The Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) is a group, chaired by VisitScotland, created to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. STERG’s immediate priorities are to support tourism businesses to recover from this unprecedented situation.
It 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.
On this page you'll find an update on what STERG has delivered since it began in March.
STERG outputs
Published January 2021
What has STERG delivered? This document outlines what has been delivered across the STERG partners in relation to funding, advice and support, marketing and communication, representing the industry, insight and strategy.
STERG meeting key notes and actions
The STERG meets regularly and this page also includes key notes and actions from its meetings.
2021
1. Funding Update
Weddings Sector Fund - Fund opened on 28th January. - Applications are still being accepted and processed on an ongoing basis. Payments are being made. - A steady demand has been noted across HIE and SE. - Feedback from applicants suggests that the fund has been positively received.
Tourism & Hospitality Talent Development Programme - Applications closed on 5th February - c. 2,000 applications were received, double the number of places that were available - Additional funding has been secured to accommodate the extra numbers - Programme kicks off w/c 15th February
VisitScotland Funds - A revised allocation of the funds being administered by VisitScotland has been confirmed.
- Destination and Sector Support Fund closed on 26th January. All applications have been assessed and final decisions were made on 9th February at the panel meeting. All award letters will be issued this week. - Marine & Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund closed on 9th February. 460 applications were received. - A new Country Sports fund is in development, criteria will be completed by the end of the week.
- The new International Tour Operators, Day Tour Operators, Tour Guides and Motorhome funds are in the final stages of agreeing the criteria. - It is expected that the new funds will all be launched by end of February / beginning of March.
Local Authority Funds - Information on the three funds which address Self-Catering (7 beds or more), Exclusive Use and B&B’s who pay council tax is now available on find business support. https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/funding/exclusive-use-grant https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/funding/large-self-catering-grant
https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/funding/support-for-bed-and-breakfasts-paying-council-tax-grant
- Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes announced yesterday (10th February) that the Local Authority Discretionary Fund is to double to £120m.
It was noted that every Local Authority will have its own Discretionary pot and each individual Local Authority will determine how that fund should be distributed based on the particular priorities or issues that are emerging in their own local economies, the fund therefore will differ across Local Authorities. Not all Local Authorities have launched their Discretionary Fund as some are waiting to see what the other available funds will cover and therefore identify the gaps that need to be filled.
It was acknowledged that the Discretionary fund should be used for businesses / sectors that don’t fit into any of the other funds that are available, however it will be dependent on Local Authorities recognising that.
It was noted that the wholesale sector for example are not receiving any support and it was acknowledged by all that this needs to be addressed. The Discretionary fund was suggested and confirmed as a possible solution. This will be written into the guidance.
2. Falling Through The Gaps
A list of businesses / sectors who are currently falling through the gaps has been compiled and shared with COSLA in order to help target businesses / sectors for support. This list will continue to be supplied to COSLA. It was noted that the list was very useful and that a decision has been taken to review and update the guidance that has been provided to local authorities to take into account the issues that are being raised.
It was highlighted that Local Authorities will always strive to provide funding to businesses who have not received anything, particularly to businesses who are in Sectors which are important to the Local Authority. It was highlighted however that it will not be possible for all businesses to receive funding. Although COSLA will update the guidance the fund will remain at the discretion of the Local Authority.
It was confirmed that visitor attractions with an eligible hospitality component within the visitor attraction, should be able to access the hospitality top-up through the Local Authority.
3. Tourism Recovery Planning
STERG held a meeting with the Tourism Task Force this morning to provide an update on the Task Force recommendations and to share a number of priority recovery projects which will require Scottish Government funding in the coming 6-24 months.
It was noted that it was a very positive and optimistic meeting. Many Task Force members offered their support to work with STERG partners to develop and prepare a final set of proposals which will be
submitted to Ministers in early March. The content of the paper to Ministers is to be agreed, however, In addition to the recovery proposals the paper should set out business support needs, a roadmap and possible investment options.
4. Sector Organisations – Fortnightly Update Call
The STERG update call with Sector organisations took place yesterday (10th).
The meeting notes will be circulated to STERG
Riddell Graham will follow up with STERG partners individually to address some of the specific issues that were raised.
Issues raised included:
- Funding issues
- Plea for early information about changes to lockdown and any roadmap which would support that
- Test and Go / Vaccination passports - Digital Boost funding
There is an urgent need to provide clarity on whether the sector is likely to re-open for Easter or not. Businesses have bookings for Easter, many of which have been carried over from the previous year which they will need to either move again or cancel. There also businesses who are promoting Easter and they need to know if Easter will happen.
It was noted that this decision cannot wait until the last minute, businesses need time to prepare for re-opening particularly at this time of the year and after the recent bad weather.
It has been recognised by SGov that the current lead times given to industry, i.e. announcement on a Tuesday for implementation on the Friday is not practical.
The route map for Tourism & Hospitality could be addressed now, regardless of whether there is a date for re-opening. If we assume that we will move back into the levels framework then we can be thinking about what that might look like now.
Considerations such as any differences between Scotland and England, levels of International travel and domestic travel restrictions within the levels framework will be really important.
5. Scottish Tourism Month
This year Scottish Tourism month will not be celebrated in the usual way and the STA will not hold its usual Signature Conference. However, the 4th March is the anniversary of the launch of Scotland Outlook 2030 and this should be acknowledged. It’s been an unprecedented tough and challenging year for all and yet there are some really good, positive and uplifting news stories out there to share with everyone.
It was agreed that a virtual event in mid-March would be considered.
6. Partner Updates
Skills Development Scotland
The latest Tourism Sector Skills Assessment has just been published. https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/47431/tourism-ssa.pdf
The Sectoral Skills Assessments (SSAs) are a product produced by the Skills Development Scotland Evidence and Investment Planning Team which look at current and future skills demand in the Key Sectors across Scotland.
The aim of the SSA infographics is to provide a high-level evidence base to inform future investment in skills, built up from existing datasets. The SSA Infographics focus on:
The Economy
Employment
Vacancies
Job Openings
Current and Future Demand.
STA
ITIC held its virtual conference, ‘Leading the Tourism Recovery’ yesterday (10th February), Marc Crothall attended as a panellist alongside other industry leaders in Ireland. C.3,000 people registered for the event. It was noted that this was an excellent event with great speakers and a varied agenda.
7. AOB
A correction to the STERG Meeting Notes, 4th February, was requested, “Island Equivalent Payment: The cut-off date for applications is now 22nd February”. Please note that this has been corrected and now reads, “The cut-off date for island tourism businesses to register for the strategic framework fund support has been extended to 22nd February”
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 18th February, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Funding update
A £25 million top up has been confirmed today (4 February) for the funds currently being administered by VisitScotland. Final confirmation is required on which funds will cover country sports, domestic tour operators and motorhome hire businesses.
|
Fund |
Initial |
New |
Uplift |
|
Scotland Tour Operators: International Inbound Tour Operators Fund |
£6m |
£12m |
£6m |
|
Scotland Tour Operators: Day Tour Operators Fund |
£0.8m |
£3m |
£2.2m |
|
Scotland Coach Operators – COVID-19 Business Support and Continuity Fund |
£5m |
£10m |
£5m |
|
Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund |
£2.5m |
£4m |
£1.5m |
|
Visitor Attractions Support Fund |
£5m |
£10m |
£5m |
|
Tour Guides Fund |
0 |
£3m |
£3m |
|
The Sector Destination Operational & Market Readiness Fund |
£1.2m |
£1.5m |
0.3m |
|
Scottish Country Sports Tourism Restart Fund |
0 |
£1m |
£1m |
|
Campervan and Motorhome Rental Operators Fund |
0 |
£1m |
£1m |
|
Hostels |
£2.3m |
£2.3m |
- |
|
TOTAL |
£22.8m |
£47.8m |
£25m |
Hotel Support Programme
- Still live and continues to progress.
Weddings Sector Fund - Fund opened on 28 January.
- Applications are being processed on an ongoing basis and payments are already being made.
- A steady demand has been noted.
Ski Centre Fund
- Enterprise Agencies have contacted all eligible recipients, due diligence is now underway on the applications and payment is expected to begin within the next 10 days.
Local Authority Funds
- Island Equivalent Payment: The cut-off date for applications is now 22 February
- B&B fund: Final guidance expected shortly. Anticipated live date is mid-February.
- Self Catering (7 beds or more), Exclusive Use and B&B’s who pay council tax – Guidance agreed for all 3 strands of this fund. This is not an open application process; eligible businesses will be contacted directly by the local authority. Target delivery date 15 February.
- Discretionary Fund: Every local authority now has a scheme some are live some are not.
A list of the sectors and businesses who are currently falling through the funding gaps was prepared by STERG and submitted to SGov last week. This list will be shared with COSLA to help inform the discretionary funding.
Action: RGraham to forward the updated list to HLightbody.
Tourism & Hospitality Talent Development Programme
- Applications close on 5 February
- Over 1,700 applications have been received
- Discussions are ongoing to try and accommodate the extra numbers
- Applications are from a good cross section of Tourism and Hospitality businesses
VisitScotland Funds
- Destination and Sector Support Fund: 52 eligible applications. Final decisions will be made next week when the panel sits.
- International Inbound – Good progress. 165 EOI received
- Outdoor Fund: Progressing well. 200 applications received
- Visitor Attractions Fund: Guidance launched today
- Coach Operators Fund: Guidance launched today
- Hostels: Launching 17 February
- Tour Guides / Small Tour Operators: Discussions underway with industry representatives, (STGA and SITOA) on funding criteria.
2. Task Force Recommendations and Tourism Recovery Plan
Phase 1 of the recovery planning process kicked off this week. STERG partners reviewed the Task Force recommendations and have agreed a list of priority recovery projects which could be accelerated now if additional Scottish Government funding could be secured.
The project list will be shared with the Tourism Task Force at a meeting on 11 February, thereafter the projects will be developed, jointly with Task Force representatives and other industry stakeholders, into a set of proposals which will be submitted to Ministers in early March.
Note: There will be a further opportunity to present additional short term (up to 2yrs) and medium term (2yrs-5yrs) recovery proposals in May.
A Tourism Task Force meeting has been convened to provide an update on the Task Force recommendations and to share the priority recovery projects which will require Scottish Government funding to deliver in the coming 6-24 months.
3. Quarantine Hotels
No further update available at this time. Work is continuing to look at a number of different options and discussions are ongoing with the UK Gov and the devolved administrations.
4. Partner Updates
Skills Development Scotland
Funding support has been secured for the following initiatives:
- The development of Springboard’s Ambassador programme
- A new online training programme with ASVA
- Training support for the STGA
COSLA
Local Authorities will gradually begin to shift focus from managing grant support to supporting businesses with the many other services that are offered.
- An improved ‘Planning to start’ tool to help stat-ups will be launched in April.
- A new digital assessment tool on the Digital Boost programme aims to launch in May.
VisitScotland
A follow up to the STERG industry survey, (conducted at the end of 2020), is being considered for March 2021.
Action: STERG to discuss how this survey could be best shaped at the next STERG meeting.
Short Term Lets
- The Local Government and Communities Committee which met on 3 February voted in favour of introducing a licensing system for the regulation of short-term lets.
Recovery planning
– A recent VS document, outlining regional plans may provide interesting insight for the recovery planning process.
Action: RGraham to share the document with STERG.
A report from the Visitor Management Forum was circulated to STERG for information.
The results of a recent sentiment tracker by BVA BDRC was shared with STERG for information.
STA
ITIC will be holding a virtual conference, ‘Leading the Tourism Recovery’, on Wednesday 10 February, 10.00am-12.45pm. Marc Crothall is attending as a panellist alongside other industry leaders in Ireland. CLICK TO REGISTER
5. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next meeting date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 11 February, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Funding Update & Issues
VisitScotland Funds (9) - All VisitScotland funds are progressing well. The funds have either launched, are about to launch or are in the process of finalising the criteria. - The Destination Operational and Market Readiness Fund (COVID-19), closed on 26th January. C. 100 applications have been received however only c.50 were eligible. Final decisions are expected quite quickly. - No major issues have been reported on any of the other funds.
The STERG Sector Update call was held on 27th January. One of the key issues highlighted is that there are still a number of businesses who are falling through the gaps. It was noted that all Sector leads are to notify Riddell Graham of any sectors, businesses or individuals who are known to be excluded from funding support so that this can be fed to the SGov team. Examples highlighted on the call included: -
Diversified businesses: Pre COVID this is a model which would have been encouraged by Scottish Government however these businesses are now finding it very difficult to meet the eligibility criteria of many of the funds, for example Agritourism businesses or historic houses. - Country sports: Excluded from the Outdoor Tourism Restart fund and require clarity on whether Sporting Agents will be covered by the Inbound Tour Operators fund.
It was suggested that Local Authority discretionary funding should be considered as an option to address these anomalies. It was noted that every Local Authority has a discretionary fund and a significant amount of work is undertaken at a local level to establish what these funds should be used for, that is what’s not been covered by existing schemes or grants that are available. Some of the discretionary funds are up and running, others are not.
COSLA would welcome a formal proposal from STERG which highlighted the sectors or businesses that are falling though the gaps and should therefore be considered for discretionary funding. However, before this is done there is a need to review the existing funds on offer to see whether they can be expanded to include more businesses, only then can we see where the gaps are and how the discretionary fund should be used.
Action: STERG to coordinate a list of genuine gaps in the current funds in order to inform the allocation of discretionary funding within Local Authorities (RGraham)
In addition, the Sector leads stressed that the current funds, whilst very welcome, will be heavily oversubscribed and will not be enough to support the sectors properly and that additional funding was urgently required. Action: Meeting notes from the STERG Sector update call are to be circulated to STERG for reference.
Tour Guides / Domestic Operator fund - It has recently been agreed that this fund will now be administered by VisitScotland. - The budget for this fund is currently limited to £800k. Criteria for the fund is still to be scoped. - It was noted that smaller tour operators, many of whom are sole traders and who are not bonded, (but could be generating up to £2m T/O), do not fall into the International Inbound fund and are currently falling through the gaps.
These operators have recognised that they do not have a collective voice and are now coming together to create a group to represent their concerns. - It was highlighted that £800k will not be sufficient to support the overhead costs of some of the bigger tour operator businesses.
Self-Catering and B&B fund - It was noted that clarity on this fund is required urgently - It was confirmed that draft guidance is now available for this fund and the necessary work will now be undertaken urgently to get it live as quickly as possible.
Strategic Framework Business Fund - There are now positive stories indicating that businesses who have applied to the SFBF are now beginning to see the payments coming through including the top up grants - Further clarity is still required on top-ups, guest houses and exclusive use properties. - Holiday accommodation booking businesses is a recent example of a business type who needs clarity. - It was highlighted that the SGov tourism team need to be made aware of these anomalies in order to have a response.
Wedding Sector Fund - Administered by the Enterprise Agencies - £25m fund available - The fund will open at 12pm on 28th January - Demand is expected to be high - The fund will be administered on a first come first served basis
Ski Centre Support fund - Administered by the Enterprise Agencies - Expected to go live from 1st February - an appraisal process will be in place for this fund.
The SGov acknowledged the businesses that are falling through the gaps and it was noted that there is a degree of confidence within the SGov tourism team that further funding will be available which would allow for a top up of the existing funds. It is recognised however that this may mean changes to the existing funds rather than new funds.
It was recommended that a review of the funds which are currently on offer is carried out to identify the key inconsistencies. In the future funds should be much simpler and more consistent and should avoid the level of complexity which is currently in play.
Hotel Support programme - c.£1m has now been distributed across the Highland and Islands
Find Business Support website - Positive feedback has been received from businesses on the updated Find Business Support website.
Final changes are still being made however it was noted that there is a marked improvement
2. Task Force Recommendations and Tourism Recovery Plan
The timeframe for the Recovery Plan has been reviewed in order that it meets with the decision making process in SGov. With the election being held on 6th May and a period of purdah in place c. 6 weeks before that, there is a need to have initial proposals submitted to Cabinet before mid-March, if that is not achieved then no decisions will be made by Ministers until early June. Examples of areas where decisions may be needed are, a simplified structure for delivering the required future business support, an exit strategy – can we get to a position where we know what we need to align to in terms of reopening and business as usual. In addition, what could a low carbon proposal look like or a skills proposal and what do we want to do in the marketing space.
The development of the Recovery Plan will take a phased approach to align with the SGov decision making process. The first phase will focus on the prioritisation and scoping of the Task Force Recommendations which the SGov responded to on 21st December. Over the coming 4 weeks the Task Force recommendations will be prioritised, developed into a set of proposals and then costed. The proposals will be submitted to Cabinet for their support by 8th March. This will be a collaborative process between STERG, members of the Task Force and other industry representatives.
Action: KChristie to schedule a STERG session(s) for w/c 1st February to review, prioritise and propose the top Task Force Recommendations for development.
Phase 2 (March-May 2021), will develop the Recovery Plan, building on the proposals submitted to Cabinet in Phase 1. Phase 2 will continue to be a collaborative process with industry, public agencies and the SGov working in partnership. Further details will be confirmed.
Concern was noted that the Task Force may not have a broad enough representation from all sectors or destinations within the visitor economy, for example cities where the forward outlook is poor. The Glasgow Tourism Partnership has requested that STERG convene a discussion with the cities to agree the role that they can play within the Recovery Plan and more broadly to look at cities as destinations.
It was confirmed that in Phase 1 there is scope to bring in additional expertise to help develop the proposals for Cabinet.
It was also highlighted that Phase 2 will allow for a greater breadth of industry representation and will include destinations and sectors. It was noted that engaging with our city destinations is essential. It was also noted that a SGov Task Force for the cities has been created – Tourism will form a part of that and we must ensure there is no overlap.
3. Strategic Framework Restrictions
Conversations are taking place both around the business group table and within industry as to how the Strategic Framework restrictions may be adjusted according to the reopening of the sector, as and when that starts to happen and the roll out of the vaccination programme, i.e. as more categories are vaccinated could that provide the opportunity to lessen some of the current Framework restrictions, e.g. restrictions on the service of alcohol, or the number of people that can attend controlled events such as weddings. Clarity is required on when we can start to have those discussions. There is a need to start considering and discussing possible adjustments to the Strategic Framework now.
It was advised that the Strategic Framework review work is going on now in SGov. It was suggested that consideration is given to what the priority ask is, the lessening of restrictions as we reopen or timescales towards reopening, i.e. the exit strategy.
4. Partner Updates
STA
During the STA’s call today with WildScotland, ASVA and Sail Scotland, clarity on the progress of the passport/proof of vaccination mechanism was requested from SGov. It was suggested that discussions on the vaccine passport could be resurrected if international travel restrictions are to continue across the summer and beyond. Currently there are very mixed messages on this within SGov.
The Tourism & Hospitality Talent Development Programme, which opened on 12th January, has now had over 800 applications. Applications close on 5th February. Training starts on 16th February. So far there is a relatively even gender split and a good balance of applications across, Leadership, Management and Supervisory.
VisitScotland
The VS news story about the funds has been viewed 15k times on the VS website.
The STERG Industry survey webinar took place yesterday (27th). 250 people attended. The results presentation will be published on VS.org. A follow up survey is being considered in order to reflect an updated industry position.
The Short Term Let Regulation was raised on the STERG Sector update call yesterday (27th) highlighting the concerns for the self-catering sector and B&Bs. Concerns have also been raised by a number of Destination organisations who are having it raised on a daily basis by their members.
The make-up of STERG has been questioned and suggestions made that there should be additional industry representation. It was noted that a review of STERG was carried out in November and it was agreed that the STERG partners would remain unchanged however industry engagement with sectors and destinations would be increased. It was noted that industry will be a key partner in the development of the Recovery Plan.
5. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 4th February, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Funding support update and issues
Wedding Sector Fund
- It is expected that the fund will launch w/c 25 January. The criteria will be shared in advance of the launch.
Local Authority Administered Funds
- Different interpretations of the eligibility criteria is causing confusion, this is an issue to be resolved
- There is no guidance available from SGov for the top up grants, this has been raised by the project group and requires urgent resolution
- Eligibility criteria for the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund to be re-confirmed to STERG
It was highlighted that clarity is required on which funds would be applicable to tour guides and outdoor activity guides.
Action: Riddell Graham to provide clarity on tour guides / outdoor activity guides to STERG
VisitScotland Funds (9)
- Sector & Destination Operational and Market Readiness Fund (COVID-19), opened for applications on 18 January and will close on 26 January.
- Hostels Fund, launch 16 February
- Visitor Attractions Fund, launch 11 February, criteria available from 4 February
- Coach Operators Fund, launch w/c 1 February
- Scotland Inbound Tour Operators - COVID-19 Business Support and Continuity Fund – Expressions of interest open 22 January - Linda McAllister, VS, will attend the SDMA meeting on 28 January where the detailed criteria for the Inbound Tour Operators Fund and the Coach Operators Fund will be shared with their members.
- It was highlighted that across all VS funds applications cannot be restricted to a particular membership organisation
- It was noted that the industry representatives who had contributed to the scoping of the criteria for the funds had been excellent.
Action: Riddell Graham to share the VS fund matrix with STERG
Exclusive Use Venues
- £10,000 for exclusive use accommodation venues has been announced
- Criteria and delivery mechanism is being finalised
Large Self-Catering Grant - Criteria is being finalised
Tourism & Hospitality Talent Development Programme
- Launched 12 January
- Application deadline 5 February
- c. 975 places available
- c. 500 applications have been received to date from many different sectors across the industry
- Programme has been received well. It is expected that all places for the programme will be filled.
VisitScotland highlighted that the Scottish Government’s communication of the funds that were announced yesterday (20) was very poorly managed.
VisitScotland were excluded from the communication and as a result were unable to respond to the many enquiries received, it was noted that this is unacceptable. It was agreed that the flow of information from the Economy team to Tourism stakeholders needs to be improved – this is currently being actioned.
Action: Riddell Graham to forward any outstanding issues that cannot be answered to SGov team.
The importance of communication and the need to get it right has been frequently stressed on the Business Organisations calls with Liz Ditchburn and Joe Brown from Scottish Government.
Recent enquiries to VisitScotland have identified two areas that are not covered by the funds, firstly caravan and camping parks and secondly motorhome / campervan hire companies. It was noted that caravan and camping parks are eligible for the Strategic Framework Business Fund.
Discussions are ongoing about the motorhome / campervan hire companies. In addition, it was highlighted that there are a number of businesses within the outdoor sector, who would normally be open at this time of year but cannot operate due to current restrictions and yet are not eligible for the Strategic Framework Business Fund.
It was confirmed that a press release has been issued by the SGov confirming that island businesses will receive support equivalent to Level 4 and top-up payments for Hospitality, Retail and Leisure. Local authorities will administer these payments. Full details are to be published shortly.
Hotel Support Programme
- Almost all of the contracting has been completed
- Just under 100 hotels will receive support through the programme
2. Tourism Recovery Planning
Discussions are ongoing to progress the recovery planning process. Following a Recovery Planning meeting which took place this morning, the following was agreed:
- The 5 Year Tourism Recovery Plan is a National plan which will be developed collaboratively with STERG partners and industry representatives
- A Recovery working group to reflect this collective approach is to be established as quickly as possible
- The Task Force recommendations will form the foundation of the Plan, however it was noted that these should be reviewed and amended if necessary to ensure they are still relevant
– The Plan will be key to securing funding for future recovery
- An evidence base demonstrating (and quantifying where possible) the impact of COVID-19 on the sector is to be produced. This will provide a starting point for scoping the journey of recovery and for articulating where we want to get to in 2025.
- An update on the Recovery Plan with indicative funding requirements will be presented to Cabinet in February / March
- Additional resource requirements are to be considered and scoped
- Comms support is to be considered
Funding for the recovery plan will be allocated under Mr Ewing’s Tourism portfolio. Discussions on this are ongoing. There is an expectation that further consequentials will be received from UK Gov and that recovery funding should be ring-fenced from there.
Timescales will be dependent on when the UK Government announce any consequentials, in addition the spending review is also being considered as an option for securing funding for recovery. In the first instance it will be important to have a collective, national view of the strategic priorities and the investment needs for sector recovery, allocating resource across SoSE, SE and HIE would then follow – this could be done in the same way as the hotel support programme.
It was noted that the priority will be to secure an allocation of the anticipated consequentials, it was highlighted however that the longer-term bids which were submitted to the spending review are reviewed annually.
It was noted that Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes MSP joined the STA Board yesterday to offer an overview of her proposed Budget approach. In relation to the Tourism Taskforce recommendations, Ms Forbes said that she had discussed these with Fergus Ewing and in terms of breakdown of the asks, there is a timing element that is critical to this. Some of the asks focus on recovery, some on resilience; she highlighted that we are still in resilience mode but she is aware of what is needed for recovery.
It was noted that Local government at the spending review are seeking, fair funding in order to ensure services are not diminished. Funding to support tourism recovery within local government is discretionary spend therefore any budget received will in the first instance focus on statutory services and within that, the most vulnerable in our communities. It is not known whether there would be any remaining budget available for tourism / economic development.
It was highlighted that COVID has delayed capital projects, this may suggest that SGov has capital that could be invested. SNIB should be reviewed as a possible source of financing. The recovery of the sector will be over a long time period requiring patient capital and that is what SNIB is all about.
3. Partner Updates
Enterprise Agencies
- SE have extended their commitment to support ETAG for a further 6 months.
- The Glasgow Tourism Partnership Group will meet for the first time next week. This is a new partnership in Glasgow between agencies and industry.
Skills Development Scotland
- Funding support has been secured for the following initiatives: - The development of Springboard’s Ambassador programme - A new Storytelling training programme with ASVA - A new Scottish Agritourism programme in the south of Scotland in partnership with SoSE - Training support for the STGA
- Representatives from businesses on the Hotel Support Programme will attend a Skills Masterclass on 25th January. A range of speaker will outline the support that businesses can access on skills.
VisitScotland
- Comms were recently issued on the VS funds as well as the other funds which are available
- The Scotland Inbound Tour Operators - COVID-19 Business Support and Continuity Fund will launch tomorrow (22).
STA
- Discussions with counterparts in Northern Ireland and England have highlighted that Scotland is much further advanced with the funding that is being made available across the sector.
- A meeting is scheduled later today with a representative from Iceland’s tourism industry to discuss their response to the pandemic and their approach to recovery.
Scottish Government
- Thanks were expressed to STERG for their input and support throughout the grant process.
- The second Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee Meeting took place this morning. Overall it was noted that the tone of the meeting was very positive and the MSPs were supportive of Mr Ewing.
4. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next meeting date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 28 January, 11.00am-12.00pm.
Riddell Graham, on behalf of STERG, welcomed back Bettina Sizeland. Due to an accident the previous week Bettina was hospitalised and the group were delighted to see her back on the call and on the road to a full recovery.
1. Funding Support Update & Issues
Strategic Framework Business Fund - It was noted that a number of issues on the Strategic Framework Business Fund (SFBG) have already been raised with the Scottish Government for resolution. - The biggest concern that has been raised over the last few days, particularly by Self-Catering, B&B’s and Hostels, has been the confusion and frustration caused by the language used in the recent communication of the top-up grants for Hospitality, Retail and Leisure.
The Scottish Government team advised that work is ongoing to address this issue. It was acknowledged that this fund had been announced in isolation and not in the context of all of the funds that will be available, this was not ideal. A range of options to rectify the situation have been submitted for approval, once agreed a remedial comms plan will be put in place.
Action: Scottish Government to advise the approved solution as soon as possible.
Sector leads on the STERG Update call yesterday (13th), highlighted a real concern about the casual use of the word ‘Hospitality’ and how it can be interpreted in many ways. Also highlighted was the need for a clear definition of ‘Tourism and Hospitality’ as potentially this could include hundreds of different types of businesses. Moving forward all communications must be very clear about what is in and what is out.
Action: Scottish Government to issue a communication as soon as possible to rectify the current situation. - The requirement for a business bank account is an ongoing issue. The new VS funds will not ask for a business bank account instead business insurance will be required. Consistency across all funds is required.
Current Local Authority guidelines ask for a business bank account or a personal account by exception. Confirmation is required from Scottish Government that Local Authorities can accept alternative evidence which can still satisfy fraud prevention. Action: Scottish Government / COSLA to advise a decision as soon as possible.
VisitScotland funds (9) - The final criteria and application forms for all funds are now very close to completion. Once signed off by the industry groups they will loaded onto the digital online process and launched. This could take a few weeks. - It is expected that the Destination / Sector fund will be launched ahead of the other funds as it is a paper based application process. An announcement is expected next week. To ensure this funding does not cut across funding already awarded by HIE or SoSE a final draft of the criteria has been shared with HIE and SoSE for comment. It was noted that there is likely to be very little crossover with the HIE fund. A cross-check has been put in place whereby HIE will review applicants to ensure no double dipping. - The VS funds will not be operated on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Funding received by applicants prior to 21st December will be discounted. Applicants will not be allowed to receive funding from more than one of the new funds that were announced on 21st December. Action: R.Graham to share details of the Destination / Sector fund with STERG as soon as possible.
Wedding Sector fund - Enterprise agencies are administering the Wedding Sector fund - The final set of criteria is waiting on approval. - Applications will be made on findbusinesssupport and then channelled to SoSE, SE or HIE. - It is expected that the fund will launch w/c 25th January - It was noted that an automated system has been developed for the application process.
Digital Boost Development Grant - Designed to have a simple application process and simple administration. - Promoted to a broad audience - Launched 12.00pm Tuesday 12th and closed 5.30pm Tuesday 12th due to the volume of applicants meeting the budget available. - It is not clear whether additional funds will be made available.
It was emphasised that an overview of all of the available funds was now critical.
Action: Scottish Government to advise when this will be available.
£2m Training and Development Fund (£0.5m FY20/21, £1.5m FY21/22) £500k has been secured from the Scottish Government to deliver a new online Tourism & Hospitality Talent Development programme, focussing on Leadership, Management and Supervisory skills. HITScotland are coordinating the programme with support from Scottish Tourism Alliance, SDS and others from the Tourism Skills Group. 975 places are available. The programme launched this week and the deadline for applications is the 5th February, the first programme will run from the 16th February. https://hitscotland.co.uk/talent-development-programme It was noted that this is one of the first Tourism Task Force recommendations to be implemented.
Action: L.Durden to send details of the programme to B.Sizeland
Action: All STERG partners to promote the programme across all platforms in order to reach the workforce.
2. Tourism Recovery Planning
- An updated draft of the Terms of Reference and the Project Initiation Document for the Tourism recovery plan was circulated to STERG for final comment. A STERG meeting is to be scheduled w/c 18th January to discuss and progress. Action: K.Christie to schedule a STERG meeting w/c 18th January. Action: STA to propose details of a Stakeholder Group to support STERG with Recovery Planning
- The Director of Economic Development, Scottish Government, will meet with senior Enterprise Agency stakeholders on 20th January where tourism recovery will be a key point for discussion.
3. STERG Action Plan
The next update of the STERG Action Plan will include updates on all business support funds, the Task Force recommendations and the Tourism Recovery Plan. It is expected that the Plan will be published w/c 18th January.
4. Partner Updates
Enterprise Agencies
- HIE has approved c. £1.5m in grant funding to support community led tourism capital infrastructure developments in advance of April 2021. These grants are intended to support communities and places to prepare for visitors and build back better. There is a direct link to RTIF via Lyn Hamilton of VS.
Skills Development Scotland
- Applications are now open for the SDS Apprenticeship Employer Grant, a new Scottish Government initiative developed in response to the pandemic. The scheme offers £5,000 for employers taking on or upskilling a 16 to 24-year through a Modern of Graduate Apprenticeship, and for those aged up to 29 years who have a disability, are care experienced or are from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background and £3,500 for employers taking on or upskilling an individual aged 25 and over through a Modern or Graduate Apprenticeship. All information and grant grant conditions with FAQs, guidance and a link to the application form can be accessed on apprenticeships.scot.
STA
- Marc Crothall, STA, Malcolm Roughead, VS and Jane Martin, SE, provided evidence to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee Meeting this morning on the impact of Covid-19 on Scotland's tourism sector. Many questions were discussed including, the availability of grant support and the urgent need for ongoing support (it was highlighted that the timing of the funding announcement on 21st December has been challenging to resource, however the industry have been closely involved in developing the criteria), vaccination certificate / passport, STERG, the recovery planning process. The collaborative nature of the tourism sector’s response to the pandemic was highlighted.
- It has been highlighted that businesses cannot apply for the SFBF through their ‘home’ council, if they have multiple businesses then they need to apply to each of the Local Authorities where the businesses are located. Communication to businesses is not clear on this.
- The STA Forums took place this week. The calls focused primarily on business support. However there is also concern about when the door is likely to open and when they do, what restrictions will be faced. Particular points raised included, avoiding a cliff edge on furlough on 31st March, continuation of the current VAT reduction, continued Business Rates relief. Flexibility on finance e.g. extension to loan repayments for CBIL, Bounce Back loans etc. - it is hoped there will be movement on this.
Clarification on Scotland’s position on a vaccine passport / certificate is required, it is recommended that STERG consider this. Action: Scottish Government agreed to confirm the latest position on this.
VisitScotland
- Round three of the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund is complete. Successful projects were advised w/b 11th January. https://www.visitscotland.org/news/2021/rural-tourism-infrastructure-fund-round-three
- It was noted that if additional capital expenditure was available, there are a number of RTIF projects, which just missed out on the round three funding, that could benefit.
- VS comms team continues to support Scottish Government funding update announcements
- The STERG review document is ready and will be published imminently.
- The STERG update call with the Sector organisations took place yesterday (13th). The meeting notes will be circulated to STERG for reference.
5. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 21st January, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Funding Support Update
VisitScotland Funds:
- The two Events funds are well advanced.
- The Pivotal fund started accepting Expressions of Interest before Christmas, this fund will continue to progress.
- An additional event industry support fund for smaller events will be launched later in January.
- It was noted that these funds are not included in the list of new funds announced on 21st December.
Outdoor Tourism fund (Marine & Land)
- Criteria are being prepared by sector organisations Sail Scotland and Wild Scotland and are now at final draft stage.
- An application form for each element of the fund is in development.
Sector / Destination fund
- This is an operational and market readiness fund, not a marketing fund. It is to ensure organisations are in the best possible place when ready to market.
- It is important that this funding does not cut across funding already awarded by HIE or SoSE. A final draft will be shared with HIE and SoSE for comment.
- This fund is likely to be launched ahead of the other funds.
Visitor Attraction fund
- Final draft of the criteria is almost complete
Hostels fund
- Final criteria proposals received from hostels sector this morning (7th January)
- International Inbound, coach tourism and domestic tour operators fund
- Final proposals for international fund received this morning (7th January). Ongoing work with CPT recoach operators fund and domestic operators fund being drafted
Next steps:
- Teams (with an agreed lead) have been set up within VS for each of the different funds.
- The aim is to have consistency across all funds and to simplify the application process significantly to minimise the evidence required - this should help to speed up the process.
- It has been emphasised to industry group representatives that if the application process does not specify ‘first come first served’ then it must be ensured that it is specified that the money awarded will be ‘up to’ a certain value. This will help to manage expectations where the anticipated number of applicants is difficult to forecast.
- Once all of the criteria and the application forms are signed off by the industry groups they will loaded onto the digital, online process and launched. This is likely to take several weeks.
Enterprise Agency Funds:
Hotel Support Programme
- The new lockdown restrictions, (travel restrictions etc.) are impacting the ability of contractors to complete agreed work with some hoteliers, this could impact the flow of funds to some businesses, potentially risking the ability of monies to be paid out by the end of the Financial Year. These challenges are being discussed urgently with the Scottish Government to find a resolution.
- All money has now been paid to the successful businesses in the SoSE region.
Wedding Sector fund
- Daily meetings are taking place to progress the development of the fund
- Criteria agreed pre-Christmas has been forwarded to Scottish Government for sign off
- Fund expected to be open to applications by the end of January
- A further update will be provided to STERG next week including the approved criteria
Ski Snow Sport fund
- HIE to provide an update to STERG next week
Other support:
- Skills Development Scotland has secured £500k in the current Financial Year for the development and implementation of a new ‘Tourism & Hospitality Talent Development Programme’. SDS in partnership with the STA, HIT Scotland and a number of others have formed a management group to ensure the online programme is up and running by the beginning of February at the latest. The programme will initially focus on Management & Leadership training and aims to secure c.1,000 people on the programme from February to May / June 2021. A further £1.5m has been secured for the next Financial Year to continue the programme.
HIT Scotland will coordinate the activity and David Cochrane, CEO, will attend the STA Member Forums
next week to share details of the programme.
2. Funding Support Issues
A number of concerns were raised regarding the funding support.
- Consistency across funds is the main concern:
- Ensuring consistency of the eligibility criteria and exclusions across all new funds is key. It was noted that this could be challenging given that there are a number of organisations involved in administering the funds, e.g. VisitScotland, Enterprise Agencies and 32 Local Authorities.
