow 30 July for potential opening on Friday, potential is around Fun Fairs. Ongoing engagement with DCMS. STA asked about arcades, pools in resort hotels and weddings. Scottish Government uncertain about content of FM announcement but likely to pursue a very cautious approach. Weddings, being looked at for increasing number of guests, might land in this review point but can’t confirm at moment. Swimming pools, indoor pools under consideration for September.
On Business events STA, referred to a detailed proposal being put forward for the EICC to run potential pilot events. Proposal sent to Fergus Ewing and Fiona Hyslop, asking if due consideration could be given. Scottish Government said the proposal is still live, but reluctance to hold indoor business and live events.
Redundancy update
Agreed that any update on figures would be included on spreadsheet on Karen Christie’s return from annual leave.
AOB
VisitScotland highlighted an issue in relation to its UK marketing campaign which was due to launch 31 July. Based on guidance received this week from Scottish Govt this has been paused. The focus would have been the English market, the most important domestically.
VS Marketing Update
- Update on all VisitScotland marketing plans over the next few months and latest sentiment analysis tracker with data analysis and interpretation of the tracker results. These are available on VisitScotland.org.
- The main marketing campaign focused on Scotland was launched last week, with the wider UK activity with Ireland launch w/c 27 July and the international activity on hold until more guidance is received from Scottish Government.
- Marc Crothall asked about Ireland and permission of travel and highlighted concerns re a possible lack of a UK airbridge. This will be checked with the marketing team.
- Scotland is ahead of the game in promoting to the home and domestic markets with no other UK national tourist board doing any marketing activity.
Industry Update
- STA highlighted the following from recent visits to businesses:
- Hotel occupancy still sitting around 35 – 40% for small/medium category for July and August.
Some anomalies of smaller hotels and some not yet opened.
- Hotels with pools and leisure facilities keen to get clarity on reopening dates
- Wedding receptions – SG clarity on numbers being sought
- Self catering – strong performance across the country with Supercontrol data showing a 40%
uplift year in year.
- Not been the boom result everyone had hoped for.
- One of the key challenges which remains is for English visitors. Businesses are still experiencing cancellations. Messaging still needs addressed.
- Events advice needed urgently - England announced to 30 people events.
- Still concern as Scottish school holidays coming to an end.
- Ferries, much improved situation, with four week window booking.
- Wild/irresponsible Camping / Campervan concerns, part of broader piece re responsible tourism.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
- Activity of the wider Taskforce with meetings held of 2 subgroups focused on Demand and Recovery. The Investment group is still to meet. The next meeting of the full Task Force will be held on Thursday 20 August. End of August deadline for taking outputs back to Cabinet. Marc’s noted the work of his Recovery working group. Highlighted issues around investment, banks not lending and concern about levels of borrowing.
Tourism and Hospitality Guidance / Good to Go Scheme
- Currently 5,500 businesses in Scotland have signed up to the We’re Good to Go scheme with new entrants being added at around 100 – 150 a day. VisitScotland will continue to encourage businesses to sign up and promote it on business listings on VisitScotland.com. It was noted that there is a comms campaign this week to encourage as it helps get more bookings/business. VisitScotland staff also following up with calls to support businesses.
Funding Packages Update
- Both Hardship and PERF closed, teams dealing with a number of appeals. Analysis across funds being completed for Scottish Government.
- Local Authority funds update – have until 31 July to tie up any final information and wrapped up by middle of August.
STERG Action Plan
- Note from last meeting very comprehensive, updated plan now published on vs.org.
- A work in progress document will be available for comment by STERG w/c 3August. A final document will be available to STERG (and the Task Force) w/c 10 August.
Partner Updates
- Skills Development Scotland updated on employee retention training programme.
- SE focus has been on specific tourism funding – reminder of the Creative Heritage and Cultural funding that Scottish Government has made and benefit of this to tourism. There’s been more business as usual work recently and some big inward investment enquiries over last week for longer term benefit and impact – positive to see. City deal discussions picked back up to try to accelerate tourism investments.
- HIE launched Community Tourism Leaders programme in partnership with South of Scotland, second cohort looking to launch around September. Let’s Go Adventure programme, Highland region and funded through Highland Region Deal. Some business as usual work coming through. Some work initiated on destinations and their longer-term sustainability.
- Business Gateway seeing continued interest in start-ups, happening a lot quicker as had time to think of ideas. Working with Government and Enterprise agencies on promoting the guidance ‘Promote Support’ second phase coming along. Directing businesses to where to find content guidance i.e. Business Gateway, PACE. Campaign to get back virtually to local offices. Digital Boost about upskilling, budget confirmed. Working with SE colleagues on early Precede Fund, working closely to get business into this at an early stage. Challenge Fund launched Monday 20 July - promoting to businesses – not aimed too much at tourism side of thing, more technical and innovative.
- VisitScotland marketing film had one million shares on social media which is more than any other film that VS has sent out. A third of shares by Scots, much higher than usual, so messaging getting across to domestic market for Scots to holiday in Scotland. Anxiety regarding information that visitors are getting when they are here. Not about complaints that business not complying to safety standards, but about littering and some anti English bias.
Industry Update
- The STA council convened on Monday 13 July with the Cabinet Secretary in attendance.
- Marc Crothall highlighted the following observations from visits to businesses on 14 and 15 July.
- Disappointing occupancy rates in Dundee and Edinburgh. There is concern that a reduced proposition within the hotels and in the cities will discourage visits (top visitor attractions currently closed, leisure facilities closed, no weddings or events can take place).
Note: STR occupancy rates Glasgow 5% July, 9% August, 13% September. Edinburgh 7% July, 14% August, 15% Edinburgh.
- Generally many business are still closed, a phased opening over the coming days / weeks is expected.
- Employees are very upbeat and seemed pleased to be back at work.
- PPE being worn by everyone, visors appear to be the preferred option
- Bookings for self-catering accommodation is strong. Visitors are more confident about self-catering, visitors remain anxious about staying in a hotel.
Note: VisitScotland is working with hotel groups (particularly city centre) to see if there’s anything they can do to help.
- The early opening of self-catering accommodation has given a boost to some restaurant businesses offering take away service.
- Visitor numbers at attractions were very low
- In terms of traffic on the west coast, there were no coaches or foreign cars and hardly any caravans or campervans. No signs of wild camping. No unwelcoming signage telling tourists to go home. - It was noted that the ferry situation is now easing both for the west coast and the north coast given the recent changes made by the ferry operators.
- One of the key challenges which remains is the perceived threat of quarantine for English visitors. Businesses are still experiencing cancellations due to this. It was noted that this needs to be addressed.
It was highlighted that the VisitScotland marketing campaign targeting England will be launched on 27 July (subject to approval by the First Minister) and this should help to convey a positive welcoming message and drive demand. A date for Europe / international is TBC and will be subject to First Minister approval. - It was noted that the vast majority of businesses believe that the recent VAT cut to 5% is to help businesses and in the main the majority are holding their prices. Some of the big brands however have reduced their prices e.g. Wetherspoons, Pret and McDonalds.
It is being picked up that there are self-catering accommodation providers who have put their prices up significantly – it was highlighted that this needs to be monitored.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
- The second meeting of the Task Force took place on Friday 10 July. An update from the Demand working group, (led by Malcolm Roughead) and the Recovery working group, (led by Marc Crothall) was provided at this meeting.
The papers and minutes of the meetings will be published on the SG website. - The next meeting will be held on Thursday 20 August.
- It was noted that the Recovery working group will address business recovery and workforce recovery. In addition, the Recovery working group will address immediate to facilitate recovery now as well as longer term needs to aide recovery over the coming 12 months and beyond.
It was highlighted that a proposal was currently being scoped to address the immediate need to protect the current workforce from displacement and in particular the rising stars of the industry. A paper will be presented to STERG for consideration before it is proposed to the Task Force. - It was noted that the Demand working group should consider other levers for stimulating demand – not just marketing.
Tourism and Hospitality Guidance / Good to Go Scheme
- Further guidance and clarity is urgently required in the following areas:
- Hotel services such as meeting and event space, weddings, health clubs, pools and spas; conference and exhibition centres; night-time economy venues; amusement arcades and major events.
- Extending the reduced physical distancing rule from 2 metres to 1 metres (with the necessary mitigating measures in place) to all other areas of the tourism sector for example visitor attractions, outdoor activity providers, boat operators.
- Consistent interpretation and enforcement of sector guidance across Scotland.
It was advised that guidance for other areas of the tourism sector are with Public health Scotland and that we are waiting on a response.
The Scottish Government team advised that they will liaise with colleagues to understand the progress being made on the 2 metres to 1 metres physical distancing rule. - Currently c. 4,500 businesses in Scotland had signed up to the Good to Go scheme. VisitScotland are encouraging businesses to include the ‘We’re Good to Go’ mark on social media, websites and listings, (including OTA platforms). It is expected that the number of businesses signing up will continue to grow as more and more businesses open. VisitScotland will continue to encourage businesses to sign up to the scheme.
It was highlighted that businesses should also be encouraged to sign up to the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme, including hotel restaurants.
Funding Packages Update
- The South of Scotland Enterprise Agency advised that they are currently looking at where they could provide assistance to smaller businesses for example, education or business support.
- B&B fund has generally been well received despite the glitches.
- Enterprise agencies and VisitScotland are continuing to work with the Scottish Government on possible options for additional funding support. As yet there is no time frame for any additional funds.
An update on NDR grant applications through the local authorities can be found here.
@ 14 July
- c. 105,000 applications received
- c. 86,000 grants awarded
- c. £969 million awarded
STERG Action Plan
- The refreshed Action Plan (8 July) was published on VS.org on Monday 13 July.
The next refresh will be published at the beginning of August. - Following the STERG meeting on 9 July the Scenario Planning working group have agreed the next steps on the project, including a revised timeframe for delivery.
A work in progress document will be available for comment by STERG w/c 3 August. A final document will be available to STERG (and the Task Force) w/c 10 August.
Redundancy update
An update on redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured.
VisitScotland update
An update on the community engagement activity being undertaken by VisitScotland will be circulated to STERG next week for information.
Action: Ken Massie to circulate the document to STERG through Riddell Graham.
