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By Scott Wright

THE Scottish sailing charters and tours sector is facing the prospect of a second summer washout in a row, as companies continue to wait for the green light to reopen, it has been warned.

The wider tourism and hospitality industry in Scotland is working towards re-opening from April 26, when it is expected that travel within the Scottish mainland can begin again as the country exits lockdown.

However, there is still no sign of when cruise companies and vessel charters can recommence, heightening concerns that businesses could lose out on the vital summer season for the second year in succession.

Alan Rankin, chief executive of Sail Scotland, said the industry has not been mentioned by the Scottish Government on the two occasions it has set out indicative dates on the move out of lockdown, in February and March.

Mr Rankin, whose organisation represents the charter and small ships cruising sector, as well as marinas, boatyards and moorings, said the “lack of visibility” on the roadmaps is a major concern.

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“Our main challenge through all of this is the forced closure of the charter and sailing holiday sector,” he said.

“We completely missed last season with lockdown, and we are now facing a second summer without any clear roadmap to support the overnighting at sea sector. This is proving to be a real time-limited crisis that is facing the sector.

“We have got a situation where members don’t have clarity on the opening up of sectors outside the core hospitality and retail elements [of the economy]. The sector does feel pretty bruised that there is no clear roadmap, or visibility in the announcements that are coming forward.”

He added: “They are facing a second season with no business and that will push many over the edge.”

The commercial sailing sector was worth £340 million to the Scottish economy in 2019, Sail Scotland said.

Mr Rankin held a meeting with Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, yesterday to drive home the sector’s concerns, which include a lack of financial support from government.

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Companies which operate sailing tours or charter boats do not qualify for business rates relief because they are based on vessels, not in properties with rateable values. And Sail Scotland members have not qualified for temporary closure grants, under the strategic framework business fund, because they were in the off-season when the funding was announced.

“They have slipped through the cracks,” Mr Rankin said. “Further rates relief is of no use to the sector whatsoever, so again there is a disadvantage towards outdoor, non premises based businesses.”

Some marine tourism businesses have qualified for restart funds, which Mr Rankin said has been helpful.

Vessel operators face high start-up costs before each new season begins relating to licensing and ensuring crafts are sea-worthy and meet regulations. Mr Rankin said operators have been holding back on committing to these costs until they receive assurances they will be able to trade.

While progress remains hard to come by with regard to securing grants, Mr Rankin has secured a meeting with officials to discuss the industry’s proposals for “test or vaccine and sail” protocols, which it first tabled in November.

Under the proposals, holidaymakers who plan to travel in mixed groups for holidays at sea would take three lateral flow tests before departure, allowing for the possibility of false negative results, with a further test taken two or three days into a sailing. If a positive test is returned at that stage, the tourist would be cared for under well-established protocols for those who become unwell at sea.

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Mr Rankin said: “The whole principle is around creating a safe bubble of people. The demographics of many of the people that go on the cruise ships are such that they are likely to be vaccinated, but we wanted to put in place a three-stage testing pre-arrival, and then a test at the second day of sea.”

He added: “There are varying levels of that, depending on the scale and size of the vessel. You go right the way through to a family bubble, a self-contained bubble that would not need to test. They charter a boat and they go. After April 26, they will be able to travel to the charter, so that can happen. But the majority of the business is mixed adult groups, that is what we are trying to generate this very robust protocol [for]… We are going to press for that with urgency.”

Mr Rankin said the continued absence of small cruises and holidaymakers chartering boats has “far-reach implications for rural and island economies”. Tourists who take such holidays tend to be “higher-spending individuals”, meaning that the “local spend tends to be higher.”

He warned of the risk of vessel owners relocating if the green light is not given to reopen. Some members are considering relocating to the north of England or Ireland, while one has already decided to relocate to the Canary Islands.

Mr Rankin said: “There is that real risk of losing the fleet.”

He added: “You can close a cafe or restaurant and it will reopen next year under a new lease holder. The boats will be sold and they will not be back.

“The clock is definitely ticking as we go into the summer because of the shortness of the season. The sector will not get any winter bounce-back. If there is a recovery at the back-end of the year it is not for this sector – they do not operate in the winter.”