- Exclusions need to be clear, consistent and need to be kept to a minimum to ensure the funds can be administered at pace. The more exclusions there are, the more cross checking is required which can delay the funds paying out to the businesses that need it.
- Specifically, clarity is still required on whether businesses in receipt of previous funding are to be excluded or not from these new funds, for example those in receipt of PERF or other funds.
VisitScotland has recommended to SG colleagues that barriers to the application process for the new
funds be minimised and that funding received previously should not prevent a business applying to the
new funds. It is recognised however that controls need to be in place to ensure that a business cannot
apply for more than one of the new funds.
It was noted that in a meeting on Monday afternoon (5th January), MS Hyslop advised that any exclusions
to funding were based on the fact that there is a limited pot of money and the risk therefore that there is
not enough to go around, there is however recognition that businesses need access to support.
The Scottish Government acknowledged that consistency was important and advised that there are still a
number of issues to be resolved.
Action: Scottish Government to advise on any noticeable inconsistencies across the funds once they
have visibility of the final criteria for all funds.
The Scottish Government confirmed that the exclusion linked to PERF has now been removed from the
Hospitality top up fund which is being administered by local authorities. To remove this exclusion from
other funds will require Minister approval.
Action: Scottish Government to confirm whether this exclusion could be removed from other funds.
- The timing of the Hospitality top up fund and the wedding sector fund is a concern. Businesses need to be made aware of the criteria for both funds to allow them to make the decision about which fund to apply for particularly if the funds are running at different times.
Action: SoSE to raise this issue today on the wedding sector call.
It was noted that Business Support colleagues in the Scottish Government are preparing a table which
outlines all of the new funds that are available. This will be available in the public domain.
- Criticism has been received from politicians and industry that access to the new funds is not being delivered quickly enough. It was noted that once again the Scottish Government has announced the money (21st December) without the funds being in place. It was stressed that this must be avoided in the future, the funding criteria and application process must be in place before the money is announced.
- VisitScotland will be clearer on when the funds will be available for application by the end of this week. The aim is to open all funds for applications as early as possible, it is estimated this will be end of January beginning of February. A VisitScotland funding table will be prepared and shared with STERG as soon as it is complete.
- It was recommended that STERG provide an update on the target dates when the funds will be open to applications as soon as possible.
- It was noted that where available an update on the timing of funds will be provided to the STA Member
Forums on 11th & 12th January.
- Strategic Framework Business Fund
- Clarification is required on whether a business must have a business bank account in order to be eligible for this fund, this is causing major delays and requires confirmation from the Scottish Government.
- It was noted that some new funds will not require a business bank account, e.g. Wedding sector fund,VisitScotland funds, this illustrates a clear need for consistency across funds.
Action: Scottish Government / COSLA to confirm their position on this.
- Businesses e.g. accommodation providers in level 3, (currently Island communities), cannot access this fund despite travel restrictions preventing their customer base from mainland Scotland level 4 / rest of UK travelling to them which is causing business disruption. This approach needs to be amended.
- Although discretionary funds have been mentioned as a possible source of funding it is recommended that a blanket fund is made available to all island accommodation providers given the travel restrictions in place.
Action: Scottish Government / COSLA to advise whether exemptions could be made for these
businesses.
- Scottish Agritourism has raised the concern of discrepancies between how rates assessors have rated different businesses as this impacts the grants that can be claimed from the Strategic Business Fund, for example, one large business may be rated as one whereas a smaller business may be rated separately. In addition there is discrepancies between local authorities on how these issues are dealt with.
Action: Scottish Government / COSLA to advise if this can be covered by the discretionary fund?
- It was noted that Boris Johnstone implied yesterday (6th January) that the £375m of new money would be forthcoming to Scottish Government. Clarification is required from Scottish Government as to where this money will be channelled.
Action: Scottish Government to clarify the position
3. Impact of Lockdown on Businesses
- The new lockdown restrictions have forced some businesses to extend their periods of closure, Gleneagles for example will not reopen until 15th March, it is expected that others will follow.
- It was noted (and highlighted to Ms Hyslop at a meeting on Monday 5th January) that the fixed costs for many businesses are much greater now, i.e. in the winter, than they were in the spring of last year, for example utility bills are higher and there are now additional furlough costs.
- Managing overhead costs is a huge concern as grant support is limited. Conversations need to happen with Banks about possible support, for example extending mortgage holidays.
- It was highlighted that there are now no forward bookings for conferences or events and it is unlikely that any February mid-term holiday bookings will be realised.
- It was noted that Scottish Agritourism had submitted a list of issues, gathered directly from the
- Agritourism sector, to be addressed at STERG, these issues have been forwarded to the Scottish
Government team for a response.
- The mood is incredibly sombre, genuine business failure is imminent. It is critical that there is a marker in the sand for businesses to aim for in terms of when they could realistically begin to take bookings again.
4. Tourism Recovery Planning
It was noted at the previous STERG meeting on 17th December that a round table discussion with senior
agency stakeholders would be proposed for January in order to conclude discussions on agency support
for the Tourism Recovery Plan.
It was confirmed that the Director of Economic Development, Scottish Government, will meet with
senior Enterprise Agency stakeholders on 20th January where tourism recovery will be a key point for
discussion.
5. STERG Industry Survey
- VisitScotland are preparing a presentation to share the results of the survey. The presentation is expected to be available w/c 11th January and will be shared with STERG.
- VisitScotland will hold an industry webinar to share the results of the survey and host a Q&A at the end of January, exact date TBC, (provisional date 27th January).
Additional work is underway to split the survey data by geography and by sector.
6. STERG Action Plan
- The most recently updated STERG Action Plan was published on VS.org on 18th December.
- The next update is expected to be published w/c 18th January.
- It was recommended that next update of the STERG Plan provides a status update on the new support funds and progress with the Tourism Task Force recommendations in particular the Recovery Plan.
7. Partner Updates
Skills Development Scotland
- A research project on Fair Work has been commissioned by SDS. The research will seek to understand the issues and challenges faced by businesses across a number of key sectors (including Tourism) in implementing fair work. EKOSGEN have been awarded the contract and will begin work next week. The project will run until March 2021. It was noted that some of the STERG partners may be called to be involved.
Enterprise Agencies
- Delivering funding support is the current focus of activities.
VisitScotland
- All VisitScotland Marketing activity is on hold, however VS is ready to go when allowed to so.
- VS comms team continues to support Scottish Government funding update announcements
- The STERG review document is ready and will be published w/c 11th January.
STA
- It has recently transpired that the Short-Term let legislation will also impact on B&Bs. This has come as a surprise to the sector who have not been involved in the consultation process. The Scottish B&B Association has been notified. VisitScotland plan to mail the details of this to all B&B’s on its dadatbse.
- An Extraordinary UK Industry Council meeting has been convened for this afternoon to discuss lockdown support and Brexit.
STA Member Forums will take place w/c 11th January
8. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 14th January, 11.00am-12.00pm.
2020
1. New Funding Support
- Ongoing discussions are taking place between the Scottish Government, STERG partners, trade associations and sector organisations to agree the criteria for some of the new sector specific rescue funding packages. It was noted that much progress had been made in the last few days and a revised proposal will be presented to Mr Ewing later today for approval.
- It was agreed that details of the final funding packages would be circulated to STERG once approved.
- It was noted that if businesses are to be excluded from the new funding packages (as they have received money from previous funds) then there should be a common ‘exclusion’ list which can be applied across all of the new funds.
- A funding announcement is expected from Kate Forbes on 18 December. Details of the application process for the different funds are expected in January.
- It was highlighted that signposting businesses to the right funds will be challenging, ensuring that businesses apply for the funds that best suit them is important and will avoid frustration and wasted time.
- It was noted that it was important to recognise that these funds are being designed to address business survival and not recovery.
- It was acknowledged that clear communication of the funds, including eligibility, application process and timing is essential to avoid confusion.
- It was suggested that findbusinesssupport would be the best platform to host the funding packages.
2. Tourism Recovery Planning
- To deliver the tourism recovery plan will require a commitment of support from the public sector agencies. This commitment to support tourism must go beyond operating plans and business as usual, it requires a distinctive uplift in support, warranted by the need to help one of Scotland’s most important sectors of the economy to recover.
It was noted that discussions are ongoing to secure this support from the agencies.
It was proposed that a round table discussion with senior agency stakeholders is convened in January to progress these discussion to a conclusion.
- The draft Terms of Reference and the Project Initiation Document for the Tourism recovery plan were circulated to STERG for comment. In the draft it is proposed that a steering group and a stakeholder group are created to support STERG, it was agreed that further discussion was needed on this and that this should be the focus of STERG when the group reconvenes in January.
It was also noted that project support needed to be discussed further as did the support and resource that could be offered by the Scottish Government.
Action: STERG to feedback comments on the ToR and PID before the next STERG meeting on 7 January.
3. Scottish Government Guidelines
- Visibility and clarity on what businesses can expect from 28 December is critical to enable future planning. It was noted that Wales has already announced that it will enter a full level 4 lockdown from 28 December. It is essential that businesses in Scotland are given as much notice as possible of what is likely to happen after Christmas.
4. STERG Industry Survey
- A draft of the top-line results were circulated to STERG for information.
- It was noted that the initial results highlight the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector but what can also be seen is that there is a lot of innovation and inspiration coming from industry indicating that there is a sense of optimism for the future.
- The results will be published on Friday 18 December accompanied by a press release and a blog post.
- A webinar will be held in January for anyone who is interested in understanding the detail. Further details will follow.
- It was confirmed that different cuts of the data could be provided as required.
- The verbatim comments have still to be analysed, this should provide an understanding of the sentiment behind the quantitative responses. This will be available in January.
- It was noted that it would be of value to share the findings of this survey with the CET committee which is taking evidence today and on 14 January on the impact of COVID.
- It was noted that the responses to the questions around access to long term financial support were polarising and would be investigated further.
Action: STERG to forward any questions on the survey to Riddell Graham.
5. STERG Action Plan
- The most recently updated STERG Action Plan will be published on VS.org by 18 December. This will be the last update of 2020.
- The next update is expected to be published w/c 18 January.
- It was noted that visibility of the progress being made on the Task Force recommendations agreed by the Scottish Cabinet is important and therefore it is recommended that next update of the STERG Plan provides a status update.
6. Partner Updates
VisitScotland
The STERG review document is almost complete. The latest draft will be forwarded to Duncan Mackay in the SGov team to cross check the information included. The review will be available for circulation next week or alternatively in the new year. It was noted that if possible an Enterprise Agency split on funding awarded would be helpful.
Skill Development Scotland
The new Talent Retention Training Programme is likely to be up and running in the new year. It was noted that there is a significant amount of work and creative thinking underway to make this happen.
Additional Sector funding has been secured this week for Springboard, HIT Scotland and ASVA to specifically address training requirements related to COVID.
Enterprise Agencies
Money has now started to flow through to the businesses who were successful in securing funding from the Hotel Support Programme. It was noted that all money has now been paid to the successful businesses in the SoSE region.
SE and SDS are progressing talks on skills funding and where rural leadership and destination leadership might fit within that.
HIE Strengthening Communities Directorate has approved c. £1.5m investment in capital projects across the Highlands & Islands for tourism infrastructure. These funds will be released before 31 March 2021.
The list of approved projects will be shared with STERG if possible to do so.
It was noted that there are a number of other funds operating in this space:
- NatureScot green places recovery fund.
- Local level funds are also available to support communities, tourism and place initiatives.
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government team thanked the STERG partners for the huge effort that they had made this year in what has been an incredibly difficult year for all. The commitment to responding to the pandemic has been appreciated and the team looks forward to continuing to work together in the new year.
STA
The STA echoed the thanks of the Scottish Government and acknowledged that the hours of work which they had put in were sometimes not recognised. It was highlighted however that unfortunately the worst is still to come for the industry in the next couple of months and that shouldn’t be forgotten. It therefore remains the responsibility of this group to collectively move forward into the next phase.
7. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date: The next meeting will convene on Thursday 7 January, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Tourism Task Force Cabinet Paper
An update was provided by the Scottish Government team on the next steps following the Task Force paper discussion at Cabinet on 1 December.
Feedback from Cabinet has been documented and circulated to STERG for information. It was noted that this document was confidential and not for onward circulation. The feedback indicates a particular interest in aiming towards a future which is low carbon, supports fair work and supports communities. Cabinet was clear that we shouldn’t be looking to return tourism to what it was pre-COVID. Cabinet wants the sector to be stronger and more resilient, but they don’t want to see the same issues that we have had in the past.
Since the Cabinet meeting, further work has continued on the financial requests to support the sector. An updated paper was provided to STERG during the meeting. It was noted that this paper was confidential and not for onward circulation. The paper details the latest breakdown of the budget. It was noted that the Task Force recommendations had been the starting point, however further additions have now been added to try and support as many areas as possible, particularly businesses that haven’t been supported in the past.
The budget is set out sector by sector and includes related sectors which are not core tourism or hospitality. Importantly it was noted that the Ministers focus for the consequentials in this financial year was on supporting business and in particular businesses that hadn’t received support before or needed extra support to survive. On that basis it was agreed to defer any decisions on marketing support for VisitScotland.
A number of initial observations were noted:
- Given the number of funds that are likely to be available at the same time, some form of overarching coordination will be essential to ensure that the funds are all joined up and that the eligibility criteria for the different funds are not developed independently of each other.
- Clarity on the number of funds that a business can apply for will be key.
- The timescales for designing the funds and eligibility criteria and then distributing the funds needs to be realistic given the current pressure on resource.
- There is an expectation that funds will be delivered as quickly as possible acknowledging resource constraints.
- As an example of the resource requirement to effectively manage a support fund, VisitScotland advised that the Events fund that they have been administering over the last 6 weeks has involved 50 staff members.
- The time involved in successfully developing the criteria for a fund should not be under estimated, it is noted that there is a requirement to deliver the funds at pace, however the complexity of eligibility criteria can be very challenging and can significantly impact timelines.
It was acknowledged that STERG required time to review the updated budget proposal and it was agreed that a follow up session be scheduled for 11 December to provide feedback directly to SGov.
Action: STERG to review the budget proposals and provide feedback at a separate session to be scheduled for Friday 11 December. (KChristie to schedule)
It was noted that the Task Force recommendations and the Cabinet paper has successfully secured Cabinet Ministers support for tourism, (both response and recovery) and has helped them to understand the current status of tourism in Scotland.
A formal response to the Task Force recommendations is expected to be issued by the Scottish Government imminently, this will include a request for the Public Agencies to provide a detailed plan outlining resource and financial commitment to sector recovery over the next five years.
It was noted that STERG will coordinate the recovery plan addressing the Task Force recommendations and that there will continue to be an inclusive and collaborative approach between industry, the public agencies and the Scottish Government to shaping and delivering tourism across Scotland.
It is now critical for STERG to work together to get the business support out as effectively and efficiently as possible.
2. STERG communication and engagement
The STERG ‘report card’ is nearly complete, further information is required from the Scottish Government and from COSLA. Communication activity will be planned for the new year.
Last week VisitScotland published a list of the most frequently asked questions on both the current guidance and Christmas guidance to try and provide much needed clarity to businesses. VisitScotland will meet with the SGov at the end of this week to talk about any further actions that could be taken to ensure the guidance is clear particularly given the ongoing changes which are happening.
A number of additional points related to restrictions were highlighted as needing further clarity or visibility or stronger messaging:
- What you can do in Scotland over the Christmas period, for example permission to travel from a level 2 area to another Level 2 area to stay in a hotel.
- Visitors travelling from south of the border are not aware of the restrictions that apply in Scotland. Similarly, inbound visitors are not aware of the restrictions that apply.
- Although it is appreciated that bookings from visitors south of the border cannot be taken at the moment, it is important to understand when businesses could begin to take bookings for example Easter. Businesses want to forward plan.
- Current uncertainty is making it difficult for inbound tour operators to secure future bookings for clients as businesses are hesitant about taking bookings.
- Could a new year bubble be considered for Scotland? It was acknowledged that the SGov team had been very helpful last week in responding to the specific questions that had been asked, it was also noted that the answers had been very good and provided the necessary clarity. It was recommended that the same approach is adopted for these additional questions that have been raised.
3. STERG industry survey
The STERG industry survey closed on 6th December.
2,972 responses were received.
Top line results will be shared with STERG on 17 December and then published on VS.org on 18 December. Insights from the survey will also be shared through a wider programme of communication.
4. Funding updates
Hotel Support Programme - Almost all contracts have now been issued to the successful applicants. - Once the final list of supported companies is clear then this will be communicated. It is expected that this final list will be available within the next couple of weeks.
New Events Fund - VisitScotland is to launch a new events fund. The fund will be open to Expressions of Interest from 18 December with funds being delivered in the new year.
The new £15 million support fund for the wedding sector and its supply chain, which was announced by Finance Secretary Kate Forbes on 9 December is to be administered through the Enterprise Agencies. The design and eligibility criteria for this fund is currently being developed.
5. Impact of Government restrictions
It was highlighted at the STA Destination Forum that access to funds for businesses that have had to close is not consistent across local authority areas. These businesses have not been required to close or restrict their business by law and therefore they are not eligible for the Strategic Framework Business Fund, however they have been forced to close as it is not viable to keep the business open. Local authorities should have a consistent approach to tourism in terms of discretionary payments to businesses that have had to close due to the impact of travel restrictions.
6. Partner updates
Business Gateway / COSLA
A number of new funds were announced by the Finance Secretary on 9th December, many of which will be administered by local authorities, this is in addition to funds which are already being managed, c. 90% of local authority resource on the ground is now focused on grant support work and c. 10% on the day job however the day job has not reduced, this is causing enormous pressure on local authority staff across Scotland.
Skills Development Scotland
The Tourism Skills Group meeting was held on 9th December. The key focus of discussions was the funding for the Emerging Talent Training and Retention programme, which was proposed in the Task Force recommendations. £500k will be made available initially until end of March 2021 to provide a Leadership and Management programme. Further funding has been secured beyond March 2021 to develop the programme further to support future recovery.
Enterprise Agencies
The tourism team within SE is involved in a significant amount of activity which is not directly related to STERG work or sector recovery, for example, regional partnerships, business cases, city deals, growth deals etc, it was noted that this work is ongoing and has not decreased.
STA
Clarity is required on the vaccination roll out, specifically what is the ambition in terms of likely timeline. It is appreciated that there may be vaccine availability issues however we need to look at how we can optimise delivery to ensure this can be delivered as quickly as possible.