It was highlighted that there are some brilliant local initiatives going on, which are really good examples of community collaboration e.g. Cairngorms and Orkney. Case study examples can be found on VisitScotland.org.
Travel Tech for Scotland initiative
A pre-launch summary of the new Travel Tech Scotland initiative was circulated to STERG in advance of the STERG meeting for information. This new initiative is expected to launch in mid-August and is intended to support SMEs in the RESTART phase. Progress will be tracked in the STERG Action Plan.
It was noted that a press release about the new Interface ‘Adopt a Business’ initiative was published this week. Although the deadline for the initiative has past, tourism businesses can still contact Interface about working with academic partners.
AOB
- Despite the First Minister’s recent announcements it was highlighted that there is still confusion among the general public about Scotland’s position on potential quarantine measures for visitors from England. There is an urgent need for the First Minister to clarify this as soon as possible.
Action: Scottish government team to progress.
Next meeting date
Note: STERG meetings scheduled for Thursday 23 July and Thursday 30 July will now move to Wednesday 22 July and Wednesday 29 July.
Scenario Planning – progress update
An update on the scenario planning work was provided by Chris Greenwood.
-The purpose of sharing the progress on the development of the scenario plans is to agree that the work done so far meets STERGs requirements.
- The draft framework which has been developed collaboratively between the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, HIE, SE and STA, recommends a set of assumptions and uncertainties which have been used to create 4 scenarios based on consumer demand and capacity to accommodate.
- An initial draft was shared with the Scottish Tourism Consultants Group for external feedback, the draft was then further refined after extensive discussions.
- The recommendation of the working group is to progress with the development of the 4 scenarios unless STERG requires something different.
- The current timeframe for delivery is mid-August.
- Initial scenario planning discussions within the Scottish Government had agreed that the priority was to create a set of planning assumptions and scenarios e.g. best, worst, medium case which would inform the recovery plans and the interventions required.
- Concern was raised over the timescales for delivery as it was hoped that the Task Force could use the scenarios in their work. The Task Force will be submitting their recommendations end of August / beginning of September. It would be useful to have this piece of work earlier than mid August.
- It was agreed that the work completed so far met requirements and that the two variables which address high or low visitor demand and high or low capacity to operate was acceptable. However, it was agreed that the next steps in the development of the scenarios needed to look at a more granular level of detail, i.e. by sub-sector and geography. This information will help drive investment decisions into the right areas.
- Overall the two most important points for the Scottish Government are: 1. Everyone is working to the same set of assumptions. 2. If things don’t go to plan we can begin to put actions or investments in place to mitigate the impact.
- It was noted that although the scenarios would be important for the public sector, it would also be beneficial if they were accessible and useable for businesses.
- Next steps were agreed and summarised as follows:
- Current approach is agreed and should progress
- Narrative for each of the four scenarios will be developed and will now include sector specific / geography specific information
- An economist overlay will provide a view on the economic implications, this won’t be quantitative but should provide a trend e.g. occupancy, employment will decline marginally / decline significantly etc.
- Timescales will be reviewed in order to deliver a document by the end of July, for review by STERG on Thursday 6 August TBC. It was highlighted that the document produced by the end of July will act as the foundation for ongoing work, as the situation evolves the document will be updated.
Industry update
- The next STA council meeting will convene on Monday 13 July with the Cabinet Secretary in attendance.
- Concerns continue over ferry capacity issues and the impact this is having on tourism businesses / local economies on the islands.
- It still remains unclear what businesses will open / will not open on 15th July. The STA currently have a survey open to capture this data. Insights will be shared once closed.
- Clarity still required on:
- Opening of hotel leisure facilities, spas, swimming pools etc. (It was noted last week that Active Scotland are expected to publish guidance on the opening of pools on 13th July).
- Clarity on any guidelines for weddings / small gatherings / small events, e.g. cap on numbers. In England the guidelines have been quite strict.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
Minutes from the first Task Force meeting on the 25 June were circulated.
- Three workstreams have been created to focus on three priority areas, 1. Stimulating Demand – led by Malcolm Roughead 2. Sector Recovery – led by Marc Crothall 3. Investment – led by Malcolm Buchanan.
- The next meeting of the Task Force will be held on Friday 10 July. An update from the Demand and Recovery workstream will be provided at this meeting.
Tourism and Hospitality Guidance / Good to Go Scheme
- As of 8 July, 3,717 businesses in Scotland had signed up to the Good to Go scheme. Positive feedback has been received from people accessing the portal. The ‘We’re Good to Go’ mark is now being seen on social media, websites and listings.
- It has been noted that there is an inconsistent approach by Environmental Health and Trading Standard to the interpretation and application of the sector guidance. In particular a number of inconsistencies have been picked up across different cities and within the same cities. VisitScotland has picked this up and are dealing directly with the central bodies for Environmental Health and Trading Standards.
Community Engagement and Community Sentiment
- VisitScotland has taken a three tier approach to community engagement. In areas where there are known sensitivities a series of round table webinars have been held with councillors, local community groups, local tourism partners etc. and generally these have been very positive with very few areas of concern. The VisitScotland regional teams have engaged with communities in all areas across Scotland. This activity will be completed at the end of next week.
- The Scottish Government highlighted that they were receiving increasing correspondence particularly from people in England who are saying that they don’t feel welcome in Scotland and are cancelling bookings. The message is that of course people are welcome in Scotland however you should think about whether you want to travel.
- It was noted that VisitScotland messaging echoes the welcome message. It was noted that a number of community groups / destinations have developed their own welcome messages.
- It was highlighted that VisitScotland has developed its own visitor charter and is showcasing case studies on VisitScotland.org.
- Regarding anti-English messaging, IRM’s are not picking up anything significant on this, it would appear that there are a few noisy people on social media who are driving it.
- Key themes for community engagement activity was around basic services, e.g. public toilets, car parking, litter, public realm etc.
- It was noted that HES are expected to announce today what venues will be open and when. It was also noted that the work ASVA is doing with the Moffat Centre to map what Visitor Attractions will be open, should be completed and published by the end of next week – this will of course change as time goes on.
- It was highlighted that the First Minister is very concerned about community engagement and it’s very good to hear positive feedback on reopening from the activity that the VisitScotland team has been undertaking. It was noted that it would be useful to share this feedback with Ministers. Action: VisitScotland to prepare a paper on the community engagement feedback for Ministers.
Funding packages update
- The final stages of queries and appeals for the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund and the Creative Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund are in progress and will be completed within the next 7-10 days. A PERF breakdown is available for STERG. It is expected that the Scottish Government will publish a breakdown of the data relating to these funds, however no publication date is yet known. Action: Aileen Lamb to circulate the PERF breakdown to the group.
- Enterprise agencies and VisitScotland are working with the Scottish Government on possible options for additional funding support. As yet there is no time frame for any additional funds.
- An update on NDR grant applications through the local authorities was provided. - c. 101,000 applications received - c. 84,000 grants awarded - c. £942 million awarded. An update on the newly self-employed hardship fund was provided. - 7,762 applications received - 5,282 grants awarded - £10,564,000 awarded
An update was provided on the B&B Hardship Fund
- 511 applications received - 184 grants awarded - £552,000 awarded It was noted that the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund, Small Business Support Grant, Retail, Hospitality, Leisure Support Grant and Bed & Breakfast Hardship Fund will close to applications at 5pm on 10 July.
At a recent meeting of local government representatives and Fiona Hyslop it was highlighted that local government was best placed to deliver a place based response to economic recovery and it was proposed that any underspends could be used flexibly with local businesses, particularly those businesses who continue to fall through the funding gaps.
It was noted that there is no data available for the Creative Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund.
A question was raised as to whether it was possible to find out the number of self-catering businesses who applied for a grant but were rejected due to the 140 day occupancy rule. It was not known whether that data was available however it would be raised on the project group call later in the afternoon.
STERG Action Plan
- The working group reviewed and updated the STERG Action Plan as appropriate. A refreshed Action Plan (8 July) was approved for publication by STERG. Action: Karen Christie to liaise with the team at VisitScotland on publication.
- The scope of Action 7.3 “Ongoing economic analysis to understand the impact of the COVID-19 crisis across the geography of Scotland and across the sub sectors of the tourism industry.” Is to be progressed by the Scottish Government team.
- It was agreed that the VisitScotland business barometer would be adjusted to capture additional data which could inform recovery.
Redundancy update
- An update on redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted. Confidentiality of this information was assured.
Partner updates Skills Development Scotland
- The recommendations from the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board on measures to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 was published on 3 July. SDS, the Scottish Government and Job Centre Plus are currently in discussions about the funding to support the recommendations of the report (as well as the Chancellor’s recent announcement). The funding position should be clearer by the end of July.
Enterprise Agencies
- On 2 July HIE relaunched the ‘Communities leading in Tourism’ programme. This is a programme to help community development organisations and social enterprises support the recovery of rural Scotland’s tourism sector. People working in community development with an interest in tourism, can apply for one of 15 places on the programme starting in late September and running until December. https://www.hie.co.uk/communitiesleadingintourism
Holiday cover for future meetings
- STERG meetings will continue over the summer period. Substitute representatives from member organisations are welcome.
Industry Update
The STA Destination Members Forum took place on 1st July. A key area of concern that was highlighted and discussed was community engagement and community sentiment – in particular island destinations where media coverage is amplifying concerns e.g. telegraph article on 30th June.
There was an ask for marketing activity to counter the suggestions that visitors are not welcome and that Scotland is shut. Frances Pacitti, Director of Aviation, Maritime, Freight and Canals at Transport Scotland joined the call and took questions specifically relating to the concerns about the ferries. Discussions are continuing off line.
There is increasing news about impending redundancies particularly in smaller businesses. Hotel occupancy is not seeing the expected pick up particularly in some of the larger hotels such as Crieff and Macdonald Hotels – consumer confidence continues to be a concern
It is hoped that the self-catering sector are able to get off to a good start this weekend. The STA will continue to reinforce messaging around supporting communities and behaving responsibly.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce (STRT):
The first meeting of the Taskforce took place on 25 June. A formal communication following the meeting is expected – to include members of the Taskforce. Action: Fiona Cook to press for the post meeting communication to be published.
The Taskforce will focus on 3 workstreams, Demand, Recovery and Investment. Output from these workstreams will inform STERG actions.
A section for the Taskforce has been created on VS.org.
VisitScotland Meeting with Cabinet Secretary and MSPs:
VisitScotland met with 45 MSPs on 1 July. The MSPs in attendance represented all parties and all geographies across Scotland.
VisitScotland provided an update on STERG and shared their Marketing plans. The overarching theme of the meeting was community concerns.
Overall it was a very positive session with a lot of questions raised. The questions raised can be shared with the group as required.
Tourism & Hospitality Guidance / Good to Go Scheme:
Around 2,000 businesses have signed up to the Good to Go scheme across Scotland. C. 900 are self-catering however there is also a good range of hotels, B&Bs, guest houses, pubs and food outlets. A breakdown is available to STERG if required.
The following outstanding concerns on the guidance were raised:
1. Ensuring the consistency of interpretation and application of the guidance by EHO’s across local authorities.
VisitScotland have a direct link to the chief local authority officer coordinating EHOs and will pick this
up.
2. Opening of hotel leisure facilities, spas, swimming pools etc.
- It was noted that Active Scotland are expected to publish guidance on the opening of pools on 13th July.
3. Clarity on any guidelines for weddings / small gatherings / small events, e.g. cap on numbers. In
England the guidelines have been quite strict.
4. Greater clarity required on how to deal with visitors / conference delegates / event attendees who are showing signs of COVID-19 either while staying with accommodation providers or attending an event.
This is particularly challenging for island communities, those who have travelled via public transport or
those who live overseas where returning home may not be possible.
This has been highlighted to James Johnston, Scottish Government lead and more specific guidance is expected to be published shortly.
It was noted that the sector guidance is a live document and will continue to change and be updated as frequently as required.
Funding Packages Update
The final stages of applications and appeals for the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund and the Creative Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund are in progress and will be completed imminently.
It is expected that the Scottish Government will publish a breakdown of the data relating to these funds, however no publication date is yet known.
An update on NDR grant applications through the local authorities can be found on the Scottish Government website.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-support-fund-grantstatistics/
The VisitScotland Destination and Sector Group Covid-19 support scheme has now allocated all funds. 83 organisations received funding totalling c. £520k.
STERG Action Plan
The updated STERG Action Plan was published on VisitScotland.org this week.
https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/advice/coronavirus/sterg/national-action-plan
It was agreed that the SE weekly economic reports did not provide a sufficient level of tourism sector information for STERG to address Action 7.3, “Ongoing economic analysis to understand the impact of
the COVID-19 crisis across the geography of Scotland and across the sub sectors of the tourism industry.”
It was suggested that the content presented by Kevin Brady and Chris Greenwood at the first Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce meeting on 25 June may be more relevant to STERG.
Action: Karen Christie to circulate the presentations provided by Kevin Brady and Chris Greenwood at the first Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce meeting for STERG to review.
A working group led by SG has continued to develop the scenario planning work. The working group are requesting to ‘check in’ with STERG on Thursday 9th July to share the approach taken, the work
progressed so far and the anticipated outputs to ensure the work still meets with STERG’s expectation.
Action: Karen Christie to invite Kevin Brady, Scottish Government to join the next STERG meeting on 9th
July.
It was agreed that a STERG planning session will be planned for the end of July / beginning of August once the output from the scenario planning work is available and the output from the Taskforce
workstreams are known.
The working group will continue to refresh the Action Plan on a regular basis.
Action: Karen Christie to schedule the STERG planning session (estimated w/c 13 August).
Scottish Government Update:
Priority continues to be on the questions and issues arising from the Tourism & Hospitality Guidance, in addition there is a focus on the discussions about people entering Scotland and being prepared for the changes that are anticipated to be announced this week by the FM.
Redundancy Update:
An update on redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. No further updates were noted.
It was agreed to continue to collate this information while appreciating that it is difficult to ensure it is kept up to date.
Partner Updates:
Enterprise Agencies
Focus remains on getting the funding awards out to businesses as quickly as possible and advising Scottish Government Ministers on funding gaps.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 9 July, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Scottish Government Guidance
The Scottish Government launched the Tourism & Hospitality Sector Guidance on 18th June. So far the guidance has been viewed 15k times.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-tourism-and-hospitality-sector-guidance/
VisitScotland’s ‘Get Tourism Ready’ campaign was launched at the same time to support this guidance. So far the Visitscotland web page has had 10k visits.
In addition today saw the launch of the new ‘Good To Go‘ scheme, a UK-wide industry standard and consumer mark designed to give confidence to visitors that businesses are adhering to official government and sectoral guidance.
Since the guidance was launched, one of the primary issues that has arisen is, what happens if someone contracts COVID-19 when staying with an accommodation provider? What should the business do? What would be the impact on future bookings? Is there a potential risk of closure due to self-isolation?
It was noted that the UKH guidance was very good and points to NHS advice however further clarity is required. Currently the advice is that if people fall sick while staying in your premises then they should go home so long as it is safe to do so.
It was acknowledged however that if someone gets sick on the islands then it could be very difficult to get home given ferry capacity issues and the ability to self-isolate on board.
The Scottish Government would like to work with industry to come up with a workable solution to address this. Other issues that require further clarity are:
- Wedding receptions and hotel events, is there a cap on the number of people who can attend?
- When can leisure facilities and swimming pools in hotels open
- Guidelines for exclusive use properties and large self-catering properties where multiple families may
stay together.
Advisory Group on Economic Recovery - Recommendations
Report:
The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery published it’s recommendations on 22nd June.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/towards-robust-resilient-wellbeing-economy-scotland-reportadvisory-
group-economic-recovery/
The recommendations will be presented to the Cabinet for consideration.
The recommendations will also be presented to the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce for a more detailed consideration with the opportunity to further develop the recommendations in the final
Taskforce report.
It was noted that the three direct references to Tourism within the recommendations are thought to already be underway, namely, to develop a sustainable tourism strategy (Scotland Outlook 2030 – Responsible Tourism for a Sustainable Future, was launched on 4th March), VAT reduction – this is currently a real live issue and a targeted reduction in business rates.
It was noted that Scotland outlook 2030 should be the basis for any future recommendations.
STERG Action Plan:
The working group reviewed and updated the STERG Action Plan as appropriate. A refreshed Action Plan (23rd June) was approved for publication by STERG.
Action: Barbara Clark and Karen Christie to liaise on publication.
It was highlighted that the scope of Action 7.3 “Ongoing economic analysis to understand the impact of the COVID-19 crisis across the geography of Scotland and across the sub sectors of the tourism industry.” would be reviewed once STERG members had reviewed the weekly economic reports issued by Scottish Enterprise.
Action: STERG members to confirm to Karen Christie whether the SE weekly economic reports provides
the right level of detail.
The working group reviewed the Toposophy proposal and although well received by all, the group concluded that the recommended headline actions were in the main out of scope, i.e. good proposals
but not immediately relevant to the STERG Restart or Recovery phases. It was noted that the Actions were more suited in the longer term, beyond Recovery. They may fit with the Taskforce agenda.
However they would sit well with Scotland Outlook 2030. A summary of the working group’s conclusions will be prepared.
The Scottish Government and VisitScotland are liaising with members of the working group to develop 6-9 month planning scenarios to help shape the further development of the STERG Action Plan. These are expected to be available w/c 13th July.
VisitScotland Marketing:
A webinar was held today with Vicki Miller to share VisitScotland’s new Marketing campaign. Over 200
people joined the webinar which was recorded and will be made available online.
It was agreed that the right level of marketing support to ensure Scotland’s competitiveness was critical and the group questioned whether there was sufficient funding available or whether there should be a request for more.
It was recommended that VisitScotland put in a bid through the normal channels, with the endorsement of STERG, which could allow VisitScotland to seriously upscale activity.
Action: STERG members to feed back any comments on the Marketing plan to Riddell Graham.
Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce (STRT):
The Scottish Government have launched details of the new Taskforce, details can be found here:
https://www.gov.scot/news/new-tourism-taskforce/
The Taskforce will meet for the first time today (25th June).
The Taskforce will be supported by the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG). The Taskforce will act as an advisory group with the STERG operating as the delivery arm. The STERG will be
responsible for taking forward the agreed recommendations and delivering the Recovery plan.
It is anticipated that the Taskforce will break into 3 different work streams in order to focus on the priority areas where action is required. It is proposed that STERG members will facilitate the workshops to kick this off.
Action: Scottish Government team to clarify the specific role of STERG for the workshops.
Industry Update:
Diageo has recently announced the launch of a new $100m global programme to support pubs and bars to welcome customers back and recover following the COVID-19 pandemic. “Raising the Bar” will be a two-year programme available from July 2020. £4m has been allocated to Scotland.
https://www.diageo.com/en/news-and-media/press-releases/diageo-launches-100-million-recoveryfund-
to-help-pubs-and-bars-welcome-back-customers-after-lockdown/
Redundancy Update:
It was noted that capturing redundancy information would ensure that 1. The Scottish Government were aware of the scale of the situation and 2. Encourage the Enterprise Agencies to feed in to give the wider picture and to provide evidence if required.
It was highlighted that capturing this data was difficult however STERG members would feed in the information that they had.
Recent surveys (STA, ASVA, SB&PA) have indicated the potential threat to jobs across the sector.
Funding Packages Update:
Pauline Howie, Scottish Enterprise, provided an update to the STA Council on 23rd June on the latest status of the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund and the Creative Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises
Hardship Fund.
- Both funds closed on 18th May.
- All appraisals for both funds are now complete, the only exceptions are outstanding customer enquiries
or appeals.
- All appeals expected to be completed by mid-July.
- All details of the funds can be found on https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/
- Details of the appeals process can be found here https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/coronavirusadvice/
further-information-on-your-application
- All letters to unsuccessful applicants includes a telephone number to enable a follow up call.
- Information regarding the full appraisal process and a list of all successful applicants will be published in due course.
An update on NDR grant applications through the local authorities was provided.
- c. 96k applications received
- c. 79k grants awarded
- c. £900m awarded
The new Scottish Government support fund for B&B’s operating from a personal bank account, opened
for applications on 15th June via local authorities, this fund will close on 10th July along with the other NDR grants .
