The new UK Labour government’s manifesto is all about change as we know, with references to ‘turning the page’, ‘rebuilding our country’ and ‘kick-starting economic growth’.

Over the past few years (and indeed in many that came before), hospitality businesses have contended with vastly increased operational costs, reduced income due to the cost of living crisis, a skills gap, recruitment and housing crises, transport infrastructure issues and continued increases in taxation across a raft of new and existing policies.

Change in my view, as CEO of the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) the overarching representative body for Scotland’s tourism and hospitality industry, brings with it expectation and opportunity, but is this the pivotal moment that one of Scotland’s most important sectors has been waiting for?

We’ve heard some positive noises and been waved encouraging signals so far, but there’s a long way to go for the new UK Government, and indeed in its resetting of relations with the Scottish Government, to address the very serious challenges our industry faces.

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Labour’s manifesto commitment to reform the Scotland Office to champion Scotland at home and abroad under ‘Brand Scotland’ is welcomed and it’s also encouraging to hear support from the Scottish Labour Deputy Leader, Jackie Baillie, for a ‘Scottish visa’ that takes into consideration the country’s unique geography and circumstances, particularly in our rural and island communities that year-on-year struggle to attract and retain tourism and hospitality workers.

The STA has long championed a Scottish visa and will be looking to the new UK Government to make this a priority. The issue of attracting and retaining tourism and hospitality workers in rural and island communities is another critical area where the STA sees potential for significant impact.

We will also continue to make the case for the need for the UK Government to reduce valued-added tax (VAT) for tourism and hospitality businesses. This would have an immediate, positive impact on many thousands of businesses in terms of business viability and in being able to provide job security and investment. A reduction in VAT would also improve competitiveness in attracting both domestic and international visitors and be welcomed by many UK households who have had to cut back on their leisure time out with family and friends.

With business rates remaining a devolved issue, the STA is encouraged by Scottish Labour’s promise to push for a fairer system and hopefully restore a level playing field with England on the higher property rate.

Housing emerged as a major election issue, as it should. At the heart of UK Labour’s new plans, is planning and with the Scottish Government declaring a ‘housing emergency’, we would hope to see both governments working together to address planning issues and reform Scotland’s planning system.

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Much greater collaboration is needed between governments and the tourism and hospitality industry to identify the right affordable housing options for the sector’s workforce, including investing in increasing housing stock as a priority and considering housing licensing models.

This must also take into consideration seasonal accommodation needs, housing availability in rural and island communities and housing that can also accommodate workers’ families.

However, policies to increase housing availability must not be at the expense of having the right blend of available visitor accommodation which is vital in attracting tourists to visit our destinations and in sustaining the local visitor economy.

There is an urgent need to modernise Scotland’s transport structure and deliver the Scottish Government’s promised improvements to our road, ferry and rail networks.

The vision of Scotland’s Tourism Strategy, Outlook 2030 is for Scotland to be the world leader in 21st century tourism. We are only five and a half years away from the end of this strategy, yet transport and infrastructure remain one of the most critical issues for our industry, and indeed for the millions of visitors who come to experience all areas of Scotland.

The long-term future of Scotland’s aviation must also be supported, and more done by governments to expand our connectivity with the rest of the world. With the domestic market still squeezed due to the cost of living crisis, it is more important than ever that we introduce more direct routes to bring the world to experience and enjoy Scotland.

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The STA has built a positive, productive working relationship with all political parties over the last 12 years. In recent weeks, it’s been good to see the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and many of his colleagues take the time to visit many different types of tourism businesses to understand the issues they face, from our city centres to rural areas. Many of these issues are the same, some are different. ‘Tourism businesses’ are not a homogenous group and it’s encouraging to see a real desire by politicians to uncover and understand the real challenges for the very different types of tourism businesses across Scotland.

The level of frustration and dissatisfaction which Scotland’s industry has had with both governments in response to the introduction and proposed introduction of policies, which have curtailed and stifled our industry rather than to grow our tourism economy is clear and well documented.

What we have now is an opportunity to reset the relationship with both governments in a new era of change, which must see the creation of brave, innovative policies developed together from the ground up with business which will grow, rather than harm the economy on both a local and national level. The continued rebuild of the relationship that business has with governments and policy makers must also remain a priority.

In Labour’s Business Case for Scotland, Scottish Labour underlined the need for governments to ‘work better in partnership, planning strategically for our economy and using its convening power to bring workers, organisations and business together to overcome barriers and realise opportunities’. The new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves talks about embracing a new approach to economic management, ‘securonomics’, which will create a strong base and resilient foundations for sustainable growth.

Labour has clearly recognised the role tourism and hospitality can play in contributing to a strong economy in its manifesto promises and election campaign and has set out a bold vision for business and its wish for strengthened collaboration.

Beyond the noises of change, what our industry needs to see now is a clear signalling of meaningful change, through immediate and direct engagement with our industry and continuous consultation and action.

We need to see politicians look to build change, equipped with a thorough understanding of our business challenges at a macro and micro economic level, and the creation of strong, supportive policies which will remove barriers and sustain long term growth, beyond the spark of new era hope.

Our tourism and hospitality industry does and remains committed to working together, if this really is to be a pivotal moment, we now need to see a meaningful reset in relations between Holyrood and Westminster, a strengthening of collaboration between governments and full commitment to work with the tourism and hospitality industry to deliver the vision of both Scotland and the UK’s tourism strategies.

Marc Crothall is the chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance