Tourism Minister Patricia Ferguson today launched the Executive’s
new tourism strategy which aims to grow the industry by 50 per cent
over the next decade.
Key to the plan is the development of a workforce training plan to
raise industry standards and the establishment of local product
development networks linking with local authorities and cultural
heritage networks to expand on what Scotland has to offer tourists.
Ferguson said:
“Tourism is everybody's business and vital to Scotland's economy.
Our industry is growing and developing well but we can't afford to be
complacent - the competition is strong. That's why the Executive is
working closely with industry to deliver these radical changes to
create a bright future for tourism in Scotland helping us to achieve
our target of 50 per cent growth by 2015.
“Our tourism businesses have the ambition and desire to maintain
Scotland's place as a premier world destination. I am confident that
this framework for change will be embraced and that the next ten years
will be an exciting and fruitful time for tourism in Scotland,” she
said.
Peter Taylor, chair of the Scottish Tourism Forum, said the industry
welcomed the strategy, known as the Tourism Framework for Change.
“The industry welcomes the initiative to create a Tourism Framework
for Change for our industry. For us to achieve the growth ambitions we
must be sure that we are in this together, both public and private
sectors. The private sector must invest to improve products and
services and the public sector must create a legislative platform that
will allow business to grow.
“The Tourism Framework for Change sets out the building blocks and
the priorities for the future, it is up to us all to grasp the
opportunity to be innovative and work beyond what is targeted within
the Framework. Above all we must be reactive to market changes and
together, stay one step in front of the competition,” he said.
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