It was highlighted that there have been issues with some of the criteria and Scottish
Government colleagues are currently looking at whether a relaxation on some of the criteria would be possible allowing more local authorities to exercise discretion.
Partner Updates:
Business Gateway
Business Gateway ran it’s second back To Business webinar, “Restarting the Tourism Sector in Scotland (panel discussion)” on 24th June, with Hugh Lightbody, Chief Officer Business Gateway National Unit, Anna Miller Head of Tourism, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Riddell Graham, Director of Industry & Destination Development, VisitScotland and Jemma Reid, Consultant and Project Manager, Midlothian & Borders Tourism Action Group.
The recording can be found on the Business Gateway YouTube site.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 2nd July, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Industry Update and Ongoing Concerns
The Scottish Tourism Alliance board met with the Secretary of State for Scotland on 11 June where the urgent need for ongoing long term financial support for the sector was emphasised along with a discussion on the implications of current social distancing guidelines on the viability of many businesses and the impact of reducing the guidelines from 2m to 1m.
Marc Crothall and Stephen Leckie met with the First Minister on 11th June. The First Minister was very empathetic to the challenges being faced by the industry and wants to work with industry to ensure that that businesses can open up as soon as it can. Details of the meeting can be found here on the STA website.
The STA launched a survey on 16 June to gather data on the potential impact of the 2 metre social distancing rule on restaurants and accommodation providers, in relation to loss of employment and business viability. The survey will close on 21 June and the results will be fed back to the Scottish Government at the beginning of next week and specifically shared with the Cabinet Secretary at the STA Council meeting on 23 June. Currently there are over 1,000 responses.
This survey will complement the recent survey by the Scottish Beer & Pub Association which covered over 300 pubs and which found that it would not be financially viable for almost nine out of ten landlords to reopen their doors if the two-metre distancing guidelines were still in place – potentially leading to the direct loss of over 23,600 jobs within the trade.
ASVA are also running a survey looking at ‘Readiness to “Reopen”, which includes the implications of 2m vs 1m social distancing. This survey will close on 19 June.
The STA Board and invited leading hoteliers from across Scotland will meet with Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism later today to outline the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having on these larger hotel businesses and what is needed to rescue these businesses for the future.
The threat of large scale redundancy is very real and will continue to rise if consideration is not given to reducing the 2m social distancing guidelines, looking at ways to stimulate consumer demand, (currently these larger hotels are running at c. 6% occupancy across July & August) and addressing the crippling ongoing costs.
It was noted there was some positive news. Auchrannie for example had seen very strong bookings since the announcement last week, however it was highlighted that the ferry issues remain a critical challenge.
The Scottish Government team advised that the ferries was Mr Ewing’s priority and that he was pushing hard with Mr Matheson and Mr Wheelhouse to find solutions. It was also noted that the NC500 is seeing positive movement as is self-catering who have had a strong
boost for July & August post the announcement last week.
Many questions are being raised about the sector guidance, it will be critical therefore to ensure once the guidance is published that the signposting is very clear for businesses on where to go to have their
questions answered.
Scottish Government CV-19 Tourism & Hospitality Sector Guidance
The Tourism & Hospitality Sector guidance is due to be published today, 18 June. This guidance is
overarching in nature and industry will be signposted to sector guidelines for further details.
It is expected that there will be a number of questions raised around whether or not specific activity can
take place, a number of examples were identified:
- Functions, e.g. weddings, will there be a cap on numbers?
- Rules for exclusive use houses?
- Opening of public toilets
- Opening of Spas, health clubs etc. in hotels
It was noted that the guidance would be unlikely to give clarity on these points however it was highlighted that there will be guidance on ceremonies and the Scottish Government Route Map should
give clarity on this. The mass gatherings and events guidance is due to be published on 26 June.
“Good to Go” Scheme
The VisitScotland Board has approved the “Good to Go” scheme and the Cabinet Secretary has also signed off Scottish Government support for the scheme.
VisitEngland, VisitWales and Tourism Northern Ireland have all signed up and the scheme is due to launch on Tuesday 23 June. VisitScotland will supply the Scottish Guidelines (Scottish Government Guidance and sector guidelines).
It was noted that James Johnston, Scottish Government had done an excellent job with the sector guidance as he had really listened to the needs and concern of industry.
STERG Action Plan
The latest version of the STERG Action Plan (dated 12 June) is live on VS.org.
The working group will meet today to build on and develop the Action Plan further, taking on board comments from STERG members and a recent proposal from Toposophy. All proposed changes will be presented to STERG for approval.
A first cut of the scenario planning work which is being led by the Scottish Government will be available for review this week. This piece of work will identify a set of core planning assumptions which will inform the STERG Action Plan.
Members of the new Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce will be announced shortly. It is expected that there will be c. 30 members. Action: Scottish Government to circulate the list of members to all STERG members.
It was noted that the Taskforce, chaired by Mr Ewing, will be a high level advisory group while the STERG will be the critical group responsible for delivery.
VisitScotland Update – Community Engagement, Promoting Businesses That Are Open, Marketing Plans
VS will take a three tier approach to community engagement. The first tier will focus on community hot hotspots with c.6 round table events being held with key community groups and others key stakeholders from the destination.
The next tier will focus on the traditional honey pots with similar round table activity and the final tier reflects the continuous data gathering by the Regional Directors and teams. All activity will kick off w/c 22 June.
It was noted that community sentiment is changing as we hear more about redundancies and unemployment. There is recognition that there are two sides to the tourism story.
It was highlighted that it was absolutely key to get community engagement activity right.
It was reiterated that the sector Guidance that has been developed is intended to provide reassurance to employees, communities and visitors. It was noted that the guidance has a section about respecting communities and the countryside.
All VS messaging is intended to provide reassurance to communities and visitors.
A detailed communication plan is in place and covers the following:
- This week will prioritise SG and sector guidance
- On Monday 22 the focus will be on the community. 5-6 community case studies which demonstrate best practice within destinations will be published.
Also next week the comms will cover the Marketing recovery plan
- Updates to vs.com to highlight open/closed, good to go will take place in the coming weeks.
- The Marketing recovery plans are currently being finalised and will be circulated when available.
Action: Barbara Clark to send a briefing paper with all VS activity to Scottish Government.
Funding Packages Update:
Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund:
- Both funds are closed.
- All PERF appraisals are now coming to an end. It was noted that Enterprise agency colleagues have been
- working incredibly hard to process all applications.
- The appeals process is open and appeals are beginning to come through. A sectoral breakdown of grants awarded is not yet available.
An update on NDR grant applications through the local authorities was provided.
- - c. 94k applications received
- - c. 77k grants awarded
- - c. £875m awarded
It was noted that applications have started to rise again, this could be due to the fact that the NDR based grants will close on 10 July.
The new Scottish Government support fund for B&B’s operating from a personal bank account opened for applications on 15th June via local authorities. So far the uptake has been small.
Action: Hugh Lightbody to update the group next week on progress.
Redundancies
There are many hotel groups currently undergoing consultation. IHG managed, Apex, Crieff Family hotels, Macdonalds, Chardon, Radisson, Marriott with thousands of jobs at risk. There is also a large number of redundancies expected in the Visitor Attraction sector c.3-4k (TBC). One of the largest sectors with jobs at risk was announced by the Scottish Beer & Pub Association 23,600 jobs in pubs across Scotland.
It is recognised that social distancing guidelines does have a part to play, however so does the level of demand from visitors, which is currently very low, (occupancy projections to early next year do not look good), and ongoing costs such as maintaining furlough. It is acknowledged that Ms Hyslop and Ms Forbes have made the case for continued to support to the UK Treasury and there is hope that the Chancellor’s statement (6 July) will have some good news.
It was noted that there is value in collectively capturing the details of consultations / redundancies that are being announced in order to provide evidence to the Scottish Government of the scale of the impact on jobs within the sector.
Action: Karen Christie to create a spreadsheet for partners to capture key redundancy information.
To demonstrate the scale of redundancies PACE, in April & May dealt with 540 employees across 18 hospitality businesses. Last year PACE dealt with a total of 631 employees across the whole year.
AOB
Independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery (Chaired by Benny Higgins)
- Recommendations due to be presented to Scottish Government on 22nd June
- A debate on economic recovery is being planned in the Scottish Government w/c 22nd June, this will be
- an opportunity for all points to be discussed
- It is expected that the recommendations will be published
Business Gateway will be running a webinar, “Restarting the Tourism Sector in Scotland (panel discussion)” on 24 June, with Hugh Lightbody, Chief Officer Business Gateway National Unit, Anna
Miller Head of Tourism, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Riddell Graham, Director of Industry & Destination Development, VisitScotland and Jemma Reid, Consultant and Project Manager, Midlothian & Borders Tourism Action Group.
It was recognised that Jemma Reid, Consultant and Project Manager, Midlothian & Borders Tourism Action Group has been a star in terms of communicating with businesses during this crisis and was a
great example of a Destination Organisation.
VisitScotland Industry Impact Survey
It was acknowledged that there are many industry surveys circulating right now and therefore there was no need for a follow up Industry Impact Survey. However it was agreed that we should continue to
monitor the situation to see when the time could be right.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 25th June, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Industry update and Ongoing Concerns
The importance of reducing the social distancing guidelines from 2m to 1m, this has a critical impact on the viability of many businesses and also has a significant impact on ferry capacity and therefore our island communities.
- Clarity is urgently required on the opening date for pubs and restaurants with outdoor spaces that are identified in Phase 2. If the target publication date for the Tourism & Hospitality sector guidance is 18th June, when can these businesses open? There are many factors to be considered e.g. licensing, planning, access to toilets etc. A statement from the Scottish Government on this is needed quickly.
- In Phase 3 clarity is required on the reopening of gyms, pools, spas etc, can the full product be opened on 15th July?
- Clarity also required on when zoos and safari parks can open in Scotland, in England they can open from 15th June.
- An announcement is expected on Friday 12th June in the UK Parliament about English Conference centres being re-classified and placed under the same category as pubs, hotels and restaurants in England, differentiating these venues from mass gatherings. Could this also be considered in Scotland?