Ongoing discussions are taking place to look at alternatives to quarantine and testing at airports, this work is being led by Transport and Mr Matheson. A dedicated STERG session will be required once the proposals become clearer.
7. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date: The next meeting will convene on Thursday 17 December, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Outcome of Tourism Task Force Cabinet paper discussions
The Tourism Task Force recommendations were discussed by the Scottish Cabinet on 1 December. The following update was noted.
- The Cabinet paper was well received by Cabinet
- Ministers were supportive of the proposals and the need to support the sector in the short, medium and long term.
- It was recognised that the enterprise agencies would have a key role in developing a 5-year recovery plan.
- We will continue work with the sector to ensure that tourism recovery is consistent with our climate change ambitions.
- The Scottish Government continues to explore the funding requests and will respond on these shortly.
The following next steps were shared:
- Scottish Government Tourism team continue to work on the SGov response to the Task Force. It is hoped that the publication of this document will align to the announcement of a financial support package.
- Work is to start on the public agency recovery plans. Availability of resource is being looked at by SGov.
- Tourism summit: SGov are looking at the possibility of Nigel Huddleston meeting with a select group to discuss task force recommendations.
- Vaccination roll out expected to start in December.
It was noted that Mr Ewing joined the final half hour of the STA EU Exit round table discussion which took place yesterday with the STA Board, Council and Scottish Government officials. Mr Ewing updated the group on the Tourism Task Force proposals that were discussed at the Scottish Cabinet. Mr Ewing advised that an announcement on a further support package should be expected within the next week.
The following points were noted on future funding packages:
- Clarity on the criteria for accessing the funding is critical and needs to be available upfront at the time of any announcement
- Clarity on the conduit for delivering the funding needs to be confirmed as soon as possible
- The process of getting the money direct to businesses should be kept as simple as possible. An update on the progress of funding (both immediate business support packages and sector specific support as outlined in the Task Force recommendations) was requested urgently. Mr Ewing also commented on Tesco’s announcement to repay the rates relief they have received. Mr Ewing said that he would be making enquiries to find out if other supermarkets would be doing the same and if that money could be redirected. It was noted that similar comments were made on the UK’s Tourism Industry Council to Nigel Huddleston.
2. STERG communication and engagement
STERG COVID-19 Tourism Industry Survey reminder email will be issued today.
STERG Scenario Planning toolkit was launched last week and so far has had good engagement.
Work continues to consolidate STERG activities for communication activity.
3. Funding update
Hotel Support Programme
- All Enterprise Agencies have now issued the majority of contracts to all successful applicants.
- Partner discussions on the broader business support package for successful applicants is being progressed.
- Discussions will take place between SE and VS on potential support that could be offered to applicants who were unsuccessful.
4. Impact of government restrictions
Two areas of government restrictions were highlighted as urgently requiring greater clarity and visibility:
- Can a Festive Bubble of three households stay in self-catering accommodation, given that the Scottish Government have classified self-catering as a private dwelling? It was noted that further clarity on this point was provided in the updated festive guidance, which was issued on 2 December, it was also noted that these changes were made based on equality issues whilst also aiming to minimise transmission. It was highlighted that industry would like to challenge the changes made.
- Travel to Scotland from England, Wales and N. Ireland between now and 23 December. Although the Scottish Government website advises against travel to Scotland from the rest of the UK, this message has not been made loud enough or clear enough. In addition, there is no clear, visible communication from the UK Government advising against travel to Scotland and therefore the travel restriction messaging is not reaching visitors who may come from south of the border. This has to be addressed and made clear.
It was noted that as yet there is no indication of what may happen after 27 December. It was stressed that industry needs to be given as much advance notice as possible so as to prepare for the restrictions that might be put in place.
It was highlighted that in general Scottish Government communications on guidance are not providing the necessary clarity for industry or for visitors and it was emphasised that this needs to change. It is vital that communications are clearly understood by businesses and are not left open to interpretation or misinterpretation. More needs to be done to sense check communications in advance of publication to ensure the messaging is clear and to ensure that the communication covers all the likely questions which will arise from industry. It was suggested that VisitScotland are more actively involved in sense checking communications.
It was acknowledged by SGov that the communication process wasn’t working and that the complexity of guidance and the number of different parties involved in agreeing the guidance didn’t make the process easy. It was agreed that improvements could be made.
Action: It was noted that the issue on clarity of communications has not been resolved however in the first instance VisitScotland and STA will provide clear responses to the questions which have recently been received from industry on travel restrictions and the Festive guidance.
5. EU Exit round table discussion with industry
The STA hosted a round table EU Exit discussion with the STA Board, Council and Scottish Government officials on 2 December. The note of meeting will be circulated to STERG when available.
Issues raised included:
- Workforce / labour concerns
- The loss of expertise for example language skills
- State aid implications
- HMRC lack of engagement
- The risk that additional costs could be incurred by those wanting to travel to the UK / Scotland will impact Scotland’s competitiveness
It was suggested that the challenges and concerns of COVID have over shadowed preparation for Brexit and businesses may therefore be ill prepared.
Action: Note of meeting to be circulated to STERG by Karen Christie
6. Partner updates
Skills Development Scotland
Funding has been granted for the emerging talent retention and training programme, work continues to scope out and agree the detail of the programme to ensure that it’s up and running as quickly as possible.
A new Apprenticeship Employer Grant will be open for applications in January. This grant aims to encourage more employers to take on an apprentice or upskill an existing staff member through Modern or Graduate Apprenticeships. The funding includes:
- £5,000 for employers taking on or upskilling a 16 to 24-year through a Modern of Graduate Apprenticeship, and for those aged up to 29 years who have a disability, are care experienced or are from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background.
- £3,500 for employers taking on or upskilling an individual aged 25 and over through a Modern or Graduate Apprenticeship. Discussions about which businesses will be eligible is ongoing however it is likely to apply to most employers. More information is available here, https://www.apprenticeships.scot/for-employers/apprenticeship-employer-grant/
Business Gateway / COSLA
Local authorities are currently focused on delivering grant support
Brexit is increasingly on the radar and there are likely to be implications for tourism. A recent survey completed by DCMS has shown that data flows under Brexit is a key issue which businesses are not up to speed on. This could apply to a hotel for example who has a booking system running on a server in Holland which is easy to post data to but will be difficult to get data back post Brexit.
An additional £11.8 million has recently been announced to help businesses adopt digital technologies and improve their digital capabilities, (£800,000 will be given to HIE to extend its Digital Enablement Grant scheme, £1 million will go to Data Lab to help businesses to invest in more advanced technologies such as data analytics and artificial intelligence and £10 million will be available to build on existing digital support programmes, discussions are ongoing to agree how this funding could best be deployed, it is likely that it will be in a grant format.
Three Brexit webinars will take place over the coming 3 weeks on leaving the EU
A Brexit survey will be issued imminently on the subject of Brexit which follows a survey in September.
STA
Priority must be given to providing clarity to industry on the following:
- Christmas messaging for the sector, this is critical, particularly on self-catering. The conditions laid out in the guidance are not acceptable and there is a need to challenge this.
- Travel guidance, particularly for those travelling to Scotland from the other 3 nations. It should be considered whether there is a need for the First Minister to explicitly say Scotland isn’t open right now.
Action: VisitScotland to work with SGov team to put together a clearer communication for industry.
7. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next meeting date: The next meeting will convene on Thursday 10 December, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Tourism Task Force Recommendations and Cabinet Paper
An update was provided on the Task Force Cabinet paper. The following points were noted:
- 1 December remains the target date for the Task Force paper to be discussed by Cabinet.
- The paper has now been circulated to all Cabinet Ministers, the Deputy First Minister and the First Minister for comment, this process has identified additional issues which will need to be addressed.
- Regarding APD, concern has been raised that whatever we do regarding the aviation sector it must be in line with climate change targets and environmental expectations, this also applies to international connectivity and international marketing.
- Regarding the Financial asks that are outlined in the paper, progress is being made on funding support for parts of the sector that have not received as much support as others. Consideration is currently being given to the delivery mechanism for dispersing any such funding. Slower progress is being made on the top up funding proposals. Tourism unfortunately is competing with other sectors of the economy for a share of the consequentials, (consequentials cover health costs, social welfare costs as well as business support costs). The Task Force paper however has given Tourism a head start, discussions on this are expected to conclude over the coming week.
- Concern about the timing of any international marketing has been raised.
- Phase 2 of the Low carbon fund was reviewed yesterday. This included a review of the bids, Tourism has been included in the bids.
- Confirmation of funding from the Transition Training Fund has been received for the emerging talent retention and training programme. Detailed design of this programme can now proceed with stakeholders.
- Discussions are ongoing with the Enterprise Agencies, VisitScotland, and Skills Development Scotland to ensure public sector agencies are able to plan the recovery work and then deliver it. This will be done with industry bodies, however it will be a different approach to that taken with Scotland Outlook 2030 and the Task Force paper, as this is a public sector response to the recommendations that have been set out, it is the public sector that will take the lead.
It was noted from the spending review yesterday that DCMS only secured an additional £5m. The next opportunity will be the Budget review in March
- that should be the next target for support. It was acknowledged that lobbying activity directed at DCMS may not be having the necessary effect. Longer term money is required to support the recovery plan and therefore we also need to look at possible public / private approaches. It was noted that there is a growing sense of frustration from industry with the UK Government. UKH press releases which have followed the UK Government’s recent announcements about the tier structures for example, have stated that they are savaging the sector. It is thought that with a vaccine in sight, support for the sector should be accelerated to ensure a strong position for the sector, it was also noted that the roll out of a vaccine should be as rapid as possible, (it was highlighted that there appears to be a stronger push behind vaccinations in England as opposed to Scotland.) The STA Board raised concern yesterday that Scotland is not seeing the potential opportunity that a rapid vaccine programme could have, this could help Scotland get up and running much more quickly, giving Scotland a real competitive edge and helping to get the international market moving again. It was noted that the importance of international markets cannot be underestimated and will be critical to recovery.
It was stressed that the main concern right now is the immediate support package and confirmation of when this is likely to be announced. The other concern is, will the scale of support offered be sufficient enough to meet the sector’s needs. It was highlighted that it is not just businesses in level 3 or level 4 that are impacted by current restrictions, businesses in level 1 or 2 are also impacted and in some cases have been forced to close as their business is not viable, currently these businesses are excluded from the funding currently being dispersed through the Coronavirus Strategic Framework Business Fund.
It was noted that the language being used to describe business or sector performance should be checked, in particular any reference to a business or sector ‘having done well’. There are some businesses or sectors that have done better than others, however it should be noted that these businesses will have lost a lot during the initial lockdown and will not have done well enough to fully recover - support therefore will still be required.
It was noted that a second letter from five of Scotland’s Hospitality Industry bodies was sent to the Scottish Government on 24 November pursuing a number of assurances and undertakings regarding restrictions on the hospitality sector. It is assumed that the Scottish Government are progressing discussions with these bodies independently.
Mr Ewing will be joining the end of an EU Exit Round Table discussion which is to be hosted by the STA on 2 December, it is hoped that Mr Ewing will provide attendees with an update on discussions which will have taken place at Cabinet on 1 December.
It is expected that the Christmas guidance published today should allow businesses to make the decision about whether they will trade or not over the coming weeks.
It was noted that in France President Macron has adopted the Irish approach to grant funding and has stated that “all businesses forced to remain closed during the restrictions, such as restaurants, bars and sports halls, would have the choice of receiving up to €10,000 (£8,900) from a "solidarity fund" or the payment of 20% of their turnover”. The question was asked if this was something that we could look to match in Scotland.
It was highlighted that there are currently many different voices lobbying the Scottish Government which is causing confusion amongst Ministers and delaying the funding process. The sector now appears very fragmented and no longer speaks with one voice. This means that there is no longer any clarity about what the ask is. The Task Force paper was an attempt to get alignment on sector requirements but the lobbying has continued. It was noted that it would be very helpful to have just one representation of what is needed which is proportionate and evidenced and not just a long list of asks. It was questioned whether conflicting industry messages were also happening in England and that could be why progress is not being made there either.
It was acknowledged that the voice of the sector may have become disjointed, however this has probably happened because of the gap between the Task Force recommendations being concluded in August and the Task Force paper going to Cabinet in December. This delay has created a sense of frustration as many of the Task Force recommendations were identified as immediate rescue needs.
The Task Force paper is a great document to focus on, however, it should be accepted that the goal posts have changed over the last eight weeks since the recommendations were put together. (It should be noted however that the VAT extension and the furlough extension have already been delivered).
To improve communication and engagement the STA will encourage one channel of communication rather than many different channels.
It was noted that the purpose of the STERG industry survey was to cut through the anecdotal evidence and get to the real detail of how different sectors have performed and how different geographical areas have performed, hence it is so important to get a robust and representative sample.
2. STERG Industry Survey
- The STERG industry survey was issued on 19 November.
- Over 2,000 responses have been received so far.
- The largest sector response so far has been from self-catering businesses.
- The largest regional response so far has been from the Highlands.
- Concern was noted on the response rate from hotels. STERG partners were asked to encourage responses from hotels, particularly as this was part of the sector who faced some of the biggest challenges.
Action: Riddell Graham to circulate a sectoral and regional breakdown of the responses received so far to STERG partners.
Action: All STERG partners to encourage further survey responses from hotels. https://www.visitscotland.org/news/2020/sterg-survey
3. Funding update
Hotel Support Programme - It is likely that all Enterprise Agencies will have issued contracts to all successful applicants within the next week, subject to the receipt of all supporting documentations from applicants.
Events Industry Support Fund - All offer letters will be issued before the end of next week
It was noted that one of the key learnings from administering the grant funds is the need to ensure that the eligibility criteria is crystal clear and is set out at the beginning of an application process. This learning will be carried forward to any future funds.
4. STERG Scenario Planning Toolkit
The STERG COVID-19 Scenario Planning Toolkit for tourism was launched this week on VisitScotland.org. Before launch the toolkit was tested with a number of sector organisations to ensure that it was fit for purpose.
The toolkit is intended to help businesses with their planning in times of great uncertainty. https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/advice/coronavirus/sterg/scenario-planning-toolkit
5. Good To Go
There are 7,150 businesses now signed up to the Good To Go scheme.
VisitEngland have recently issued a survey to all accredited businesses to understand how the scheme has worked for them. Results are expected pre-Christmas.
The future of the Good To Go Scheme is currently being considered. It was noted however that it will continue into the new year.
Action: All STERG members to feedback their views to Riddell Graham. It was noted that the governance group, which is made up of representatives from VisitEngland, VisitWales, VisitScotland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board meets regularly so all comments and suggestions can be fed into those discussions.
6. STERG communication and engagement
Information is being collated about the initiatives undertaken by each of the STERG organisations for planned comms activity. A summary of this activity will be circulated to STERG once complete.
Communications to encourage completion of the STERG Industry Survey will continue. Feedback captured in the survey will inform STERG’s priorities over the coming months.
A STERG update will take place at the STA Destination Member Forum on 12 January 2021.
A regular STERG update call with Sector organisations is to take place on a fortnightly basis from January 2021.
7. Partner updates
Business Gateway / COSLA
The priority is delivering the most recent grants on behalf of the SGov. It was noted that one of the biggest issues that local authorities are having to deal with is questions about eligibility. It was noted that guidance on this is being sought from Scottish Government.
Skills Development Scotland
- Now that funding has been agreed for the emerging talent retention and training programme, work is underway to finalise the mechanics of the programme. The timing of the programme is particularly important as this will have an influence on the content. A draft programme has already been put together by industry however it is essential that the programme is realistic and meets the needs of individuals and businesses within the agreed timeframe.
- A new landing page for the Young Persons Guarantee has gone live on myworldofwork. This includes a section for employers on how they can engage with the Young Persons Guarantee and the kickstart programme. https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/youngpersonsguarantee?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_ZSAjqmh7QIVeRoGAB1PNgyoEAAYASAAEgLkpvD_BwE
- Approval has been given to proceed with a research project on Fair Work across some of the key sectors (which includes Tourism). The research will seek to understand the issues and challenges faced by businesses, particularly small and rural businesses in implementing fair work. The aim is to commission the project in December for a January 2021 start.
Enterprise Agencies
- HIE DMO support fund – The first projects are beginning to come through from the Area teams and are starting to be scoped up and developed. No financial support has been awarded yet.
- HIE were recently involved in the Visitor Management Infrastructure sub group meeting with the National Parks and are also involved in the RTIF process.
- HIE has developed a short term intervention to support capital investment in community led tourism infrastructure. This is being delivered now through anchor organisations and anchor community groups across the Highlands and Islands. Where there is a known infrastructure need for visitors which is led by communities then there is money available for capital spend.
- HIE Tune into Tourism podcasts are continuing.
- HIE Let’s Grow Adventure Tourism programme – the new cohort are now in week 3.
- HIE will be joining VisitScotland on the Cruise webinar which is coming up.
STA
A number of businesses have highlighted that furlough is not available to new employees taken on after 31 October. There have been instances where new employees have been taken on and then the business has been forced to close and they have been unable to put the people on furlough. If further restrictions are put in place in January or February, then more businesses are likely to be in that position. This has been raised with Helena Bennett, Head of Scotland Stakeholder Engagement at HM Treasury. UKH has also raised this as an issue.
Clarity is urgently required on how much notice the current level 4 local authority areas will get before they transition to new levels on 11 December. The current process, (Cabinet agreement on the Tuesday for implementation on the Friday), is not believed to be sufficient. It is also not clear on whether the changes will apply from 6am or 6pm. Confirmation is required on whether a further review is to be expected between Tuesday 8 December and the Christmas period. Further changes within this period could make the difference between a business remaining open and being able to trade and having to close. Further clarification is required on whether any changes to level 3 hospitality restrictions, (trading hours or dinks service) can be expected over the Christmas period.
A number of issues have arisen from the Christmas guidance that was published today which has highlighted the need for even greater clarity.
- Urgent clarity is sought on whether a Festive Bubble of 3 households can stay in self-catering accommodation. The Christmas guidance states that, "Your bubble can meet in a private home, in outdoor public places or in places of worship". Given the Scottish Government’s classification of self-catering as a private dwelling for the purposes of Household regulations it would suggest that this is acceptable. It was highlighted however that the Christmas guidance in relation to tourist accommodation states that, “…During the Christmas period those who are part of a bubble should not stay in tourist accommodation. Only those not part of a bubble should plan on staying in tourist accommodation and should follow the tourist accommodation, socialising and travel rules in the local authority area you are staying. For example: You should only stay with your own household (or extended household) in self-catering accommodation…” This would appear to be conflicting. It was noted that in England, Festive Bubbles can stay in self-catering accommodation.
