Funding to protect 3000 jobs in Scottish tourism industry

Intended to help protect up to 3,000 jobs until next summer, the £14m Hotel Recovery Programme will  allow eligible businesses to apply for grants of up to £250,000 in addition to accessing business support and advice.

VisitScotland will give a further £1m to self-catering businesses which have received no other government support during the pandemic, with qualifying businesses eligible for a one-off payment of £10,000.

Tourism secretary Fergus Ewing said: “We recognise the important contribution the hotel sector makes to tourism and the wider Scottish economy, supporting approximately 46,000 jobs across the country.

“Scotland is home to many of the world’s iconic hotels and they, like much of the sector, have suffered considerably this year from the impacts of coronavirus. The Hotel Recovery Programme is a dedicated funding package designed to safeguard jobs in these establishments and offer some security until the new tourist season begins in summer 2021.

“The Scottish Government is doing everything in its power to support the tourism industry, however, without significant borrowing powers at our disposal this action will always be limited.

“Whilst we very much welcome measures taken by the UK Government, such as accepting our call to cut VAT rates for the tourism industry, longer-term support for jobs is necessary. I hope the UK Government responds positively to our ask for an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.”