TOURISM is Scotland's major business and there are a record number of tourists visiting. This success comes with problems.
Skye can't cope with the numbers, the ferry services to the outer isles are inadequate and the visitor footfall at Culloden is causing damage to the clan graves on the battlefield.
We don't need "Groundbreaking apps, creative digital campaigns and inspirational content" from VisitScotland. We need better infrastructure.
The Seychelles with a population of 94,000 has more five-star hotels than Scotland, population six million. We need better visitor services. Hotels should have someone to talk to foreign visitors. Many come to visit the fictional land of Outlander with no idea of the real treasures of our country. Satisfied customers are the best advert for any business or country.
The West Highland Line is one of the outstanding rail journeys in the world. The rolling stock is inadequate. There should be an informed guide on each train to answer tourists questions. A printed booklet with the features to look out for along the journey would be a worthwhile investment. At the moment, travellers get a fancy menu for the trolley. The real meal is outside in the gorgeous scenery sometimes visible through the dirty train windows and the overgrown trackside vegetation.
VisitScotland has closed most tourist information centres in the mistaken belief that digital services are adequate replacement. We need to spend money in Scotland, not on Tartan Week parades on Fifth Avenue.
John Black,
The Scottish Jacobite Party,
6 Woodhollow House, Helensburgh.
HAS anyone noticed a curious affliction, particularly prevalent among our tourists at the moment? It is characterised by grimly crossed legs, eyes staring out to sea with a horrified, puzzled expression, followed by watering eyes and even tears.
Let me explain. There is hardly a public loo to be found anywhere in the North of Scotland. Even fewer remain open for our valued visitors to use all year round. Most are shut over the winter, forced to close through lack of funding. Why? Because councils are being starved of funds by Holyrood hoarders waiting for independence referendum umpteen.
Meanwhile as they stare out to sea, our pristine, sparkling horizon, is being destroyed by the demonstrably-useless Beatrice wind farm being foisted on us at truly astronomical cost.
Our politicians have prioritised spending a simply-staggering £2,6 billion to supposedly save the planet yet won’t spend a penny to save the pan. How many toilets, and how much crumbling infrastructure would that sort of money provide? Remember windfarms have been flatlining for around six weeks now, so what exactly are we getting for our hard-earned cash?
Where do the tears come in? The resulting, exponential rise in our energy bills will cost the poorest bill payers in society an eye-watering £400 milion every year to line the pockets of giant energy multinationals. Have we got our priorities right?
It is little wonder the North Coast 500 has become a bit of a race track. The drivers are simply desperate to get to the next loo. The much-vaunted scenic tour is now ruefully being called the No Convenience Five Hundred.
George Herraghty,
Lothlorien, Lhanbryde, Moray.
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