- Overall an opening date is welcomed, however this is only the start of a very long and difficult road ahead. Recent announcements of potential job losses across hotel operators and in the Visitor Attraction sector is devastating for the ndustry and emphasises the urgent need for ongoing support to ensure the survival of the sector.
The Scottish Government team asked for the issues highlighted to be forwarded to them in order to respond directly. In addition the team advised that the Scottish Government continue to press for furlough extensions as well as a funded sector recovery plan across the UK. Within the Scottish Government there is the ability to tailor support to suit Scottish businesses if the right information is provided.
STERG Action Plan
The working group updated and circulated the Action Plan for approval at the STERG meeting.
The Action Plan was approved, however it was agreed that the timing of each of the 4 phases in the plan
should mirror the timing of the Scottish Government’s Economic Response Plan. It was agreed that the refreshed Plan should be accompanied by a narrative which clearly states that this is not the reopening timetable.
It was recommended that Tracey Martin, Falkirk Council (Deputy Chair, SLAED Tourism Group), join the
working group as the local authority representative.
The working group will meet w/c 15th June to build on and develop the Action Plan further.
Tourism & Hospitality Sector Guidance and “Good to Go” Scheme
The STERG sub-group which was recently set up with representatives of a number of sector bodies, met on Friday 5 June with James Johnston, the Scottish Government lead on sector guidelines and three union representatives, to comment on the Scottish Government’s draft Tourism and Hospitality Sector Guidance. The target publication date for the final document is 18 June. When published the document will link to the detailed guidelines which have been developed by the different sector bodies.
VisitScotland are working very closely with James Johnston on a communication plan.
The “Good to go” scheme, (an online self-certification platform), developed by VisitEngland, has now
been approved by the VisitScotland board. VisitScotland will be discussing the scheme further with
VisitEngland, VisitWales and Tourism Northern Ireland on a call this afternoon.
It was noted that the scheme does not yet have approval from the Scottish Government and there was
still further questions to be answered before it would be put before Ministers for approval.
It was highlighted that industry have been asking for such a scheme and would be very supportive of VisitScotland’s decision to approve.
Community Engagement
The importance of community engagement is strongly recognised and VisitScotland are developing a plan which addresses this involving the regional VisitScotland teams and Keep Scotland Beautiful. The plan includes showcasing best practice and already there are many positive examples from different destinations. It was also noted that other islands issues, in particular transport and the positive and negative views from communities will also feed into this plan.
It was acknowledged that there are many differing views towards reopening coming from communities and from tourism businesses themselves and it was noted that there is a lot of activity happening at a local level to address this. However it was stressed that messaging at a local level and a national level
should be consistent.
It was suggested that local councillors and the local chambers of commerce have a role to play in community engagement.
It was agreed that securing community support was critical to following the Route map and getting businesses to open safely.
Data Collection for VisitScotland.com: VisitScotland are undertaking a project to collect information from across Scotland about what tourism businesses will be open and which businesses won’t. This project will also identify which businesses are
part of the Good To Go scheme (or similar scheme). This information will then be made visible on VisitScotland.com providing reassurance to both consumers and businesses. An industry communication
plan has been developed and is imminent.
Funding Packages Update: Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund.
- Both funds are closed.
- A review of all Hardship applications is now complete. It was noted some applications which were
previously rejected may be reconsidered on the basis of a further review of cash flow statements
- Most applications to the PERF have now been processed. It was noted that the fund was close to being
fully allocated.
- All PERF applicants in the HIE area, whose application was unsuccessful, now have the opportunity to
discuss the reasons why their application was unsuccessful with a HIE member of staff.
- A sectoral breakdown of grants awarded is not yet available.
An update on NDR grant applications through the local authorities was provided.
- c. 90.5k applications received
- c. 75k grants awarded
- c. £848.7m awarded
The fund for NDR based grants will close on 10th July. This raised the question as to what would happen to the balance of the funds? Could they be allocated to businesses with a RV >£51k? Could local
authorities be given the discretion to do something with the balance? It was noted that there was a project group meeting this afternoon to discuss.
The Scottish Government team advised that all consequentials will go to support businesses and if there is a potential underspend then it is important to pause the funding and evaluate how businesses can best be supported and larger businesses will be part of that discussion. It was noted that some larger businesses were not getting business rate relief or there was confusion
over 100% rate relief and grant funding.
It was also noted that a further issue has arisen where businesses with a RV >£51 have been re-evaluated or are being re-evaluated and now fall under the £51k RV, will they now be able to apply for the NDR grants as they will be eligible?
An update on the Destination and Sector Support fund was provided.
- 81 membership organisations were successfully awarded funding.
- The successful applicants represent destinations and sectors from all across Scotland.
- Every eligible business who applied has received funding.
- Unsuccessful applications did not meet the eligibility criteria.
- A news release was issued by VisitScotland today with further details
Partner Updates
Skills Development Scotland:
- SDS continuing to develop Keep Scotland Working response and communicating key messages on evidence gathered.
- Key themes being discussed in terms of response to the crisis focusing on protecting apprenticeships, responding to adult unemployment, upskilling and re-skilling the workforce and supporting the FE/HE sectors to deliver in the post-COVID world.
- PACE initiative gearing up to respond to large scale redundancies across all sectors.
Business Gateway
- Primary focus continues to be administering the government support schemes
- There are many local authority meetings taking place right now which are discussing the implications of the reopening of tourism, for example the need for toilets. Local authorities are alert to these needs however the ability to respond is being challenged by the availability of resource as many staff have been redeployed into other areas.
Enterprise Agencies
- Focus continues to be on appraising the remaining applications for the support funds and issuing offers.
- SE Account Managers are increasingly dealing with companies who are facing immediate job losses or uncertainty about longer term survival, SE are trying to support these companies in the best way possible. The question was asked as to whether there was a need to consider capturing this information to inform future interventions?
- It was highlighted that it was difficult to collect this type of information in advance, such as consultation announcements, as many businesses do not want to make their future actions public.
- It was noted that it was difficult to get a feel for whether businesses would require additional financial support to adapt their businesses in order to operate safely when they reopen. It was acknowledged that some businesses will require support to make the necessary changes to their businesses however it is hoped that grants or loans will have been set aside to cover this. Once the guidance has been published the requirements of businesses will be more apparent.
VisitScotland
- The VisitScotland Comms team is working closely with the Scottish Government Tourism team on communications around the B&B fund which will be launched on 15th June, getting tourism ready for reopening and the Good To Go scheme.
- Detailed marketing plans have been prepared and will be shared as soon as possible.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 18th June, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Islands Tourism Issues
The impact of reduced ferry capacity, (20% due to social distancing guidelines and wider operational issues), on island communities, has been raised as a significant area of concern this week in numerous meetings, (e.g. Transport Scotland, Outer Hebrides, Arran, STA Council, HIE). This impact will not only be felt by island tourism businesses – with visitors unable to reach them, but by all island communities as local economies will be severely impacted.
HIE is currently engaging with many communities at a local level to understand the most effective way to support these communities.
There is an urgent need for ongoing (financial) support packages for businesses on the islands who feel they are being additionally disadvantaged as the ability to receive visitors could be heavily delayed. Again, there will be a continued push to influence the Scottish Government and UK Government for additional ongoing support. The Tourism ministers from all 4 nations will meet on 9th June. This will be an opportunity to continue to press on outstanding issues such as financial support, however it was noted that the UK Government have now appeared to have moved on to Recovery, whereas in Scotland there is still a need to support businesses in crisis.
Tourism & Hospitality Sector Guidance and “Good to Go” Scheme
A STERG sub-group has been set up with representatives of a number of sector bodies to feed into the development of the Tourism & Hospitality sector guidelines. A meeting will be held on Friday 5th June with James Johnston, the Scottish Government lead on sector guidelines to comment on the Scottish Government’s draft guidelines for the Tourism and Hospitality sector.
VisitEngland, VisitWales, Tourism Northern Ireland have now signed up to the “Good to go” scheme (online self-certification platform) developed by VisitEngland. VisitScotland and the Scottish Government team are in discussion about what this could look like and how it would work in Scotland. Currently there is no decision in Scotland. A paper in support of the scheme will be presented to the VisitScotland board for approval next week. The scheme has very strong destination and sector support and it would be concerning if a UK wide scheme was not implemented in Scotland.
STA Response to Advisory Group on Economic Recovery (AGER)
The STA submitted a response to the AGER on 29th May. It was noted that there was a good number of contributors to the response and contributions ranged from granular local level ideas to strategic, national ideas. An initial presentation by the AGER to the Scottish Government will take place w/c 8th June. The final presentation will be at the end of June.
The STA submitted a response to the AGER on 29th May. It was noted that there was a good number of contributors to the response and contributions ranged from granular local level ideas to strategic, national ideas. An initial presentation by the AGER to the Scottish Government will take place w/c 8th June. The final presentation will be at the end of June.
Scotland Outlook 2030 – COVID-19 Overlay
A temporary STERG sub-group was set up with agency and industry representatives, to conduct a preliminary assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland Outlook 2030. This assessment was requested by the AGER and was submitted with the STA response on 29th May.
The detailed findings from the assessment (which reviewed our Commitments and our Actions) will now inform the further development of the STERG Action Plan.
STERG Action Plan
The STERG Action Plan should be reviewed and the status updated regularly to ensure that it remains a live document. The STERG will approve any updates and changes at the weekly meeting.
The STERG sub-group which has been set up to manage the Action Plan will meet regularly to ensure the ongoing development of the plan. There are three strands of work which will feed into these meetings 1. A review by Toposophy of all content generated for the AGER submissions (STA response and Outlook 2030 assessment). 2. Light touch scenario work which the Scottish Government are leading on and which the Tourism Consultants Network will contribute towards. 3. Output from the Ewan Mearns (SE) scenario planning work.
It was noted that the STERG Action Plan will be a key document for the new Recovery Task Force and therefore it was essential that it should reflect all of the work that is going on.
The STERG Action Plan is a 4 phased plan which has been running from March 2020 until December 2022 and is intended to RESPOND to current issues, to support the sector to RESET and prepare for reopening once lockdown restrictions are eased, to support the sector to RESTART ensuring a safe reopening which is compliant and finally to look at how the sector may RECOVER.
