Since it began in 1978, the ASSC has grown to develop a community of over 1600 members who operate professional self-catering properties across Scotland, from Shetland to the Scottish Borders. As an organisation, the ASSC strives to further the interests of traditional self-caterers, who contribute £1bn annually to the Scottish tourist economy, whilst aligning our key principles to the priorities of the people and communities we exist to serve.
Forty-five years ago, a group of inspired individuals came together to promote the vital, traditional self-catering sector, and to underpin a commitment to our core principles: quality, integrity, cleanliness, comfort, courtesy and efficiency. From the very beginning, the goal has always been to improve the already high standards in self-catering in Scotland, and our work will continue on into the future. Our small, dedicated team has put in a herculean effort over the years to improve our standing, and we have also been blessed with some truly excellent Chairs over the years, such as Len Sculthorpe, David Smythe MBE and Adrienne Carmichael who have helped immensely in moving the organisation forward.
Throughout these 45 years, there have been many challenges for Scotland’s tourism sector, including Foot and Mouth in 2001 to COVID 2020-2022, not to mention the Scottish Government’s onerous STL licensing scheme. This year we look back on what we’ve achieved and forward to where we’re going. In this, perhaps one of the most challenging years our sector has ever faced, in the wake of a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis, we look forward to a brighter future – despite the many hurdles put in our way. In this very special year for ASSC, we would of course like to praise the resilience, hard work, tenacity, professionalism and dedication of our members. We are indebted to you.
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