How to open a tourist economy ?
Given the importance of toursim to to Scottish Economy in particular rural and and island locations we have to be quite disinctive in what we are trying to achieve in a world with COVID 19.
We have to make a National plan for rural and islands locations: a plan with input from these locations and an adult conversation with these locations about what will be possible and what will not be possible.
A task force of tourism, small hospitality businesses associations, transport, health care professionals and scientists and construction experts should be established
We have to make a National plan for rural and islands locations: a plan with input from these locations and an adult conversation with these locations about what will be possible and what will not be possible.
A task force of tourism, small hospitality businesses associations, transport, health care professionals and scientists and construction experts should be established
Why the contribution is important
There will be an increase in staycations and a desire from people to travel to remote and rural areas within Scotland.
This needs to be thought through strategically about how this would be accomplished safely and with minimum risk to the fragile healthcare systems in these areas but balanced with the maximum opportunity for the economic development of these locations. It cannot be allowed to develop ad hoc : locals and visitors alike would have no faith in the system and would lead to local pressure points.
Islanders are feeling quite secure at the moment but if tourist arrivals were to happen with no communications from Scottish Government then we risk seeing the community split with the non hospitality sector rejecting the arrivals leading to potential disharmony
This needs to be thought through strategically about how this would be accomplished safely and with minimum risk to the fragile healthcare systems in these areas but balanced with the maximum opportunity for the economic development of these locations. It cannot be allowed to develop ad hoc : locals and visitors alike would have no faith in the system and would lead to local pressure points.
Islanders are feeling quite secure at the moment but if tourist arrivals were to happen with no communications from Scottish Government then we risk seeing the community split with the non hospitality sector rejecting the arrivals leading to potential disharmony
by makaplan01 on May 10, 2020 at 10:59AM
Posted by Mitchy May 10, 2020 at 11:15
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Posted by JLMBD May 10, 2020 at 11:49
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Posted by MoragP May 10, 2020 at 12:57
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Posted by SeleneH May 10, 2020 at 13:44
However, if it is deemed essential, for economic reasons, that tourism traffic to the islands is to be allowed prior to the availability of a vaccine, I would suggest only allowing tourist traffic once a rapid test for antigen/virus to detect those infected with the virus (including asymptomatic carriers and prolonged shedders) has been developed and validated and is available at ferry ports. All that is easier said than done. It goes without saying that no-one who is ill or vulnerable should be travelling at all; the latter to protect our already sparse health-care capacity. For those well and safe to travel, it would mean early arrival of tourists to ports several hours before travel (assuming a rapid and highly sensitive test can be processed in that time). Travel should only be allowed on to the islands if travellers were clear of virus and on mandatory use of the contact tracing app. Those testing positive would need to travel straight back home if safe for them to travel. There would have to be regional planning in port areas to account for those who are not well enough to travel back and therefore stranded, and this would mean extra care capacity in those regions, the costs of which would have to be carefully weighed up against the benefits of opening up any tourism in the first place. I don't really think it's fair to place this extra burden on these mainland and Isle of Skye port communities, however. I would advise against air travel by tourists because of the difficulty of social distancing and the higher potential for transmission of the virus in a tight enclosed space. Air travel should continue to be preserved for essential key worker and essential health/business travel of islanders only. Any tourism should only be allowed from tourists once the UK is at a very low national prevalence of circulating virus nationally or from areas regionally certified as low prevalence; so regular cross-sectional survey blood sampling nationally is obviously necessary. There should be of course, no stopping en route in higher prevalent/higher risk areas if the UK is to take a geographical "risk-zoned" approach. Once arrived on-island, there should still be a good degree of social distancing and a gap of, say, one-week between use of accommodation premises to allow disinfection of premises and of any residual labile virus, to "die".
No tourism businesses should feel pressured into re-opening and should be equally supported; many of the accommodation providers are themselves in vulnerable categories so should not be made to put themselves at risk for fear of losing out financially. The eventual production of a safe antibody test and evidence that antibodies are protective may eventually provide some peace of mind for those working in tourism, but of course only applies once they have had the virus themselves and since we are trying to avoid circulating virus on-island, that isn't very helpful in this case. All-in-all, I feel that all of these above conditions would be challenging to meet and opening in 2021 after an effective vaccine is available, as stipulated in my first paragraph, is the wisest and safest course of action. I also feel that we should put any final decision out to the islanders, in a way that avoids causing any friction in our harmonious island communities.
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Posted by Jay32 May 10, 2020 at 16:33
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