Tourism & Hospitality businesses need as much notice as possible to reopen, for some they could require 2-3 weeks to get ready if they need to for example reinstate and train the workforce, reactivate the supply chain etc. Clarity on dates would greatly help.
It was reiterated in the meeting that no dates have been set by the Scottish Government for the reopening of Tourism & Hospitality business. The Route Map gives an indication of which phase certain types of businesses may be able to open. In phase 2 “Pubs and restaurants can open outdoor spaces with physical distancing and increased hygiene routines”. However, for most Tourism & Hospitality businesses it will be phase 3 before they can open. It was highlighted that the 18th June, which is the date for the next review, has been mistakenly taken as the start of phase 2, this is not the case. The date for moving into phase 2 has still to be confirmed.
The target publication date for the Scottish Government Tourism & Hospitality guidelines is 18th June.
Funding Packages Update
The Enterprise Agencies are continuing to work through all applications for the PERF and Hardship funds as quickly as possible and continue to deal with enquiries from businesses which range from technical system issues to the reasons why an application has been declined.
The Enterprise Agencies are keen to work with businesses who have been unsuccessful in their applications to see what other support is available, however this process may take time.
An update on the Destination and Sector Support fund was provided. - 99 applications were received from destinations and sectors all across Scotland. - All applications have been processed. - Offers will be made to successful applicants by 5th June - For those applicants who have not been successful an explanation as to why the application was rejected will be provided. An appeal process is in place.
Partner Updates
Community reassurance continues to be highlighted as a concern. Tourism businesses and destinations are keen to align with communities on reopening. It would be beneficial to get more of an understanding of this. The intelligence being gathered by VisitScotland on community sentiment is currently being updated and will be shared with STERG.
Skills Development Scotland
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on modern apprentices is seriously concerning and there are many discussions taking place to look at how this can be addressed. SDS have launched funding support for training providers to prevent them from business failure.
VisitScotland
The VisitScotland Comms team is working closely with the Scottish Government Tourism team on communications around the guidance for hygiene and restarting.
The STERG Action Plan has been downloaded 1,500 times.
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government continue to look at the budget and the best use of the consequentials to address the funding gaps in the sector. A call is taking place on 4th June with Ms Forbes, Ms Hyslop and Mr Ewing to discuss.
Scottish Tourism Alliance
The most recent STA Council meeting took place on Tuesday 2nd June and was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Mr Ewing.
The UK Visitor Economy Working Group met yesterday at which the updated Visitor Economy draft guidance and the Hotels and Accommodation guidance, put forward by DCMS, were discussed and agreed in principle. It is understood that the target date for publishing Scotland’s guideline is 18th June.
A meeting is scheduled on 4th June with Ian Stewart MP, the newly appointed minister at the Scotland Office.
Scottish Government Route Map
A meeting of the economy ministers will take place on 29 May focused on Restart and Recovery. A phased plan for Restart, (with proposed timings) and based on the Scottish Government route map, will be presented at this meeting. A number of unanswered questions from industry were raised regarding the route map and it was made clear that the STERG group will be working with the Scottish Government to provide answers.
VisitEngland’s “Good to Go” Scheme
It has been confirmed that Visit England are no longer developing a kite mark for compliance with industry guidelines, instead, an online selfcertification
is proposed with a backup call centre facility.
In Scotland the guidelines will have a Scottish flavour even although they are UK wide standards and will be backed up by spot checks. Initial thinking has been shared with ASSC, UKH, ASVA and Wild Scotland. Details of how the scheme could be set up in Scotland and how it could be funded is to be agreed, further information will be shared when available.
STERG Action Plan
The STERG Action Plan was published by VisitScotland on Tuesday 26 May and has been shared and
supported by all STERG members.
So far there have been 2,000 views of the Plan and 500 downloads.
Initial feedback has indicated that the Plan has been received positively and has helped to address a number of questions.
It has also been acknowledged that the Plan continues to be work in progress. It is proposed that the Plan is reviewed and updated w/c 8th June by the working group when it is expected that the initial light touch scenario planning work will be available.
An announcement will be made by the Scottish Government on 10 June about the Tourism task force which will drive the Recovery phase of the Plan.
Funding Packages Update
The demand for both the Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality
Enterprises Hardship Fund has been significant. All attention is now focussed on the process of appraising, approving and making offers to successful applicants. It was noted however that money is
flowing through the system.
In response to the large number of applicants who have been unsuccessful in their application and to address the lack of feedback being received by the applicants, additional resource has now been
allocated to manage this.
A survey has been issued by STA, UKH, SLTA, ASVA and SBPA asking businesses with a rateable value >£51k how they performed in the funds that they applied for. Findings will be presented back to the
Tourism Minister, government and agency officials on 2 June.
It was highlighted that the process was supposed to take 10 days and we are now approaching the end of the month when businesses will need to pay rent, payroll etc, many businesses would have beenexpecting to have the money by now in order to meet their commitments.
A possible phase 3 of funding is being discussed with the Cabinet Secretary, at this point there are no details available.
An update on the Destination and Sector Support fund was provided.
- 98 applications were received from destinations and sectors all across Scotland.
- All applications have been processed.
- Offers will be made to successful applicants w/c 1st June
- Applicants who have not been successful will be notified w/c 1st June. An explanation as to why the application was rejected will be provided. An appeal process is in place.
Enterprise Agencies
Current focus is processing the applications received for the Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and the
Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund.
Business Gateway
Primary focus is administering the government support schemes. A COSLA special interest group has been set up to look at the role of local government moving forward
and what should change.
Skills Development Scotland
A new report, ‘Keep Scotland Working’, is due to be published in the next couple of weeks. The report is a discussion paper which will propose a possible framework of actions to inform skills and learning policy
and supports the four stage economic plan (the four ‘r’s).
Scottish Tourism Alliance
The next STA Council meeting will take place on Tuesday 2 June and will be attended by Cabinet
Secretary, Mr Ewing. The STA submission to the Independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery is awaiting final STA
Board approval.
The Scotland Outlook 2030 COVID-19 Overlay, (as requested by the Advisory Group), will accompany the STA submission. A draft has been circulated to the STERG working group for comments and approval.
STERG National Action Plan
The Action Plan is an evolving document and will continue to be informed by the latest data, insights and government updates. The Restart phase will be a particular area of focus. The First Minister’s announcement set out a route map with a number of different phases which will be triggered by the ongoing review of the R number. Tourism is still aggregated together and there is a priority action to make recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary on what a phased reopening of the sector may look like.
The plan is now live here on VisitScotland.org.
Preparing for opening
The “UKH Covid-19 recovery protocols”, which is a set of industry led standards and protocols to ensure the safe reopening for both staff and customers, has now been put forward to the UK and Scottish Government. This document is intended as a guide to businesses to prepare their own risk assessments and operational plans. It was noted that good progress is being made in the outdoor sector with many sub sector bodies collaborating to produce a set of recommendations. The challenge continues to be timing and having sight of a possible timeline.
Scenario planning
It has been agreed that a set of light touch scenarios will be available by the first week of June to further inform the continued development of the STERG Action Plan. It was also agreed that this will be developed further afterwards, (e.g. 12-18 month / 3-5 year).
Funding packages update
Both the Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund are now closed. A significant volume of applications were received for both and the focus is on turning around the appraisals as quickly as possible. There will be a good number of tourism businesses who will be successful, however there will also be a large percentage not successful. For those businesses, a follow up process will be communicated and this can be found on findbusinesssupport.
Grant applications through the local authorities: c. 82,000 applications received, c. 65,000 grants awarded and c. £741 million awarded. The Destination and Sector Support fund had 65 applications – announcement w/c 1 June.
Business Gateway
A number of mental health webinars for business owners, managers and employees have been held this week reflecting Mental Health Week. Beginning to see start-up activity.
Skills Development Scotland
Support continues for the expanded Careers information, Advice and Guidance resources which are available to support people whose work or learning has been impacted by COVID-19. Focus shifting to feeding in ideas for longer term support.
Scottish Tourism Alliance
Continuing to push for financial support for businesses who have not been eligible for any funding packages. Recent announcements of significant redundancies in the sector will be accentuated further if no dates are available for reopening.
VisitScotland
Work is continuing to track community sentiment across all regions of Scotland. Analysis so far is very good and is providing a good snapshot of what communities are saying.
Scenario planning
The Scottish Government team advised that due to the substantive nature of the scenario planning work that has been requested by STERG, additional time would be required to complete it. An estimated delivery date would be June for the 12-18 month scenarios.
National Action Plan
Reviewing and updating the four phases of the Action Plan - Respond, Reset, Restart and Recover. The need to share the Plan as soon as possible was discussed and it was agreed the latest version would be reviewed at the next STERG meeting on 21 May with a view to publishing soon after. The Plan is a live evolving document and will be reviewed / updated on an ongoing basis. The next full review will take place w/c 1 June.
Destination and sector support
The closing date for applications is Friday 22 May. So far 39 applications have been received.
Preparing for opening
There is still a desire to take a UK wide approach. UK Hospitality has developed an extensive set of industry led protocols to ensure the safe reopening for both staff and customers. The final proposal, which are intended as a guide to businesses on which to prepare their own risk assessments and operational plans, will be presented to the UKH board for sign off on the 15 May and then to the UK government and Scottish Government w/c 18 May.
The industry sectors included cover, Hotels & Accommodation, Pubs & Bars, Cafes & Coffee Shops, Quick Service Restaurants, Food Service, Late Night Venues and Visitor Attractions. If approved, this could be seen as the blueprint which is adopted UK wide. VisitScotland will support with the communication of the new protocols once approved by government and the Health & Safety Executive and will look to create an industry friendly version.
Community concerns
There are communities who are not yet ready to welcome visitors. There is concern as to whether community sentiment is being taken into account when industry or Scottish Government guidelines are being issued for reopening? The group agreed any guidance issued should be accompanied by a supporting communication which clearly highlights that communities are one of the key considerations when planning to reopen.
Funding packages update
The Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund and the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund will close on Monday 18 May. An update on grant applications through the local authorities was provided. c. 78,000 applications received, c. 59,000 grants awarded and c. £679 million awarded.
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government informed the group that there are currently three core work streams underway tasked at looking at recovery 1. Economic Recovery (which the National Recovery Advisory Group is aligned to), 2. Green Recovery 3. Renew Project.