- Greater clarity is required on cross border travel guidance over the period pre, during and post-Christmas.
- Strong messaging to visitors travelling from outside of Scotland is needed to ensure that restrictions, (especially around travel), are understood.
- The channel for raising questions and managing the responses on the Christmas guidance needs to be made clear.
The next Tourism Cross-Party Group will take place on Tuesday 1 December. Marc Crothall will be providing an update.
Scottish Government
Scottish Government is having weekly meetings with the hospitality sector to discuss the framework restrictions and how they can be further refined. Latest discussions have been focused on trading hours and not on lifting the alcohol restrictions. The proposed changes in trading hours in level 3 would allow for a second dinner sitting and is more reflective of the time when people would want to eat at lunchtime and dinner time. Although any changes will be very difficult to get through this is where the focus currently lies.
It was noted that the rules around what you can and can’t do pre and post-Christmas can be confusing and that it would be helpful for all if this was clearer.
VisitScotland
The VisitScotland regional team met this week and reported that in each of their areas they are still seeing significant investment going on, not necessarily on the accommodation sector but on some other significant projects, some of which are a part of city deals for example in the south of Scotland Borderlands.
There were also good future projects noted in the Highlands and the east of Scotland. The regional team will capture this going forward as this is very positive news for the future and will be good to share.
8. AOB
It was noted that on a recent call to discuss the Modern Apprenticeship programmes, it was very encouraging to hear that a growing number of businesses have been putting their employees onto Modern Apprentice programmes, demonstrating a commitment by business to invest in their people in order to develop and grow their human resource and talent despite the difficulties being faced.
Next meeting date: The next meeting will convene on Thursday 3 December, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Actions from previous meeting (12 November)
The Role & Remit of STERG
The future role & remit of STERG was agreed by all. It was also agreed that the STERG name would not change. The final version will be hosted on VisitScotland.org.
It was noted that the two Scottish Government actions arising last week from discussions about STERG’s operating context, (1. To establish a reference group within Scottish Government, and 2. To create a reference group with the CEOs of the public agencies), were premature and that these actions should be reconsidered once the Cabinet paper is finalised and the asks of the agencies are clearer.
It was noted that a meeting had recently taken place with the Agencies and VisitScotland to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the agencies in supporting recovery. The same discussion will take place next week with SDS and SDI.
Tourism Task Force Recommendations and Cabinet Paper
Bettina Sizeland expressed her thanks to all STERG members for their input into the Cabinet paper. All changes have now been incorporated and a revised version, which now includes the financial asks, is currently with Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing. The revised version will be circulated to STERG following feedback from Mr Ewing.
It was noted that nothing further was required from STERG at this point, however there may be a need to respond at pace to any asks from Cabinet Ministers once they have reviewed the paper.
Clarification was requested on the process and timing for decisions being made on additional business support for the sector. It was noted that there are two processes running in parallel. The first is the business support submission, this is being progressed separately and is part of a broader submission which is directly related to the consequentials. This will not have to wait to the 1 December when Cabinet will review the Task Force recommendations.
The second is the Cabinet paper itself, this will reflect the asks outlined in the business support submission but will not be reviewed until 1 December. It is not clear which of these processes will land first. Consideration is being given to grants for those businesses who have not received the same level of support as others, top ups for those businesses who have support but continue to be impacted or restricted and there are also businesses who will require longer term investment.
STERG communication and engagement
To improve STERG communications and engagement, activity is being planned to share the work that STERG has been doing with a wider audience. To support this activity STERG are asked to provide information about the initiatives being undertaken by each organisation.
Action: STERG to send Barbara Clark a summary of what each organisation has delivered through STERG to support businesses and organisations in the last six months, what’s happening now and what is planned to be delivered in the future. Contributions to be received by Friday 20 November.
2. Roadmap to Scotland Outlook 2030
A proposal outlining the process, timescales and resources required to transition back to a long term strategic plan, focused on the ambition of Scotland outlook 2030, was considered by STERG. The proposal also included a recommendation to consolidate the three sets of industry Scenario Planning work into one set, which would then be used as a tool to challenge the Scotland Outlook 2030 strategy.
It was noted that separate discussions had taken place recently to gain commitment to developing a Recovery Plan, based on the Task Force recommendations. It was highlighted that this Recovery Plan is to be developed at pace for presenting to the Scottish Cabinet by December 2020 / January 2021.
Given the urgency of the Recovery Plan and the high levels of uncertainty that we continue to operate in, it was agreed that this was not the right time to look at a longer term plan. Simplicity, clarity and focus is what is required and it was agreed therefore that there should be one plan only.
It was highlighted that the demand to consolidate the Scenario Plans was unclear and therefore should not be progressed at this time. It was noted for information that there are some very good commercial scenario plans available.
In summary it was agreed that the long term roadmap to Scotland Outlook 2030 would be put on hold and all efforts focused on the Recovery Plan which will be driven by the Task Force recommendations. It was noted that the Recovery Plan will be aligned to the Outcomes in Scotland Outlook 2030 and therefore should be the start of the roadmap back to the long term strategy vision. This position can be reviewed again once the Recovery Plan has been completed.
3. Partner updates
Business Gateway / COSLA
The focus remains on delivering the most recent grants on behalf of the SGov. It was noted that better clarity is required up front on eligibility criteria as this continues to cause issues.
It was noted that it would be helpful if grant schemes were launched by the First Minister once the detail of the schemes had been agreed and not before as local authorities do not currently have the capacity to respond to enquiries about new grants where the detail is not available.
Skills Development Scotland
SDS are continuing to promote the National Transition Training Fund for individuals who have been made redundant.
The flexible workforce development fund has been expanded in terms of what businesses can apply for. The big change is that SMEs can now access the fund when previously it was only for employers who were paying the apprenticeship levy.
As part of the Hotel Support Programme SDS are preparing a Skills Masterclass promoting the support that is available for skills development. Timing for the delivery of this will be discussed with the Enterprise Agencies.
Information about what SDS is doing to support the National Mission for Jobs was forwarded to the SGov team for reference.
Enterprise Agencies
HIE Digital Enablement Grant update - @ 12 November £277,000 awarded to 19 tourism applicants (out of a total of 106 applicants c.18%) - Further funding has still to be issued
The Hotel Support Programme is progressing. SoSE has issued contracts to most applicants and SE are expected to start issuing contracts this week. Discussions will take place within the next couple of weeks to look at the requirements of businesses for the wider support package.
STA
On 17 November Marc was a panellist on the Kickstart webinar hosted by Harri, Springboard and UKH. Over 100 businesses from across the UK took part.
Concern has been raised by some hoteliers about the time it’s taking for the Hotel Support Programme to release funds. There was an expectation that this would happen quite quickly, but this doesn’t seem to be happening.
Continuing to hear that hotels are taking the decision to close their doors until a later period because of the implications of travel, uncertainty of customer confidence to book and not being able to commit to delivering the experience customers expect. This then presents the challenge of knowing what’s open and what’s not open. This also leads to a significant impact on the supply chain on whom we will need to rely on in the future to get back up and running again.
It was noted that the STERG business survey will pick up what is open and what is closed. It was also noted that VS iCentre staff will be picking this up too. A recent piece of work with the SSDA has provided a comprehensive list of businesses that are open and closed in the Borders and Dumfries & Galloway and this will replicated in other parts of the country.
On 18 November Marc joined the Peach 2020 conference, (renowned for insight into hospitality and food & drink sector globally). The conference showcased incredible innovation being delivered by hospitality businesses south of the border and demonstrated how businesses are adapting to the future COVID environment. It was noted that this best practice should be shared where possible.
One of the key challenges highlighted for businesses as they emerge from lockdown in England / Level 4 restrictions in Scotland will be the ability of businesses to get their teams back up and running for the period prior to Christmas. It was noted that VisitScotland will be running activity around innovation in the industry either pre-Christmas or in the new year and would welcome any great examples which could be shared.
STA will convene an EU Exit round table discussion on 2 December with the STA Board and Council and Scottish Government officials. Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing will join the call for the last 30 minutes to provide an update on the Cabinet meeting which is to be held on 1 December.
STA will provide an update on the Task Force recommendations at the next CPG meeting on 1 December.
VisitScotland
The STERG business survey will be launched today. STERG are asked to share across all platforms. The survey will also be shared through the Economy Comms group.
The Scenario Planning toolkit will be launched on Wednesday 25 November.
#STERG to be used on Twitter
Today VisitScotland joins the Tourism Declares Initiative. VisitScotland will the first national tourism organisation to join the Tourism Declares initiative setting out its commitment to responsible tourism and addressing climate change.
Scottish Government
SGov team to come back to STERG for further discussion on the UK summit.
SGov team are considering different funding streams including the Low carbon fund. A revised tourism proposal will be submitted to this fund for capital investment in the coming weeks.
It was noted that currently there is no fixed timescale for announcing further industry support.
An updated Cabinet paper will be issued to STERG tomorrow.
4. Redundancy update
No further updates were noted.
Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting. Confidentiality of this information is assured
Next meeting date: The next meeting will convene on Thursday 26 November, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. The Role & Remit of STERG for the Next 6 Months
A revised draft of the role and remit of STERG was circulated in advance of the meeting. It was noted that STERG’s responsibility for delivering the Task Force recommendations was now reflected in that remit. The revised version was agreed by all. The final version will be hosted on VisitScotland.org.
Further work is required on the diagram which illustrates the operating context of STERG. The following comments were noted:
- Scottish Government officials on STERG will continue to be from the Tourism team only.
- To progress the Task Force recommendations engagement is required with Scottish Government officials and Ministers with portfolios beyond Tourism & Events, for example, Economic development (who have offered a reference group for STERG to work with), Skills, local government, Health, Transport, Fair Work and Climate Change. Currently there is no mechanism in place to bring these portfolios together, it was noted that this would need to be created.
Action: The SGov team will look to establish a reference group in Scottish Government that STERG could engage with.
- Currently there is no forum for the CEOs of the public agencies involved in STERFG to come together to discuss Tourism and its priorities. To progress the Task Force recommendations, it would be beneficial for STERG to be able to engage with a group like that. It was agreed that this would be proposed in the task Force paper that will go to Cabinet.
Action: The SGov team will put forward a recommendation in the Cabinet paper to create a group with the CEOs of the public agencies for STERG to engage with, (it was noted that this group should also include Transport Scotland).
- Barbara Clark (VisitScotland) is part of the economic comms group which also has representatives from SGov, HIE, SE, SoSE etc. Good relationships are being built here and a good understanding of tourism has developed.
2. Tourism Task Force Recommendations
The lead organisation for each Outcome identified in the Task Force report, was reviewed and further discussion took place on assigning the lead for Outcome 4. The following is agreed:
- Outcome 1 – SDS Lead
- Outcome 2 – VS Lead on Demand and Sustainability / Business Gateway Lead on Digital
- Outcome 3 – SE Lead
- Outcome 4 – Scottish Government Tourism Team
It was agreed that Outcome 4 should sit initially with the Scottish Government Tourism team. In preparing the Task Force paper for Cabinet, many of the recommendations in Outcome 4 have already been discussed and responses are being drafted in collaboration with colleagues in other departments across government.
It was noted that the Cabinet paper is work in progress and that further detail was required from STERG members. A draft of the Cabinet paper will be circulated to STERG imminently for input.
Action: STERG to provide additional detail as appropriate to be included in the Cabinet paper. STERG are asked to respond directly to Bettina Sizeland by close of play Tuesday 17 November – earlier if possible.
It was noted that a common template for each of the leads to complete would be helpful. This need will be re-assessed once STERG have had sight of the Cabinet paper as this may already contain an appropriate format.
It was noted that it will be important to commission the public agencies to do a formal delivery plan and this will be part of the request that goes into Cabinet.
It was advised that the Scottish Government’s budget will be published on 28 January 2021. It was noted therefore that any indication of what recommendations will or won’t be supported would be helpful to have as soon as possible.
It was noted that given the extreme fiscal constraints of the Scottish Government the funding required to deliver the Task Force recommendations will come from existing and new consequentials. It was noted that over the next couple of weeks it will become clear what can and can’t be covered by the Scottish Government and what we would need to press the UK Government for.
Following the four-way Ministerial call that was held last week, SGov officials have been working this week with UKGov officials on the proposed summit. The summit will not only cover the support and investment that is needed for the sector (which will require Treasury to be at the table), but also the clinical aspects and the refinement of restrictions.
The target date for this event will be December and it is hoped that the outcome will an agreed set of actions which all four nations support. It was noted on the Tourism Industry Council call earlier in the week that a four nations aligned approach would be appreciated. It was also noted that Treasury have been in contact with the STA to set up an initial introductory call. This will take place next week with a public affairs representative.
3. STERG Communication and Engagement
A number of activities are underway to improve STERG communications and engagement:
- A new, simple branding design is to be considered for the group
- A summary of activity completed STERG is to be collated and communicated
- There are a number of initiatives that VisitScotland is currently leading on which will be ready to share in the coming weeks: The Scenario toolkit, the Visitor Management activity and the new business survey.
- VisitScotland website statistics show 60,000 visits to STERG pages and 14,000 to the STERG Action Plan
- Partner communication channels will be audited to see how VS can help provide information for them.
- Links with the Economy comms group are to be strengthened
4. STERG Action Plan
It was agreed that once the actions have been identified from the Task Force recommendations they will be integrated into the STERG Action Plan.
5. Roadmap to Scotland Outlook 2030
A detailed proposal is currently being developed and will be presented to STERG for final sign off.
6. Partner updates
Enterprise Agencies
- The Hotel Support Programme is progressing and due diligence is continuing.
- HIE are now receiving proposals for DMO support funding. It was noted that this is not an open call for applications and normal funding conditions will apply. HIE is currently working with partners in the region on visitor management activities in preparation for next season.
- A recent survey carried out by the SSDA has highlighted the incredibly challenging position of businesses in the south who are sandwiched between the tight restrictions of Level 3 local authority areas in the central belt and the north of England which is currently in lockdown. It is expected that there will be further hotel closures. It was noted that the extension of furlough has lead to some hotels in the south closing over the winter and reopening in spring.
Business Gateway / COSLA
- Work continues on delivering the most recent grants on behalf of the SGov. It was noted that the eligibility criteria is causing a significant number of issues however local authorities are doing what they can to get the funds to businesses as soon as possible.
- Additional resource for Digital Boost in the current financial year is still to be confirmed. STERG discussed whether a general Digital Boost programme meets the needs of the tourism sector or whether a different dedicated Tourism programme was needed. All agreed that there should be one mainstream Digital Boost programme, however there are ways in which this could be tailored to meet the needs of tourism and work is ongoing on this between Business Gateway and VisitScotland.
- COSLA requested that the timeframe for the allocation of the consequentials needs to be shared as soon as possible. It was noted that the SGov is working on proposals for business support packages and the economic modelling to support these proposals is also underway. Packages being considered include business support top ups and support for businesses who have received no support or very limited support so far – further work is still to be done on this. It was highlighted by SGov that there is also a need to consider longer term investment over and above short term business support, this work is also ongoing. SGov advised that there was no confirmed date for agreeing this.
Skills Development Scotland
- The working group who developed the emerging talent retention and training programme proposal, recently met to review the proposal in light of the fact that furlough has been extended and will be redrafting the proposal to reflect two issues:
- The £2.5 million which is potentially available is part of the national transition training fund, this is focused on those who have been made redundant or are facing redundancy and this needs to be highlighted in the proposal.
- Staff who are on furlough, if they are directed by their employer to undertake training then they need to be remunerated for that. This needs to be looked at – should it be a voluntary training scheme? It was highlighted that the SGov team would need the revised proposal as soon as possible, in particular the revised costings to be able to feed into the Cabinet paper.
Action: Lawrence Durden to feedback any known changes to the SGov team by the beginning of next week.
- The flexible workforce development fund – for employers who are paying the apprenticeship levy, they can access funding up to £15k for training, this fund has been increased and will be opened up to SMEs, non levy paying employers. The understanding is that SMEs should be able to access funding up to £5k per business
- SGov asked about progress on the national mission for jobs and what was being done here.
Action: Lawrence Durden to discuss with colleagues at SDS and respond to SGov
STA
- Marc Crothall and Stephen Leckie had a private call with the First Minister on 11 November. During the call the FM referenced the fact that grants were being considered and recognised that the sector needed more support from the consequentials.
- Regarding the Emerging Talent proposal, it was noted that businesses need to know as soon as possible what and when decisions will be made on this. Businesses are having to make decisions at pace, particularly around people, to manage cost.
- Furlough implications have had an additional impact on business. Furlough is not being seen as a benefit to business, it’s seen as a cost.
- It was highlighted that a number of hotels are now closing. Gleneagles will be closed until February, the Hilton on William Street in Glasgow is also closing, all IHG properties are closing and many other hotels. The outbreak in Arran is seeing a voluntary level 4 closure for businesses on the island.
- It was noted that businesses on the Hotel Support Programme would welcome a letter providing reassurance that funds will be forthcoming, this would allow for decisions to be taken and commitments made and allow businesses to plan for the future.
- The first Scottish Agritourism conference is in progress with 150 people attending.
VisitScotland
- The Visitor Management strategic framework has been signed off and the individual workstreams are populating their parts. It is expected that a report will be presented to the Cabinet Secretary in December.
- The business survey will be issued next week (19 November). STERG members are encouraged to promote the survey through their own channels to encourage responses from a broad range of businesses within the sector, in particular hotels.
- Work will be undertaken by VS to identify the businesses that will or will not be open to ensure that up to date information is available for visitors who are able to travel.
7. Redundancy Update
- No further updates were noted.
Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting. Confidentiality of this information is assured
8. AOB
- No AOB was noted.
Next meeting date: the next meeting will convene on Thursday 19 November, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Scottish Government Framework
STERG members discussed the current issues and concerns around the Scottish Government Framework. The following points were raised:
- The impact of travel restrictions is one of the biggest concerns. Despite restrictions being relaxed for businesses in Level 1 and Level 2, these businesses, in many cases rely on a customer base from Level 3 areas (or other areas of the UK) and therefore are not seeing sufficient footfall to make their businesses viable. It was noted that some businesses in Level 1 and Level 2 have announced that for the first time they will be closing for the winter as it is not sustainable to keep the doors open. It was also noted that this is impacting not only hospitality but activity providers and visitor attractions. The travel restrictions are also having an impact on Level 3 businesses where footfall is again severely limited. It was acknowledged that the First Ministers recent clarity on travel restrictions has been helpful for consumers and businesses.
- The timely flow of grant support to businesses is a concern.
- It was noted that an extraordinary meeting of the Tourism Industry Council was held on Tuesday 3 November with Nigel Huddleston to discuss the national lockdown in England. Mr Huddleston accepted harsh criticism from industry on the lockdown measures and a letter that had been sent to the Chancellor from a number of hospitality trade bodies was discussed. The letter proposes a six month package of meaningful support for hospitality businesses, breweries and supply chain.
- It was highlighted that going forward, as we move between Levels, the guidance on what businesses can and cannot do must be clear and issued in a timely way.
- The Scottish Government team is continuing to engage with industry to define the detail of the guidance for tourism and hospitality. It was noted that further recommendations are expected from Industry about potential changes that could be made to meet the needs of business. It was highlighted however that government is still being guided by the medical professionals and therefore there are limits to what can be achieved.
- It was noted that consumer confidence should not be underestimated, not just about whether they will or won’t catch the virus but also the ongoing uncertainty about what you can and can’t do.
2. The role and remit of STERG for the next six months
A recent survey issued to STERG members and a limited number of sector and destination organisations, captured feedback on the work of STERG over the last seven months. Findings from the surveys, as well as the original remit of STERG, were considered when discussing STERG’s future role.
Discussions considered a number of different questions, should STERG continue as a Response Group or should it become a Recovery Group? Should STERG continue its coordination and communication role or should it now all be about delivery?
The following points were noted during discussions:
- Coordination and communication has been a core role for STERG and there is a need for this to continue.
- Many of the STERG partners highlighted that they are still in response mode and therefore there is still a need to continue with this role.
- It was recognised that STERG also needs to look forward and there is an expectation in the Task Force report that STERG will deliver the Task Force recommendations. Delivery therefore must be considered a part of STERG’s role.
- It was acknowledged that the work currently being done to support industry survival and recovery is vitally important however it is also important not to lose sight of the future. There is a need for an ‘entity’ to be taking the long term view also.
- The current dynamic of STERG is working well, frequent meetings and the size of the group allows it to be fleet of foot and this is seen as a key strength.
- It was highlighted that there are different levels of seniority within STERG and therefore it was important for senior leaders from partner organisations to be aware of STERG activity and the potential expectations placed on their organisations.
An update was provided on the current status of the Task Force report
- A call with UK Ministers will take place 5 November. The Task Force report and recommendations have been circulated to them and a request has been made for a joint political and industry discussion with the Treasury.
- The Cabinet paper will be presented on 1 December. This is to allow for financial modelling work to be completed and submitted alongside the Cabinet paper. This timing meets the timeline for the spending review.
- In terms of Delivery the current STERG members are the right organisations however it is recognised that engagement with senior leaders is vital.
- Going forward the focus needs to be on delivering the Task Force recommendations to get us back on track to delivering the 2030 Strategy.
Overall it was agreed that STERG still had a role to play in continuing to respond to the immediate impacts of the pandemic and therefore those elements of the current remit should still stand.
It was also noted that it was important for the coordination and communication role to continue, although it was recognised that improvements could be made here.
Finally, it was agreed that the role of STERG did need to evolve to also focus on the delivery of the Task Force recovery recommendations.
Action: STERG remit to be refreshed to reflect the agreed evolution of the group. Updated version to be signed off by STERG on 12 November.
Action: STERG to review how it can improve engagement levels with more senior leaders in partner organisations, the Task Force representatives and the broader industry in general.
3. Tourism Task Force recommendation
STERG discussed the outcomes and recommendations outlined in the Task Force report and agreed that a lead organisation from STERG should be assigned to each outcome. The lead organisation, in collaboration with other STERG partners, will scope out the recommendations into actions.
Each lead should review the recommendations under each of the outcomes and clarify:
1. Is it already being addressed in the STERG Action Plan?
2. Do any of the STERG partners have activity going on in this space?
3. If it’s not being addressed in the STERG Plan, or by a STERG partner then there is a need to identify what should the action be, who should lead on it and what other partners / organisations should be involved and what the approximate cost would be.
It was highlighted that the Enterprise Agencies typically take a cross sectoral approach rather than a sector specific approach and therefore it may be challenging to have a specific focus on tourism. However, although support may be generic, it is often tourism businesses who are benefiting from this support it’s just that this is not immediately obvious. There is possibly a lot of cross sectoral activity underway which would support the recommendations from the Task Force.
It was highlighted that a meeting was required between the Scottish Government and senior leaders of the Enterprise Agencies to ensure that the expectation of the role of the Agencies in supporting the delivery of the Task Force recommendations is clear. It was noted that progress in this area was underway.
It was noted that the recommendations targeted at the UK Government will be the responsibility of the Scottish Government Tourism Team and the STA with its lobbying role on behalf of industry.
Outcome 1: We will attract, develop and retain a skilled, committed, diverse and valued workforce.
Assigned lead, SDS (Skills Development Scotland)
A lot of work is already in progress within SDS which will help to address this Outcome – this needs to be identified.
The proposal for a ‘Scottish Tourism Emerging Talent Employee Retention and Training programme’, which was submitted by a Task Force Working Group, is still being considered by the Scottish Government. Funding has been identified for the training element of the programme however no progress has been made on identifying funding for the wage subsidy element.
The Task Force working group will reconvene on 9 November to review and develop the proposal particularly around access to funding.
It was noted that a lot of the work SDS undertakes is cross-sector and therefore the particular challenge within SDS will be ensuring a focus on tourism and addressing the areas that the Task Force report highlights.
It was agreed that a direct instruction from the Scottish Government to SDS detailing the need to support the tourism sector would be helpful. This would ensure that budgets are repurposed for the sectors that need it most, i.e. tourism.
Action: Scottish Government to set up a meeting with SDS to discuss the repurposing of budgets
It was highlighted that the Task Force report outlines asks for industry as well as the Scottish and UK governments. For this particular outcome it was noted that the adoption of fair work principles was key. It was acknowledged that this is also at the heart of Scotland Outlook 2030 and this is what the sector is working towards.
Outcome 2: We Will create and develop a sustainable destination together.
Boosts demand for tourism sectors: Assigned lead, VisitScotland
Many of the recommendations outlined here are already underway with VisitScotland
Boosts investment in the tourism sectors for growth and environmental sustainability: Assigned lead, Business Gateway.
Business Gateway will work in partnership with VisitScotland on the recommendations which relate to Digital solutions to support tourism.
VisitScotland will liaise with the Scottish Government Tourism Team and contacts at Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise on reducing carbon emissions.
It was noted that there is no commitment to any kind of coordinating mechanism for developing sustainable destinations, e.g. a DMO, this seems like an obvious gap, there should be something included.
Outcome 3: We will provide the very best, authentic and memorable experiences.
Assigned lead, SE (Scottish Enterprise)
SE is current lead for the Destination Leaders Programme (DLP) programme however it was noted that funding for this programme is due to come to an end.
Regarding support for innovation, it was noted that SE have moved away from sector specific support.
Outcome 4: We will build business resilience, sustainability and profitability.
Due to the diversity of recommendations under Outcome 4, it was agreed that further consideration should be given to who would be best placed to lead in these areas.
It was noted that some of the recommendations would sit with the Scottish Government e.g. NDR (Non-domestic rates) work, tax work. It was highlighted that some of the recommendations such as the re-evaluation of rates or NDR holiday will have a significant implication for local authorities and therefore local authorities will need to play a key role in these discussions.
In terms of enforcement it was suggested that it would be good to have a view from Local Authority / Industry perspective and therefore a Local Authority representative would be better to lead. The only issue to flag here however is that there will be Brexit implications to deal with and therefore there could be resource issues.
Clarity was required on who would be the right contact to help further develop what a reasonable working capital package might look like. In particular, additional insight from the economic development teams at local authorities or finance colleagues.
It was noted that grants issued through local authorities were in effect working capital. Based on lessons learned it is important to recognise two points, firstly that grants get to the right business, i.e. the business that needs it and secondly that the eligibility criteria is kept simple to avoid mass confusion.
It was recommended that a longer time is spent planning what it is that is trying to be achieved, it was also recommended that more resources are made available to assist this and finally it was noted that support packages should not be announced until the support is actually available.
Investment prospectus
The Task Force recommendations and the subsequent delivery plan will support survival and recovery and includes asks for financial support from the Scottish and UK governments, however, in addition, the sector needs to move to a more sustainable footing in terms of long-term financing and investment.
The current approach to the development of inward investment could be seen as piecemeal and consideration should be given to a better more coherent investment strategy and a first step towards this would be putting together what the investable offer is.
Typically, it has been the Enterprise Agencies who have developed investment prospectuses. Historically SE and SDI have developed an investment prospectus for each of the key sectors, this is no longer the approach being taken. The approach now being considered is a regional investment prospectus which brings together all of the partners from a place perspective, across all sectors and showcases the investment opportunities for that place.
Following the meeting a recent presentation on Scotland’s new Inward Investment strategy was shared with the group. It is noted that Tourism is not one on the nine areas of opportunity identified for inward investment.
It was noted that in terms of sector recovery and survival there is a gap between what industry is asking for and what is affordable by the public sector and therefore there is a need to bring in other investors to help us achieve what we need to do.
Transition to a low carbon economy (see outcome 2)
There is a need to understand what the requirement is in this area.
It was highlighted that there is potential budget available from the low carbon fund to support low carbon initiatives in the tourism area.
It was noted that there is specific resource within the Scottish Government tourism team with expertise in this area. It was also noted that there is resource within SE looking at how tourism can contribute to this agenda.
It was noted that VisitScotland is doing a lot of work in this space and therefore would take a coordinating role here with the Scottish Government team, SE and HIE input.
Asks of Cabinet
“Commission further work by the Enterprise agencies and VisitScotland to develop the priorities as a five year recovery programme for Scottish Government spending review consideration dependent on availability of additional funding from UKG.”
It was recommended that this is progressed and that ideally a draft should be presented to Cabinet alongside the Cabinet paper on 1 December.
It was noted that the leads identified for each of the outcomes will first need to scope out the actions, including a lead organisation and an estimated cost for delivery. Following that all STERG partners around the table will work together to pull together a delivery plan outlining how the Agencies and VisitScotland will support the sector.
4. STERG Action Plan
It was recognised that the STERG Action Plan contains a significant level of detail about the activities that are in progress across all of the STERG partners and that it was important for this detail not to be lost.
It was noted that a working group meets regularly to ensure the plan is kept up to date and as new information is received, new actions are added.
It was highlighted that the current Plan already contains actions which respond to the Task Force recommendations and therefore there is a logic to tying both of these documents together. This could be done by relating the actions in the STERG Plan back to the outcomes identified in the Task Force report.
Action: Karen Christie to integrate the STERG Action Plan with the Task Force Recommendations, this will ensure we don’t lose sight of what we’ve got but it also identifies the gaps that need to be filled in terms of funding, allocating responsibility etc.
It was noted that the value of the current plan is not clear, nor is the readership. Feedback from the STERG surveys suggests that it is difficult to navigate and difficult to pick out what is relevant to the reader. This is a communication challenge and should be addressed.
The question was raised as to whether STERG should now solely focus on the delivery of the Task Force recommendations which would negate the need to capture other activities that are taking place?
5. STERG communication
Feedback from the recent STERG surveys which were issued to STERG members and a number of sector and destination organisations, highlighted that the communication of STERG’s role and the activities that STERG is involved with could be improved.
With regard to communicating the role of STERG in delivering the Task Force recommendations it was noted that STERG, as a priority, needs to agree a number of key messages - the role of STERG moving forward, what it is STERG going to deliver, what is the funding that will be available and what is the timing. It was noted that this information may not become available until after Cabinet has discussed the recommendations on 1 December.
It was noted that there are many tactics that can be employed across various different platforms to raise the profile of STERG and bring STERG to life, video content, webinars etc. however getting the key messages right first were the most important.
It was agreed that interim communications should be considered to highlight some of the work that STERG is already undertaking in response to the Task Force recommendations or in response to other challenges which have been faced by industry. This should provide reassurance that STERG is continuing to progress key actions.
Action: VisitScotland to look at an interim comms plan.
6. STERG engagement
It was agreed that the current make-up of STERG would not change in the short term. However, it was acknowledged that STERG does need to look at how it can better engage with senior representatives in all partner organisations as well as with a broader section of the industry, in particular sector groups and DMOs.
It was recognised that it was important to have closer engagement with key industry stakeholders in this next phase and that the STA was well placed to facilitate this.
STA member Forums were noted as a good, existing platform that could be used by STERG to bring organisations together to seek views and opinions on recovery / Action Plans. There a three Forums, Hospitality Member Forum, Destination Member Forum and Tourism Sector Member Forum. Forums have the flexibility to be convened when needed.
It was also acknowledged that although the Task Force was a short life group, specifically established to provide recommendations on the essential actions to support tourism and hospitality recovery, there should be a mechanism to keep the Task Force engaged with the progress being made on the recommendations and to look at how willing Task Force members could play an active part in the process.
7. A Roadmap to Scotland Outlook 2030
A proposal outlining the process and timescales for segueing back to Scotland Outlook 2030 was circulated to STERG members in advance of the meeting. All STERG members agreed with the approach outlined and agreed that the proposal should now be scoped in further detail to understand resource commitment.
Action: Karen Christie to scope a detailed proposal for STERG approval.
It was noted that there is no longer an active Tourism Leadership Group (TLG) and it was proposed that a new governance structure should be considered over the next six months. It was highlighted that when the time is right this new structure could be the group that would take ownership of the longer term recovery plan and the transition back to Scotland Outlook 2030.
8. AOB
A new COVID-19 industry impact survey is to be launched by VisitScotland during November. This survey, which follows on from the two industry impact surveys that were conducted in March, will be targeted at all businesses across the sector.
A draft of the questionnaire was circulated to STERG members for comment.
Action: STERG members to feedback comments to Karen Christie by Friday 6 November.
Next meeting date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 12 November, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Scottish Government Framework
STERG members shared recently gathered feedback on the government’s new framework. The following comments were noted:
Following the Strategic Framework announcement by the First Minister on Friday 23rd, the STA and trade body representatives from the hospitality sector met with Director-General Economy Liz Ditchburn and other government officials late Friday afternoon to provide feedback on the framework.
During the meeting the industry highlighted it’s disappointed that engagement on the framework was taking place so late in the process. Hospitality trade body representatives put forward a set of recommendations late on Friday night for consideration. A further meeting took place on Saturday morning with Fergus Ewing, Jason Leitch and a number of trade bodies from the wider tourism sector.
It was noted that very little from the recommendations proposed by the hospitality trade bodies had filtered into the framework that was presented on Tuesday 27.
Major concerns raised are as follows:
- Tier 3 restrictions. Even although pubs are now allowed to open their doors, without selling alcohol, the viability of doing so is questionable, many may not have a food offering and there is still the issue of background music and ambience. The impact of not being able to sell alcohol is still disappointing particularly for hotels.
- In Tier 2 the additional trading hours are not going to be a game changer for many.
- The impact of travel restrictions, for example, any potential benefits gained in Tier 2 will potentially be eroded if the custom base (which could predominantly be coming from Tier 3) cannot travel, so the dependency will be on a local customer base.
- The level of grant support available to those businesses who are not forced to close as they won’t qualify for the full grant that is available. There is also concern about the impact of the Job Support Scheme. At the last meeting with government officials, Liz Ditchburn committed to going back to the Economists to have a look at what level of grant support could be made available.
- Concern about how the banks may view the current situation of Scottish hospitality business. In addition it has been noted that energy providers to the hospitality sector are reconsidering their contracts.
- Visitor attractions will be allowed to operate on Tier 3
- The rule of 6 for self-catering remains a concern
- NDR business operators who fall outside of the current grant scheme which has been presented are extremely worried as are those businesses who have never been allowed to open in the first place.
- Increasing negative impact on people’s mental health and well being
Although the engagement with Liz Ditchburn has been welcomed it was noted that it could have been more timely.
There is an understanding that the recommendations from the hospitality trade bodies will be taken forward and considered over the coming weeks.
Understanding the measures that will be used to inform movement between Tiers and how long you could stay within a Tier will be very important
It was noted that Willie Rennie MSP, Claire Baker MSP and Oliver Mundell MSP attended 2 STA Forums at the beginning of the week and they are all very aware of the challenges that the industry face and the significant concerns around grant support.
Comments expressed today at the VS Board meeting succinctly summed up the mood of industry right now, “… there has been a dramatic loss of confidence in government… the mood has changed dramatically… huge negativity and concern about a significant number of businesses not lasting through until next year and therefore the ability of the industry to deliver anything should it be opened up…”
Clarity is urgently needed on travel between tiers – will it be prohibited to travel from a Tier 4 to a Tier 3 or from a Tier 3 to a Tier 2 to stay in accommodation or to visit? In order to communicate a clear message this is the level of detail required.
It was noted that Mr Ewing is aware of this issue and appreciates the potential impact of travel restrictions. Announcements this afternoon from the FM should make this clearer.
It was also highlighted that the views of communities also need to be taken into account, some communities may not want visitors from an area that’s in a higher Tier, there is the potential therefore for anti-tourism sentiment rising. In addition, from a business’s perspective can they take bookings from areas in a higher Tier than them regardless of where they are in the UK? Overall what will be the grant support available to reflect the implications of these restrictions?
The importance of local authorities having the right resourcing levels to be able to manage and deliver grant payments will be critical.
2. Tourism Task Force Report
The Tourism Task Force report was published on Friday 23rd October and was widely distributed across industry and stakeholders. The website stats showing the following engagement to date:
Page views - 1,987
Unique page views - 1,817
Time spent on page - 03:12
https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/tourism-recovery/
The report was discussed at the STA Forums with the MSPs who attended and overall they thought it was very thorough and provided a good, positive framework.
Disappointment has been expressed that the report does not explicitly refer to the outdoor sector. It was noted that the published document is a summary version of the full report. The full report will be submitted to the Scottish Cabinet at the beginning of November. This report is a segue back to Scotland Outlook 2030 where outdoor and rural are highlighted as very important.
The STA has written to the First Minister requesting a meeting to discuss the priority recommendations in the report, (in addition to other topics such as Short Term Lets).
Fergus Ewing is meeting with the other Tourism Ministers on Thursday 5th November and the Task Force report will feature on the agenda – a copy of the report has been sent to all Ministers
Further comms will be undertaken this week to raise the profile of the Task Force document even more.
3. Taking Stock
A short survey was issued to STERG members and a limited number of Sector and Destination organisations to capture feedback on the work of STERG over the last 7 months. The lessons learned from this exercise will help shape the work of STERG over the coming months.
From the responses received so far, there are some key points to note:
- Role and remit of STERG should be reviewed in light of the changes that have taken place since STERG first reconvened in March.
- A coordinated and collaborative approach across public agencies, Scottish government and industry has developed closer relationships - Improved communication and engagement with a broader representation of the tourism and hospitality sector will improve outcomes.
- Deliver on the Task Force recommendations
4. STERG Planning Session
An agenda for the planning session next week will be circulated shortly for input by STERG members.
An initial area for discussion will be the role of STERG moving forward, this will be informed, in part, by the insight gained from the recent surveys.
In addition, STERG’s role in the delivery of the Task Force recommendations should be discussed and agreed. It was noted that the full Task Force report does not go to Cabinet until the beginning of November. It was also noted that many of the Task Force recommendations will be dependent on the Scottish Governments budget and as yet we do not have clarity around a date for the Scottish Budget.
It was agreed that the session next week should aim to identify where STERG’s area of focus should be.
It was highlighted for information that each of the public agencies represented on STERG all have their own Strategic plans which informs how they will deliver on their own organisational ambitions, this could impact on what the agencies can or cannot do.
5. STERG Action Plan
The next update of the STERG Action Plan will be published on VS.org w/c 2nd November.
It was noted that the Plan contains a huge amount of detail and that there is a need to consider how the key points within the Plan can be effectively communicated without the need to read the whole document.
The STERG working group will meet this afternoon to scope further actions / interventions that could be taken to mitigate the impact of the implications identified from the STERG Scenarios.
6. Scenarios Toolkit
VisitScotland is continuing to progress the industry toolkit. This is expected to launch in November.
7. Partner Updates
Enterprise Agencies
The priority focus continues to be the Hotel Support Programme. Due diligence is continuing with all eligible applicants. It is anticipated that formal offers and awards will take place in October and November 2020.
It was noted that SoSE are being approached by a few hotels recently for crisis funding – this will be monitored.
Skills Development Scotland
National Training Transition Fund for individuals has gone live for the over 25’s. The Youth guarantee and Kick Start programme are targeted at those under 25.
The Tourism Skills Group met on Tuesday 27th. Discussions focussed on: - The future skills landscape and what the future skills issues will be, e.g. workplace transformation, fair work, the impact of technology. Further work will be done to flesh out these thoughts into a useful document which can be fed in for consideration.
- The emerging talent and training & retention programme, this proposal is currently sitting with the Scottish Government. It was suggested that the group who developed the proposal reconvene to look at the changes that have taken place since the proposal was presented and agree whether any amendments need to be made to reflect this.
Scottish Government Tourism Team
Work is continuing on the Tier structure. Currently waiting on the detail of the travel restrictions so that the guidance and the Q&A can be updated.
STA
The STA online AGM will be held on 4th November. The second part of the agenda will focus on the recommendations outlined in the Tourism Task Force report. A letter regarding Short Term Lets has been sent to Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning which includes the additional signatories from some of the key business organisations such as CBI and SCDI. This now has support from areas out with the Tourism sector.
The STA have requested a meeting with the First Minister, some of the agenda points will include, Short Term Lets and the Emerging Talent fund.
Concerns have been raised by industry around the Hotel Support Programme, particularly around the timing, administration and getting the cash out to the businesses as this is now urgent.
8. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. It was noted that south of Scotland data is now included. Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting. Confidentiality of this information is assured.
9. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will be an extended planning session on Thursday 5th November, 10.00am-12.00pm.
1. Government Announcements – Communication
It was stressed that any information relating to the new tiering structure due to be announced on Friday, must be provided as quickly as possible to VisitScotland so that it can be shared on VS.org. allowing businesses to understand the implications and to help answer any questions that may arise. Industry consultation on the new tiering structure was discussed.
Significant concern was raised that there hasn’t yet been any meaningful dialogue with industry on the tiering structure.
It was noted that industry engagement is due to take place at the beginning of next week. 6 Economy Ministers will be contacting key industry contacts to consult on the tiering structure from Monday 26th.
Further concern was raised that this may be too late, at that stage it is difficult to see what degree of consultation will be possible. It is critical that there is an opportunity to discuss the detail and shape the conditions around the tiers and not just accept what has already been decided.
It was highlighted that James Johnston, who has been taking the lead on the Tourism and hospitality guidance and who has fed into the tiering proposals, has had conversations with a number of representatives from the sector to discuss this and this has been part of the consultation process.
It was noted that the biggest issue to consider will be the additional grant support that will be available to compensate for the any additional restrictions in the future, it was highlighted that the current support packages are not sufficient and do not compensate businesses adequately. For industry clarity around grants will be fundamental.
2. Taking Stock and the Forward Plan
To ensure that the work of STERG in the coming 6 months continues to support industry in the most effective way and continues to add value, it was agreed that some research would be carried out with both Industry and STERG members.
The aim of the research is to review the previous 7 months and capture any lessons learned. A survey has been issued to STERG members for completion by 26th October. The VisitScotland Insight team are currently designing a similar survey for industry, for launch in November.
All learnings will help to shape STERG’s forward plan. Action: The STERG meeting on 5th November will be extended to accommodate a planning session. The session will run 10am-12pm.
3. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force Report
The final Task Force report is complete and has now been submitted to Cabinet Ministers. A response to the report from Scottish Government is expected in November. It was noted that Scottish Government economists are looking at potential funding packages for Cabinet to consider alongside the recommendations.
A public facing Task Force report has been produced and will be launched by the STA on Friday 23rd October, accompanied by a press release from the Scottish Government.
It was agreed that Barbara Clark, VS will liaise with the Comms teams from each of the partner organisations on the press release.
It was recognised that the recommendations set out in the Task Force publication address many of the key issues and frustrations that are being felt right now and therefore the importance of socialising the publication with stakeholders as soon as possible was critical. It was noted that the STA will be sharing the Task Force publication widely, including with opposition party MSPs and UK Ministers. The publication will be discussed at the STA Forums next week and at the STA AGM.
STERG will hold a planning session on Thursday 5th November to consider the recommendations of the Task Force and to look at how the priority actions can be integrated into the STERG Action Plan. The future integration with Scotland Outlook 2030 will also be considered.
4. STERG Action Plan
STERG Action Plan continues to be updated to reflect the current activities being undertaken by all partners. Next update expected w/c 26th October.
The STERG working group are to meet w/c 26th October to further develop the Action Plan based on the implications identified from the STERG Scenarios.
5. STERG Scenarios – Industry Engagement
VisitScotland is progressing with the industry engagement plan for the STERG Scenarios. Sector engagement sessions were scheduled w/c 19th October. An industry toolkit is expected by the end of October.
6. Partner Updates Business Gateway
Local Authorities are focused on administering the new Coronavirus Restrictions fund, (£48m, increased from £40m). Local authority websites opened for applications at 9am on 20th October and will close to applications at 5pm on 3rd November. The fund includes a business closure fund and a business hardship fund.
It was highlighted that clarity around the eligibility criteria for the funds is critical to avoid confusion and delays. It was noted that Local Authorities are significantly under resourced however they will continue to prioritise the processing and delivery of these funds to businesses.
Discussions are ongoing about the criteria for the discretionary fund and a submission will be put forward to ministers imminently to help define this. The furlough top up scheme is also under discussion.
Business Gateway will be hosting a ‘Business Survival Webinar: Preparing your business for future restriction’, on Tuesday 27th October.
Enterprise Agencies
The key priority focus for all agencies is the Hotel Support Programme. Due diligence is continuing with all eligible applicants. It is anticipated that formal offers and awards should begin to take place w/c 26th October.
SoSE and VisitScotland are currently undertaking work with hotels and venues where their primary product is weddings to understand the challenges that they have faced and the access to funding that they have had. Further information will be shared with STERG when it becomes available. It was noted that there is still confusion over the restrictions placed on private estates for weddings.
It has been highlighted to SoSE that businesses are experiencing challenges with visitor behaviour, in particular visitors heading across the border to do their drinking and then coming back over the border to their accommodation.
The team at SE have been working with Creative Scotland on the Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund and the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund.
Skills Development Scotland
Ongoing delivery of PACE
A new service is about to be launched on MyWoW for adults, this will provide careers guidance and skills development advice to people who are in work.
October information on the impact of COVID on the Scottish labour market has just been released: www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/skills-planning/covid-19-labour-market-insights/
Information on the National Transition Training Fund for Scottish Government is now available. This is targeted at over 25’s who have been made redundant or who are under threat of redundancy. https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/news-events/2020/october/new-national-transition-training-fund-offers-fresh-support-for-people-facing-redundancy/
Work is ongoing with the hospitality sector in particular to support apprentices who may be subject to redundancy and may not be able to find alternative work to complete their apprenticeship through creating a record of achievement which captures their learning and can be taken to other employers.
It was noted that under 25’s who are not on an apprenticeship programme, would be eligible for support through: - Kick Start scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-launches-kickstart-scheme-for-youth-in-scotland - Employability Fund delivered through local authorities - Individual Training Accounts https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/news-events/2020/october/individual-training-accounts-to-remain-open-until-28-february-2021/
Support through Developing the Young Workforce programmes
Support through SDS Careers Advisers and PACE Advisers and the range of My World of Work services https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/redundancy-help-scotland - Support through college programmes
STA
The STA Forums will be held on 26th and 27th October. On the 26th Willie Rennie MSP, Claire Baker MSP and Oliver Mundell MSPs will be joining the Forums and the cabinet Secretary will be joining the Forum on the 27th.
The STA online AGM will be held on 4th November
It was noted that there have been no announcements from the Scottish Government on restrictions around Halloween, it was questioned whether any announcements around this were to be expected. (Wales have prohibited Halloween or bonfire celebrations because of their new lockdown rules).
VisitScotland
Ensuring visibility of guidelines
Supporting the communications for Events Industry Support Fund which is expected to be completed by first week in November.
7. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. It was noted that south of Scotland data is now included.
Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting. Confidentiality of this information is assured.
8. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 29th October, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Government Announcements / Local Lockdowns – Communication
A brief update was provided on current Scottish Government thinking on COVID-19 restrictions - Work is continuing to look at a tiered approach to the pandemic in Scotland and how that could possibly operate. It is unclear what this could finally look like, however it is anticipated that this approach could provide more clarity particularly on specific trigger points which would result in movement between different tiers. It was noted that there is an intention within the Scottish Government to align to UK thinking. - It is recognised that there are a lot of discussions ongoing about travel restrictions, especially cross-border travel restrictions however there is no clarity yet around next steps.
Further clarity on the £40m support fund was provided: - Local authorities will be administering the funds, (COVID-19 Restrictions Fund £10m and a Hardship Fund £11m) - Final details are being confirmed however businesses will be able to apply on local authority websites from 9am on Tuesday 20th October and will close at 5pm on Tuesday 3rd November. Further details can be found online https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions-fund/
2. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The final Task Force report is complete and will be submitted to the Scottish Cabinet imminently. A response to the report from Cabinet Ministers will be sought.
A final draft of the streamlined, public facing document is now complete and awaits final approval from Ministers and the Task Force. It is planned to launch the report by the end of w/c 19th October.
3. STERG Action Plan
The refreshed STERG Action Plan is live on VS.org - https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/advice/coronavirus/sterg/national-action-plan
The STERG Working Group, along with key stakeholders are to consider the sector ‘innovation’ challenge. Next steps are currently being scoped.
It was noted that the STERG meeting on Thursday 5th November will consider the recommendations of the Task Force and look to integrate the priority actions into the STERG Plan.
4. Scenario Planning
VisitScotland is progressing with the industry engagement plan for the STERG Scenarios. Sector engagement sessions are expected w/c 19th October. An industry toolkit is expected by the end of
October.
The implications identified from the STERG Scenarios are helping to inform the development of the Action Plan. A final session with the STERG working group is to be scheduled.
Discussions are continuing with Scottish Enterprise to look at how the three sets of tourism scenarios can be brought together to help shape a pathway back to the ambition that was set out in Scotland Outlook 2030.
5. The Forward Plan
It was noted that the ongoing uncertainty that is being faced by industry and the even greater uncertainty about what is coming next is extremely tough for all and requires plans for the next c. 6
months to be re-focused to ensure that we can be prepared for whatever might lie ahead.
The STERG Action Plan, the Scenario Planning work and the recent recommendations from the Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force will be key to this and will be discussed in depth at the STERG session on 5th November, however there are other actions which STERG agreed to consider and discuss further:
- A review of the last 7 months to identify lessons learned and build these into the forward plans.
- A review of summer 2020 to get a true understanding of how different sectors and geographies across Scotland have fared, what worked and what didn’t work?
- Are the necessary actions being taken now to address the issues and challenges that current intelligence has already identified?
6. Partner Updates
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme continues to be the key focus. All agencies are now working through the detailed due diligence stage with eligible applicants. It is anticipated that formal offers and awards will
take place in October 2020.
Business Gateway
Work is ongoing to quickly confirm the details of the new support funds. Local Authority websites will be open to applications from 20th October. The Digital Boost programme secured additional resources this year from the Scottish Government.
These resources are focused on what are the new things that we could do with the programme to set it up for additional funding for next year to continue the programme. Part of the funding is a £700k capital grant support specifically for digital projects. All current and previous clients of the Digital Boost portfolio were contacted which has resulted in a significant number of Expressions of Interest being received, all EOIs are currently being assessed.
The process is being done at pace to ensure that success can be demonstrated quickly as there may be an opportunity to secure additional funding. It was noted that this fund is not about trying to keep businesses going, this is targeted at businesses who have an opportunity to do something in the digital space to help their business.
VisitScotland
The Visitor Management Strategic Group, created during the summer to address issues of wild / dirty camping and over tourism, is making good progress, all three sub groups are working well. A
presentation date with the Cabinet Secretary in November is proposed. Communicating the progress of this group and the initiatives which communities and local authorities are working on together is
recognised as important.
The RTIF will meet at the beginning of December to make their final decisions.
£6m Events Industry Support Fund
- 837 applications received.
- All assessments are complete.
- An appeals process is in place.
- Fund expected to be completed by first week in November.
Scottish Government Tourism Team
Focus is on anticipating and advance preparation for future Scottish Government announcements.
STA
The STA launched a survey on 8th October (closed 14th October) to capture the financial impact of the latest restrictions. The survey captured evidence in four key areas, total fixed costs if your business has
to close for the 16 days, loss of room revenue due to cancellations, loss of revenue for food & beverage outlets and the impact on employment.
Headlines from the survey are below:
- A total of 350 businesses responded, 180 of which have had to fully or partially close aspects of theirbusiness
- 47% of businesses said having to close fully/partially between 10th - 25th October would incur fixed costs of up to £5,000 still having to be covered
- 5% said that despite zero income, more than £50,001 in fixed costs would still have to be covered
- 30% businesses who responded said they expected to lose up to £5,000 in revenue due to not being able to operate their food and drink outlets normally due to new restrictions
- 9% of businesses said they expected to lose more than £50,001+
- 38% of activity operators and visitor attractions who responded said they expected to lose up to £5,000 in total revenue due to new restrictions
Full report can be found on the STA website: https://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/sta-snap-survey-onthe- impact-of-the-latest-restrictions-on-hospitality/
The STA have submitted their response to the Scottish Governments Short Term Lets Consultation.
7. Redundancy Update
It was noted that the SLAED tourism group will feed in appropriate insight to the redundancy tracker document.
Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded
8. AOB
It was highlighted that there was a need to ensure that any activities or events that may take place next year should be staggered so that there is a series of activities happening across the country at different
times allowing for more places to benefit.
It was noted that VisitScotland are considering focusing on more event support towards community related events which would allow for more events to be supported on a broader geographical scale.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 22nd October, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Government Announcements and Updated Scottish Government Guidance
Updated government guidance and the detailed FAQs which will reflect the First Minister’s statement on 7th October, is currently being finalised and will be published today (8th October).
It was noted that it was regrettable that the guidance and FAQs had not been available immediately after the FM’s statement, however, the final details of the announcement were not known sufficiently in advance to allow for accurate, detailed documents to be produced as the content of the statement had continued to evolve to reflect the latest scientific evidence.
It was acknowledged that this delay had angered and frustrated industry as the lack of clarity had had an immediate impact on businesses. Many accommodation providers for example saw significant cancellations following the statement.
Moving forward it was agreed that the process needed to be improved and while we may not know when further changes or restrictions may happen we can anticipate certain situations such as further national or local lockdowns. It was proposed therefore that STERG should prepare a core set of questions which would be developed in advance to reflect the many different possible situations, this should help to provide clarity in a more timely fashion.
Details of the £40m financial support package are being developed. At this stage it is possible that the fund will be administered through the local authorities. A number of options are being considered including a model similar to that used during the temporary lockdown in Aberdeen, furlough top up options, discretionary local authority grants and future reserves. Scottish Government officials are arranging calls with key stakeholders to discuss options.
It was highlighted that the impact of these latest restrictions will be felt widely across the sector, not just hospitality but the adventure sector and other sectors including the supply chain. It was noted that it has been made very clear to ministers that the £40m will be a drop in the ocean compared to what is required to break even.
The STA will launch a survey today (8th October) to capture the financial impact of the latest restrictions. The survey will capture evidence in four key areas, total fixed costs if your business has to close for the 16 days, loss of room revenue due to cancellations, loss of revenue for food & beverage outlets and the impact on employment.
2. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The final Task Force report for the Scottish Cabinet will be completed by Friday 9th October. A draft has already been approved by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism and the Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills.
A streamlined, public facing document will be produced and published in parallel. Date of release in
October is to be confirmed.
3. STERG Action Plan
The STERG Action Plan has been updated and circulated to STERG for sign off by Friday 9th October. The format of the Plan reflects the key priorities of Scotland Outlook 2030 while still focussing on the Scottish Government’s Restart and Recover phases of the four-step economic plan. It was noted that the Plan is
an evolving document which continues to respond to scientific evidence and government advice.
Updated STERG Action Plan to be published on VS.org w/c 12th October.
Following discussions at STERG on 1st October and further discussions with the Insight team at VS, it was agreed that no further industry surveys would be undertaken at this time due to the number of sector surveys which are ongoing. This will be reviewed once the output of sector surveys are known.
Following a review of the STERG Scenarios by the working group it was agreed that ‘Innovation’ could be one of the key components of sector recovery. A gap has been identified in sector specific Innovation /
New Product Development support and it was agreed that action should be taken to address this.