Skills Development Scotland
Launch of expanded Careers information, Advice and Guidance resources to support people whose work or learning has been impacted by COVID-19. PACE toolkit launched to raise awareness of redundancy support.
Scottish Tourism Alliance
The media have picked up on the announcement from the UK Government on the creation of UK Task Forces and are asking if the Scottish Government will have equivalent Task Forces. The Food Tourism Board is restructuring to provide a tighter recovery working group to work on an action plan. Recent conversations have highlighted that as lockdown restrictions begin to relax the importance of achieving a balance between trying to optimise outdoor spaces for the provision of hospitality experiences whilst being sensitive to landowners and communities will be critical.
VisitScotland
On Tuesday 12 May Riddell Graham led the first in a series of VisitScotland webinars. The first webinar focused on the recovery of tourism. There were many questions asked during the webinar however the top 3 areas of concern were, Training, Cleaning & Hygiene and Communities. The complete Q&A document and film can be found on VisitScotland.org.
Scenario planning: update on the scenario planning proposal, outlining a draft framework and a set of outcomes. It is proposed the first high level analysis will be available at the end of May.
VisitScotland industry survey: the preference would be to collate and analyse the results from the many industry surveys that are going on right now before going ahead and issuing a further industry survey.
STERG Action Plan: the next review of the STERG Restart & Recover plan would be at the end of May. In the meantime it was agreed that all partners would review the latest version of the Action Plans and update as appropriate.
Independent Advisory Group on Economic Recovery: STA met to hear the groups brief and its invitation to industry to come forward with radical ideas that would kick start and accelerate economic recovery through Tourism in a post COVID-19 world (2021 and beyond). The Advisory Group will present their findings and recommendations at the end of June to the First Minister and therefore the STA have agreed to provide a coordinated response by 28 May.
Destination and sector support: VisitScotland COVID-19 Destination and Sector Support Fund launched. The fund provides financial help to tourism destination and sector organisations across Scotland. Over £400,000 is available. Closing date for applications is Friday 22 May.
Preparing for opening: An industry meeting was held on 6 May to discuss what “coming out of lockdown” will mean for business operations and the customer, primarily in terms of guidance for social distancing, cleaning and hygiene. 6 industry representatives attended as well as representatives from STA, Scottish Government, VisitScotland and COSLA.
There is clearly a lot of guidance out there being developed, and which can be drawn on. The ideal would be to collate existing materials and put together a coordinated Scottish proposal to take to the Scottish Government for sign off. There was a clear consensus from the meeting that a UK wide approach was the recommended way forward.
Funding packages update: the Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund on hold until w/c 11 May, however the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprise Hardship Fund remains open. The eligibility criteria for the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund is deemed to have too many restrictions and caveats. Applications for multiple property grants through the Local Authorities, opens 5 May 2020. The additional £617 million grant support announced by the UK Government, should result in c. £60 million in consequentials for Scotland. There is currently no firm plan on what the £60 million will be used for in Scotland.
Community Concerns over exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) from visitors: VisitScotland, HIE and STA are all receiving reports from tourism businesses about negative community sentiment. Destinations are doing what they can do to manage this however there is a need for additional support.
STERG National Action Plan: The group discussed and agreed that a small sub group should be set up to develop the Restart & Recover sections of the Action Plan at pace.
Scenario planning: Broad parameters discussed. The purpose is to consider the implications of different options on Scottish tourism that may apply once we move out of the recovery stage. The scenarios should also identify and inform potential future market failure or opportunity within the sector and finally should help inform policy / future interventions. The scenarios will aim to inform a very broad range of activity form granular interventions to the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030.
VisitScotland industry survey: The group discussed whether another industry survey should be run in May. Agreed there would be value, however questions should be revised. Concern raised that the industry was at risk of survey fatigue. Agreed there would be value in understanding the results from all of these surveys as it could inform the direction of the next VisitScotland survey.
Destination support: The eligibility of DMOs for either the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund or the Pivotal Enterprises Resilience Fund was discussed. It was suggested that they should be eligible to apply to either however clarity required. It was noted they wouldn’t be able to apply for both. Future sustainability of DMOs is a key issue to be addressed, there is a need to understand how the STERG will feed into this discussion.
STERG members: Discussed value in extending membership of the STERG to representatives of other organisations. It was agreed there wasn’t a need for that, at this point in time, as the group had to remain tight to operate efficiently. However, there would be great value in inviting other representatives to become part of the sub groups who will develop the Action Plan.
Scottish Government £100 million Business Support Programme: grant support launched. Events identified as a potential gap as it doesn’t have a SIC code – work ongoing to resolve this.
Preparing for opening: a lot of work going on across a number of organisations to develop their own guidance for social distancing and for cleaning and hygiene. Concern that if it’s not coordinated, it will lead to overlap, duplication and confusion.
Industry update: The STA, in partnership with a number of other trade bodies, are putting forward a case to the Treasury for the support of businesses with a Rateable Value >£51,000. The ‘hibernation’ costs being incurred by c.2,400 businesses in Scotland are significant and these businesses need to be protected if they are to survive.
Skills Development Scotland: New online learning portal for furlough workers now available. Ramped up PACE service now live.
Enterprise Agencies (SoSE / HIE / SE): New ‘Tune into Tourism’ podcasts from HIE will start on 8 May and run for 4 weeks - easily digestible platform for topical news and discussion, focusing on the recovery of the tourism industry across Scotland. The Communities fund being administered by HIE has now approved 114 applications and awarded c.£2.5 million. The focus of this fund is to support communities impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19).
Business Gateway: 76,000 grant applications have been received by local authorities, 45,000 grants were awarded and £526 million has been awarded.
STERG National Action Plan: Phase 1 Respond and Phase 2 Reset were both approved for publication. The Response & Reset Action Plan was made live on VisitScotland.org on Friday 24 April and shared by all partners. It was agreed further work was required on Phase 3 Restart and Phase 4 Recover. In the first instance the group should review the existing plan and consider the additional content required for discussion at the next STERG meeting on 30 April.
Communication: It was agreed that VisitScotland is the main channel for STERG communications with all partners sharing content.
Scenario planning: It was noted that the current Social Distancing survey which the STA is collating and the responses to the Pathways to Recovery consultation will provide industry insight. The importance of ensuring that all the dots are joined in the scenario planning / recovery work was highlighted. The Scottish Government confirmed that the scenario planning work will dovetail into the work being done by others e.g. National Recovery Advisory Group. Paul McCafferty confirmed that following further discussions with the Scottish Tourism Consultants Network, a new proposal was being prepared in response to the STERG requirements.
Support for destinations: Two papers were circulated to STERG, a summary of the results from the Destinations / Sectors survey and based on those survey results, a draft proposal of support options for these organisations. The Group agreed that long term sustainability also needed to be considered however that should be done in the context of a very different future tourism landscape.
New funding package: General feedback from the STA Council meeting on 22nd April was that the additional support was welcomed, however the reality is that there is only a limited pot to go around. It was suggested and agreed that a simple, factual Q&A document be pulled together and issued by the STERG outlining the financial packages that are available and who is eligible to apply for them. This will provide transparency of the support being made available. Clarity on the eligibility of Events for these funds is required.
Preparing for reopening: The Scottish Government advised that the First Minister was publishing initial thoughts on social distancing. It was noted that this wasn’t yet at sector level however the SG tourism team are keen to work with STERG / industry to draft these. The responses from a Social Distancing survey sent by the STA are now being consolidated for submission to the Tourism Industry Council.
STERG National Action Plan: It was agreed that the Action Plan be revised into four phases to mirror the language being used with the Scottish Government, the Enterprise agencies and other sectors of the economy. 1. Respond 2. Reset 3. Restart 4. Recover.
Scenario planning: The Scottish Government explained that the scenario planning in this instance was focused on informing the longer-term recovery. It was agreed that once the initial conversations with the various individuals / organisations who have offered support have taken place, a proposal should be put forward to the STERG.
Restart phase: The group discussed the RESTART phase and it was acknowledged that there was much uncertainty around the timing of this and what it could potentially look like.
Scottish Government update - additional Support for Business: confirmed there was a lot of detail to be worked through and that this will be forthcoming over the next few days, however at the moment it’s still work in progress. Acknowledged the frustration and advised that work was progressing at speed to provide the detail required.
VisitScotland update - support for Destination Organisations and Sector Groups: issued a survey to 65 organisations with the purpose of understanding the scale of the impact being felt by these organisations. Survey closed on 15 April with 38 responses. The group agreed that there were two clear needs to be addressed: 1. The immediate response to ensure survival and 2. The longer-term sustainability issue. Analysis of the responses will take place over the next few days and results and initial recommendations shared at next STERG meeting.
Industry update from STA: STA Council meeting held 14 April, minutes available on STA website. Regarding the Scottish Government announcement outlining a further £220 million support, there’s been a lot of positivity, however it’s critical the criteria for the application process is quickly detailed and shared. The extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme cut-off date is welcomed but there’s still issues. Many businesses still waiting for cash to flow through the system, it’s hoped furlough payments, due at the end of April, will help. Big outstanding question around planning for recovery and many businesses have highlighted the need for the government to give as much notice as possible so they can start to plan.
Business Gateway update: On 6 April 50,000 grant applications had been received by local authorities, 10,000 had been processed, 7,500 were approved and received grants, the remaining were either on hold or rejected. Of the 7,500 grants awarded £88.6 million went out into the local economies. Concern across the Business Gateway network is clarity on the guidance.
Skills Development Scotland: A recent update was issued widely on the Skills Development Scotland response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. My World of Work Job Hub continues to develop daily. Currently looking at whether PACE requires a sector specific response.
Enterprise Agencies (SoSE / HIE / SE): SoSE working on possible grant options to support anyone who is continuing to fall through the gaps in the government support packages that are available. HIE working with the Scottish Government on the Rural Communities fund and on the Rural & Island Recovery approach. Continuing business support and data and intelligence gathering.
VisitScotland COVID-19 Tourism Industry Survey: The next survey will be run at the end of April at the earliest to give time for funding to flow to businesses. Arrangements will be made separately to accommodate medium and large businesses by working closely with STA. The objectives of the next survey, and the questions, still need to be agreed.
Industry update from the STA: The STA Council meeting with the Cabinet Secretary was held on 8 April and the minute from the meeting captures the latest industry situation. No further update.
It was also discussed whether the STERG should submit a Scottish Tourism response to the new House of Commons inquiry, ‘Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors’.
Support for Destination Organisations and Sector Groups: A survey was sent to 65 organisations with the purpose of understanding the scale of the impact being felt be these organisations. The survey will close on Wednesday 15 April. Results and recommended actions will be shared as soon as possible.
Business Gateway: £50,000 grant applications have been received by local authorities, several thousand have now been processed and tens of millions has gone out into the local economies.
Skills Development Scotland: There has been a focus on individual support through online and remote solutions. Continuing to data gather to inform responses.
Enterprise Agencies (SE / HIE / SoSE): Focus continues to be on the coronavirus (COVID-19)response. Reviewing budget allocations to divert to coronavirus (COVID-19)response. Helpline working effectively and continues to receive a high volume of calls. Continues data and intelligence gather. HIE in contact with all Account managed accounts to get an understanding of the impacts being felt and how support is being accessed.
VisitScotland: All communications are being welcomed by businesses. Continuing to see correspondence from people who are still falling through the support gap. Generally people are pleased to be getting the information, however some are still not getting the information and support that they want.
STERG National Action Plan: The draft STERG Action Plan was reviewed and all required changes were noted and summarised in the Plan document.
It was agreed the following two points should be kept in mind:
- We don’t lose connection with the new national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030
- Does the plan respond at the level of scale required given the devastating impact that coronavirus (COVID-19) could have on the sector.
The intention was to share the plan widely after the 9 April meeting however this has been postponed to allow for further amends.
The current draft of the action plan is split into three phases, REACT, STABILISE & RECOVER. Consideration to be given to RESPOND, RESET, RESTART, RECOVER which may be used by other sectors of the economy. Scottish Government to advise on language being used by the economy team. STERG to adopt the same language.
VisitScotland coronavirus (COVID-19) Tourism Industry Survey: Wave 2: results published. It was agreed that the report provides an excellent picture of the current industry situation which can inform the Scottish and UK Governments. It was agreed that the survey should continue. Survey questions will eb reviewed and we will prepare a new proposal for agreement by the STERG.
Industry Update from STA: priority issues for industry | tourism businesses that currently fall between the gap of support already announced. There are still a variety of tourism businesses who are unable or eligible to benefit from Government support packages. | Self-employment support allowance. A number of different tourism operators still need consideration and clarity on the criteria for this scheme. | The need for flexibility of furlough within the Job Retention Scheme is a necessity. | Scotland’s Self-catering businesses. Concerns around the eligibility criteria for access to the Grant Funding Scheme for self-caterers in particular the definition of the income criteria.
Enterprise Agencies (Scottish Enterprise / Highlands & Islands Enterprise): Organisation focus is coronavirus (COVID-19) response. Helpline working effectively and continues to receive a high volume of calls. Continued data and intelligence gathering. Consistent messaging and signposting to Findbusinesssupport.gov.uk. SE continuing to facilitate peer to peer support, e.g. DLP, Agritourism and a new Glasgow platform. Transferring services online where appropriate. Engaging with partners and stakeholders to ensure a collaborative response.
Skills Development Scotland: Developing a tailored online and telephone advice and guidance service for individuals impacted by the crisis. Re-deploying staff to support the PACE redundancy service. New web facility launched for people who have lost their job due to COVID-19, and employers who wish to recruit. It will match people who have lost work with jobs in sectors currently in need of staff. Developing a real time dashboard on the impact of COVID-19. Engaging with partners to gather insight. Responding to companies in distress.
VisitScotland: Industry facing staff moving from reactive phase to proactive phase speaking directly to businesses. Concern raised that there are some businesses not aware of the sources of advice or support available. Providing marketing support and advice to destination and sector organisations as appropriate. Ongoing concerns around events industry being expressed by the Events Directorate – SG following up directly.
Managing Issues, Concerns and Support Requirements from Tourism Businesses: to continue an effective dialogue between industry and government STERG must issue guidance to Sector and Destination organisations on the most effective way to capture and represent input from industry.
STERG National Action Plan: a revised version of the Action Plan was circulated to the STERG in advance of the meeting. It was agreed that further work was required to ensure all actions are robust, clear and concise with lead organisations identified. The intention is to share the plan widely after the next STERG meeting on 9 April.
Support for Destination Organisations and Sector Groups: VisitScotland shared a draft paper which looks at addressing the need for developing a Destination/Sector organisation support package as part of a coordinated public sector response to coronavirus (COVID-19). All agreed that this should be explored further.
VisitScotland COVID-19 Tourism Industry Survey: Wave two ends at 12noon on Monday 30 March.
Industry Update From STA: The most significant shift in the last 24 hours has been the impact of OTA cancellations and refunds activity, on businesses cash availability (e.g. Booking.com). Cabinet Secretary Mr Ewing and government officials have been briefed on this issue and will feed into government discussions.
STA highlighted priority issues were outlined: Urgent clarity sought on furlough, support for the self-employed, access to grants for the self-catering sector, signposting the new job matching portal and encouraging organisations to register, rules on closure need to be clear, accessibility of bank loans for businesses and immediate access to cash. All priorities have been raised directly with the Cabinet Secretary Mr Ewing, Ministers and government officials.
VisitScotland update: concern raised that some organisations may be falling through the gaps for example, exclusive use venues and tour operators and that their needs therefore are not being met. Scottish Government are aware of a number of groups where support is either not clear or not there and are pushing for immediate solutions. There have been a number of issues raised around the Events & Festivals sector – this has been forwarded to the Scottish Government team.
Skills Development Scotland update: All services are online. Resource to support PACE is being increased. Web site is being kept up to date to support employers, employees and training providers. Work is being undertaken across all sectors to gauge the impact and what it will mean for the economy and skills in the future. Looking at how they can support sectors who need staff. The SDS Digital team are creating a job site portal - it is recognised this shouldn’t duplicate existing job site platforms but should complement.
Scottish Enterprise update: Helpline working well. Support mechanisms are coming into place for call handlers, account managers and project managers to signpost businesses to. Continued tourism engagement with account managers and project managers. Facilitating peer to peer support.
Highlands & Islands Enterprise update: Currently receiving high volumes of information, which is being analysed to understand the key issues. The core script which is being used across multiple agencies should include VisitScotland.
South of Scotland Enterprise Agency update: Particular concerns raised around Self-Catering and further clarity on furlough.
Business Gateway update: all business support has been moved online, (Skype calls, workshops, webinars, tutorials). Business support signposted on local authority websites and Business Gateway. Self-Catering eligibility is a major concern.
Communication: VisitScotland.org is updated daily with the latest information on COVID-19.There have been 150,000 visitors to the site. All STERG members to continue to keep signposting Mental Health support through their communication channels.
STERG National Action Plan: it was agreed that the DRAFT Plan, which currently contains all activity being undertaken by STERG members, now needs to be refined to ensure that it’s focused on actions which are adding value. It will be a public document that can be shared and continually evolve. Follow up meeting to take place following the STERG meeting to agree how the plan will be refined.
Overarching message is that all activity by STERG members will be focused on supporting businesses now.
STERG was slimmed down to a core group made up of the STA, Scottish Government, HIE, SE, SoSE, Skills Development Scotland, Business Gateway and VisitScotland. Our Director of Industry & Destination Development, Riddell Graham, will continue to chair the group.
This group will meet regularly, listen to industry concerns via the STA and other partners, agree actions and communications to and from industry and provide advice to the Cabinet Secretary. This approach, with a reduced membership, will enable a fleet of foot response at this stage in the crisis. The wider group of partners will be kept fully in touch with actions arising from these smaller, focused meetings.
As the main industry groups are members of the STA and/or sit on the STA Council, this will be the direct conduit for industry to raise questions, points of concern and receive STERG briefings. Additionally, there is a plan to carry out a mapping and gapping exercise to make sure any sector not within the STA family is properly included and has a voice.
On transport we’re liaising directly with Transport Scotland who have an overview of ferries, buses, trains, airport and airlines.
The events sector is hugely significant and event partners, including Festivals Edinburgh, are keeping in touch with VisitScotland’s Events Directorate and this information is being shared with the STERG chair.
- Massive threat facing our industry
- What can we do collectively to face the challenges?
- Needs of the industry
- Asks of the Government
- What actions can be deployed?
- Need to discuss and agree the immediate, medium and longer term (recovery plan) actions
- Repeat industry research led by VisitScotland, adapting some questions. Agreement that one survey should be conducted to ensure as high a response as possible.
- Continuation of lobbying by the trade bodies.
- Need for joined up communication across the group.
Overview of industry feedback on 17 March
- The situation is changing continuously with a big shift over the last day
- Much of the industry are having to make very difficult decisions about whether they need to reduce staffing hours, operating hours, whether they need to lay-off staff or close completely
- There is a huge concern about how long businesses can last with such little business. Reserves are extremely low and it’s a matter of weeks and not months for many.
- The industry feels that what they need is some relief in terms of bills such as rates and PAYE and also access to money.
- This is impacting all businesses, not just the small ones.
- Insurance companies not responding to business interruption clauses as businesses not being told to close
- We need to escalate the awareness of the impact this is having.
Remit of the group
- Provide a forum for consistent and comprehensive pan-Scotland analysis of the implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on tourism
- Act as the one-stop-shop communications channel for the Scottish tourism industry in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Ensure close working between VisitScotland, the Scottish Government, the Scottish tourism industry, health authorities and other relevant organisations and agencies
- Gather, share, facilitate, interpret and disseminate information as it becomes available
- Issue agreed messages to the industry and the media
- Offer business continuity advice to industry
- Agree relevant action and allocate responsibilities for this
Attending the first meeting: Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) | Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterer’s (ASSC) | Scottish destination management association (SDMA) | Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) | UK Hospitality | Lochaber Chamber of Commerce | Outer Hebrides Tourism | Wild Scotland | Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park | Edinburgh Airport | Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) | Business Gateway | Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) | South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE) | Scottish Enterprise (SE) | Scottish Development International (SDI) | Scottish Government | VisitScotland