Action: STERG working group to scope out the actions required.
4. Scenario Planning
Discussions are continuing with Scottish Enterprise to look at how the three sets of tourism scenarios canbe brought together to stress test Scotland Outlook 2030.
STERG Scenarios
- The implications identified from the STERG Scenarios are helping to inform the development of the Action Plan. A final session with the STERG working group is to be scheduled w/c 19th October.
- VisitScotland continues to progress with the industry engagement plan for the Scenarios. An industry toolkit is expected by the end of October.
Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios
- The Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios will be circulated to Ministers with the final Task Force report and will be shared publicly when the Task Force recommendations are published.
5. Public Health Data
Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing and public health officials held a meeting on 5th October with Tourism and Hospitality representatives to review the public health data in more detail.
The evidence base which the Scottish Government is using to guide it’s decision making was published on 7th October along with the FMs statement. It was noted that while this provides transparency of the data it doesn’t necessarily provide complete clarity.
6. Short Term Lets – Scottish Government Consultation
Although not specifically COVID related, a number of points were raised around the Short Term Lets Consultation:
- It was noted that there is significant concern from the self-catering sector about the timing of this. Industry’s view is that this should be put on the back burner as there is concern that these proposals
have not been looked at through a COVID lens and are being forced through, at pace, unnecessarily.
- In addition, concern has been raised about the proportionality and focus of these proposed regulations. Are the additional levels of bureaucracy and cost necessary and are the issues concentrated in specific geographic areas as opposed to the whole country?
- It was highlighted that no one is contesting the reasons that initially prompted the need for regulation, however, time should be taken to explore alternative solutions which could result in a better outcome.
STERG were asked to consider the feedback which should be taken back to ministers, including whether the additional regulations, to help create a level playing field, could actually help the sector to recover?
STERG were also asked to be mindful that these regulations have a reach which is far wider than tourism and the impact on other areas should also be considered.
7. Partner Updates
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme continues to be the key focus for all agencies. All applicants have now been notified of their eligibility to proceed to the next stage. It is anticipated that formal offers and
awards will take place in October 2020.
Skills Development Scotland
September PACE figures have just been released and show a marked increase in the number of hospitality businesses and individuals seeking redundancy support. In August 375 individuals were
seeking support and in September 1,183 individuals were seeking support.
VisitScotland
Primary focus is working with the Scottish Government team to communicate the updated guidance to industry as soon as possible.
£6m Events Industry Support Fund
- 837 applications received.
- All assessments are complete.
- An appeals process is in place.
- Fund expected to be completed by the end of October.
Scottish Government Tourism Team
Immediate focus is completing the guidance update and FAQs.
STA
The STA and key inbound travel trade representatives will hold a meeting with Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing on 19th October to present the findings from a recent travel trade survey which has looked at the impact of COVID-19 on this sector and incudes insight on revenue this year vs last year and the impact.
8. Redundancy Update
An update on sector redundancy information was circulated prior to the meeting. It was noted that South of Scotland data is now included. Confidentiality of this information was assured.
Action: Redundancy updates from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
9. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 15th October, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Public Health Data
Kevin Brady, senior Economist, Office of the Chief Economic Adviser, joined the meeting to update STERG on the work that is being done to make public health data available at a Scotland level, (particularly around hospitality) and to share concerns about the way the Public Health England data is being represented.
Scottish Government is receiving regular data through the track and trace system around exposures that people are having in different settings when they have tested positive for Coronavirus. Through the trace and protect system people are asked to report where they have been within the last 2-7 days before their symptoms have manifested or they have tested positive, that includes settings like pubs, restaurants, hospitality venues. It should be noted that this is slightly different to the data that is being circulated on social media for acute respiratory infection incidents that Public Health England are publishing which relate to sites where identifiable outbreaks of acute respiratory infections (which includes COVID-19) have taken place.
The statistic which is being quoted, 3%-5% of incidents are taking place in food service and hospitality settings – relate to outbreaks, they aren’t exposures. (It should be noted that the number of outbreaks reported in the PHE data does not reflect the number of people who were infected in that outbreak so doesn’t show the scale of transmission.) Scottish Ministers and Officials recognise that there is a gap on the public availability of this type of data in Scotland so are working at both an Official level and ministerial level to establish what data can be made available on a regular basis (and particularly how it relates to hospitality) in order to provide transparency of the data that is informing decision making. These discussions are ongoing.
It was noted that industry would welcome visibility of data / evidence in a similar format to the recent weekly pie chart representation of Public Health England data which is being actively shared by individuals and organisations, it is understood however that the correct interpretation of the data, i.e. what the data is actually telling us is critical. Ultimately industry would like to demonstrate that the restrictions that are being put in place are showing improvements as a result of diligence by the industry.
It was highlighted that the data currently available does not prove causality and this is due to the nature of COVID and how it is transmitted. Unlike food poisoning for example where it can be relatively easy for an outbreak to be traced back to a single location, with COVID it takes time for symptoms to manifest themselves.
There are therefore two sets of data. The first, (e.g. the pie chart) derived from Public Health England, shows the number of outbreaks that have had confirmed cases that link back to a particular setting, (P18-20 in the weekly Public Health England publication). The second data set is from contact tracing. That’s where people who have tested positive are contacted and asked about the places they have been and what they have been doing in the days before symptoms appeared or received a positive test. This does not prove where they got the virus from, it only shows what they were doing in the period where the virus was potentially incubating. It has been found that eating out appears as a relatively high percentage of the activity being undertaken during that time period.
Public Health colleagues have advised that this is the data which is guiding the thinking and informing decision making but would not necessarily say that it proves causality. What it does say is where people who have tested positive have been going. It was noted that both sets of data should be viewed together. It was also noted that neither data set tells us how many people are catching COVID from a hospitality setting.
2. Recent Government Announcements and Updated Scottish Government Guidance
It was noted that the recent changes to restrictions on hospitality, which were announced last week, (w/c 21 September), by the Scottish Government, has identified a number of challenges with the process of engagement and communication between industry and Scottish Government. It was acknowledged that everyone is working at pace and striving to get the best result for the sector however it was recognised that improved partnership working and closer, continuous engagement would help to address these challenges moving forward, particularly around areas such as development and timely delivery of sector guidance and FAQs.
Misinformation on social media regarding sector guidance in Scotland is a growing concern, particularly when it is confused with guidance from other parts of the UK. The importance of STERG partners signposting the Scottish Government guidance as the single source of truth cannot be underestimated.
www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/advice/coronavirus
Public conversations are continuing around ‘circuit breakers’ and the potential impact of this. While Boris Johnson has said that he wants to see the hospitality restrictions announced last week take effect before any other changes are made, Jason Leitch on GMS today commented that the October holiday period was an area that was being looked at. These comments have immediately sparked a reaction form industry keen to understand the potential implications. While we do not know what is likely to come down the track we need to be ready to respond rapidly and to provide intelligence around the potential business impacts if we were to shut the doors or slow things down again. We need to identify the actions required to protect businesses and jobs as well as be clear about the package of support that would be required to compensate for any such measures.
3. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The final draft of the Tourism Task Force report will be issued to the Task Force working group leads, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism and the Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills, today (1 October). The final report will be circulated to the Task Force thereafter.
It was noted that despite the budget deferral, the Tourism Task Force report was still a very live and relevant document and in order to maintain profile a version for general publication will be produced. It was noted that a supporting communication plan for the Task Force publication was necessary.
The Task Force report will be put forward for discussion with Cabinet Ministers as soon as possible. The earlier this can be done the more flexibility there is in support that can be provided both in Scotland and the UK. The fiscal constraints that Scotland is under is a challenge and therefore there is a need to lever in the UK. On that basis the proposal for a ministerial summit should continue to be progressed and should take place within the next month or so. This should be a joint exercise between the Scottish Government and Industry.
It was highlighted that in parallel to the Task Force activity the STA (with other trade associations across the UK), continue to press for immediate asks to be addressed by the UK Government as a matter of urgency. The STA has had productive engagement with Alistair Carmichael MP, and meetings are planned next week with Minister Ian Stewart MP (Scottish Office) and Douglas Ross MP. The recent letter to Boris Johnston (29 September), led by trade associations, the British Beer & Pub Association, UKHospitality and the British Institute of Inn keeping and signed by over 100 hospitality businesses and organisations including the STA, was referenced as an example of a collective UK voice, it was noted that this letter asks for a meeting with sector leaders to draw up sector specific support.
It was noted that the Task Force report will be the basis for UK Government engagement and that garnering support for the Asks within the report from a broad political base could be very helpful.
4. Scenario Planning
STERG Scenarios: The Action Plan working group and the Scenario Planning working group completed their review of the scenarios and implications were identified for each. In light of these implications an initial assessment of the Action Plan was carried out and areas for intervention were discussed, for example innovation - it was agreed these areas should be explored further.
VisitScotland is progressing the industry engagement plan for the Scenarios. A toolkit is currently being designed and will be tested with key sectors and association leaders to ensure it meets industry needs. Industry toolkit is expected by end-October.
Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios: The Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios will be circulated to Ministers with the final Task Force report and will be available to share publicly when the Task Force recommendations are published.
SE / SGov Recovery and Renewal Scenarios 2020-2025: Discussions are ongoing with Scottish Enterprise to establish a process where we can bring together all 3 sets of scenarios to stress test Scotland Outlook 2030. Next meeting 8 October.
5. STERG Action Plan
A revised format for the STERG Action Plan was circulated to STERG in advance of the meeting. Action: STERG to feed back any comments by close of play Monday 5 October. Updated STERG Action Plan to be published w/c 12 October.
The requirement for a survey to gather industry data on season to date performance and projected confidence and occupancy data, was discussed. It was agreed this would be helpful to support the Task Force recommendations and the proposed ministerial summit towards the end of the month, however it was acknowledged that the methodology and timing of this would be key to ensure the right information is collected.
Action: Ken Massie to have initial discussions with the VS Insight team and update at the next STERG meeting.
6. Funding Packages Update
£14m Hotel Support Programme
-The Hotel Support Programme was launched on Wednesday 26 August and closed at 5.00pm on Wednesday 9 September.
-All Expressions of Interest are currently being appraised and evaluated by the Agencies. Industry were informed that they would be contacted by the relevant Agency by 7 October. Process is currently on track.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses
- Applications for this scheme closed on 10 August.
- 144 grant awards have been issued.
- Final appeals are being worked through this week.
- Scheme expected to be complete w/c 5 October.
£6m Events Industry Support Fund
- Applications for the fund opened on Monday 31 August 2020 and closed on Monday 14 September 2020.
- 836 applications were received.
- All assessments are now complete.
- All communications have now gone out to applicants, including those who were rejected.
- Fund expected to be completed by the end of October.
7. Partner Updates
Skills Development Scotland
Ongoing delivery of SDS services. SDS continuing to work with the Scottish Government on the development of the transition training fund and the apprenticeship support programmes.
Raising the awareness of the dire challenges that the industry is facing and ensuring that there is an understanding of this within SDS is a priority.
An urgent response is required to the Task Force proposal for a Scottish Tourism Emerging TalentEmployee Retention and Training programme given the redundancies that are likely to be seen soon. Alternative funding routes need to be explored.
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme continues to be the key focus for all agencies.
HIE have discussions planned with Nature Scot to look at preparations for Spring next year in terms of visitor management, infrastructure and engaging with communities.
Work is ongoing within HIE to look at how the £3 million planned investment in tourism destination management organisations (DMOs) will be delivered to support the sector’s recovery.
VisitScotland
65 Expressions of Interest were received for the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund. A panel session will take place next week to review all EOIs.
New Visitor Management Group, which includes all key stakeholders met two weeks ago and 4 subgroups have been created to address 1. Communications, 2. Investment, 3. Infrastructure, 4. Enforcement
Continuing to monitor changes in the guidance to ensure Marketing activity can be delivered at the right time. Autumn and winter content is currently being filmed in order to be ready to use when the time is right.
STA
The STA will hold a round table discussion with Minister Ian Stewart MP (Scottish Office) next week as well as a session with Douglas Ross MP.
The UK Visitor Economy Working Group will transition back to the UK Tourism Industry Council at the end of October. The UK Visitor Economy Working Group has two remaining meetings.
Monthly discussion with Welsh, Irish and English counterparts will take place next week.
Marc Crothall to take part in the Welsh Government Cross-Party debate later this month.
8. 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 from all partners are to be forwarded to Karen Christie prior to the next meeting.
9. AOB
No AOB was noted.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 8 October, 11.00am-12.00pm.
1. Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force (STRT)
The latest draft of the Tourism Task Force report was issued to STERG for comment on 15th September. Further comments are expected from Task Force members and Scottish Government colleagues in other portfolios. The Investment Recommendations paper will be available by 18th September and will be incorporated into the overall report. It was highlighted that more data was required to substantiate the industry challenges which have been identified in the report. Several data sources were noted: STR data which may paint a picture of the cities, recent internal research carried out by HIE which looks at the economic impact of COVID-19 and it was also noted that the SG team are looking at data sources which could help understand what’s happening in the rural areas.
Action: all STERG members are asked to help provide additional data to Bettina Sizeland as soon as possible. Action: STERG members to review the latest draft and forward all comments to Bettina Sizeland as soon as possible. Recommendations on roles & responsibilities have not yet been included. These will need to be set out for STERG. The report will continue to be refined. Following STERG sign off it is expected that sign off from the Task Force will take place at the final meeting on 23rd September. The report will be submitted to Cabinet w/c 28th September.
It was noted that there are three key deliverables expected under the umbrella of the Task Force: 1. The Task Force report – A detailed set of recommendations for the Scottish Government and the UK Government which will be submitted to Cabinet w/c 28th September. Note: A published version of the Task Force recommendations should also be made available. 2. The Task Force letter – A letter to the UK Government setting out the key priorities for Tourism in Scotland and requesting a call with DCMS and the Treasury to discuss.
3. A prospectus for investment - An opportunity to emphasise the opportunities within the sector and to reinforce the fact that this is a sector which is worth investing in. Note: Work is currently underway on regional prospectus for investment – these documents should be aligned. Action: STA to develop a document outlining the Task Force recommendations which can be published. Action: STA and SGov team to progress the Task Force letter ASAP
The final Task Force meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 23 September.
2. Scenario Planning
STERG Scenarios - The Action Plan working group and the Scenario Planning working group will meet today to complete their review of the Scenarios. This includes detailing the implications of each of the Scenarios, assessing whether the Action Plan is sufficiently robust to address the possible opportunities and challenges and recommending further actions or interventions as necessary. - The STERG Action Plan will be restructured and further refined this week. - VisitScotland is progressing the industry engagement plan for the Scenarios. A toolkit is currently being designed and will be tested with key sectors and association leaders to ensure it meets industry needs. Publication is expected by mid-October.
Action: Karen Christie to update on progress at the next STERG meeting.
Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios - The Scottish Tourism Industry Leaders’ Scenarios are complete and the final report has been published. - The report looks at plausible futures for 3 years and beyond - 4 scenarios have been identified with the implications for Scottish Tourism clearly outlined
In addition, there are common themes across all scenarios that have emerged as strategically important for tourism in Scotland.
It was noted that the common themes identified in these scenarios could be cross-checked with the recommendations in the Task Force report. Action: Karen Christie to circulate the report to STERG with the meeting minutes.
SE / SGov Recovery and Renewal Scenarios 2020-2025 - Discussions are ongoing with Scottish Enterprise to establish a process where we can bring together all 3 sets of scenarios to stress test Scotland Outlook 2030. Action: Karen Christie to update on progress at the next STERG meeting.
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 good number of EOIs received from across the SE, HIE and SoSE regions - Before the formal appraisal process begins all applicants will be issued with an EOI further assessment template to gather additional information and will receive a call from a front line appraiser to discuss the template, this will ensure a fair and robust appraisal process.
An appraisal session with Partners will be held w/c 21st September.
£1m Coronavirus Support Scheme for self-catering businesses - Applications for this scheme closed on 10th August. - The final appeal session will take place today (16th September)
£6m Events Industry Support Fund - Applications for the fund opened at noon on Monday 31st August 2020 and closed at noon on Monday 14 September 2020. - 836 applications were received. - Applicants who are not eligible are being notified immediately - Applications are continuing to be assessed and further information is being requested by the VisitScotland teams.
4. New Scottish Government Guidelines
It was highlighted that the recent announcement by the FM on 10th September, which outlined changes to the rules around indoor and outdoor gatherings, caused confusion initially resulting in a surge of calls from businesses seeking clarity, (i.e. maximum of 6 people from no more than 2 different households, indoors and outdoors with children under 12 being exempt but must still not be from more than 2 different households).
The confusion was not helped by the fact that the updated guidance was not available to direct people to. It was noted that clarity has now been received from the SGov on all outstanding issues. Updated guidelines are now available. https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-tourism-and-hospitality-sector-guidance/pages/exemption-to-1m-for-hospitality/ The current cross-border differences between Scotland and each of the other 3 nations makes it very difficult and quite confusing for businesses and visitors and this is resulting in cancellations. It is recognised however that this has to be managed.
It was acknowledged that the interpretation of a ‘lockdown’ situation and a situation where there are ‘restrictions’ in place, are being confused and is leading to uncertainty and the cancellation of bookings within the sector. There are currently 7 local authority areas in central Scotland under additional restrictions, however they are not in lockdown. Clarity of this within communications is essential however it is recognised that this confusion is most likely being driven by the media.
5. Partner Updates
Business Gateway
There is still concern that businesses are not seeing further support through local authorities. £100m has been committed to employment support and training however no further clarity has been received regarding the underspend on the coronavirus (COVID-19) business support fund grants which were disbursed by local authorities which could have offered support to local businesses.
The recent research conducted by Business Gateway with start-ups and existing businesses was once again reiterated. The findings included: - 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
Skills Development Scotland
SDS are 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.
Currently working with sector colleagues to commission a piece of research into fair work, specifically looking to understand what fair work looks like across different sectors and also what are the issues or barriers to fair work across different sectors.
Enterprise Agencies
The Hotel Support Programme continues to be the key focus
STA
The STA members Council will meet on 22nd September and will be attended by Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing.
Scottish Government
Completion and submission of the Task Force report to Cabinet continues to be a priority.
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: Kate Pearson to follow up with colleagues in SoSE to confirm 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
It was noted that Kate Pearson will permanently replace John Evans as the South of Scotland Enterprise representative on STERG.
Next Meeting Date
There will be no meeting held on Thursday 24th September.
The next meeting will convene on Thursday 1st October, 11.00am-12.00pm and will be chaired by Marc Crothall.
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