Following on from the meeting with the Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan MSP the week before, ASSC’s CEO, Fiona Campbell, attended a roundtable business breakfast on Wednesday 26th April with the Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, Douglas Ross, and colleagues. Later the same day, Fiona represented the ASSC at the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) Member Council Meeting which was joined by Minister for Small Business, Trade and Innovation (including Tourism), Richard Lochhead MSP.
Additional meetings took place with STA CEO Marc Crothall, Scottish Agritourism’s Sector Lead Caroline Millar and other tourism and hospitality stakeholders. In every meeting, the ASSC shared updates on the challenges currently facing the self-catering sector, highlighting the importance of the sector to Scotland’s economy, and stressed that pace is critical in reviewing the STL regulations as they stand. The message was well-received, and appreciated, in all meetings.
Fiona then attended the Short Stay Summit in London. With over 1,200 attendees from across the EU and beyond, it was super to see ASSC members and partners as well as international colleagues at the event. Fiona represented the ASSC at 3 sessions discussing regulations, looking at the threats and opportunities, and flagging that while Scotland is leading the charge in terms of STL regulations, they are doing so badly, with associated reputational damage to Scotland.
With the First Minister’s commitment to reset relationships with businesses, and the Deputy First Minister appreciating that a pragmatic solution must be found for STL legislation, and with Paul McLennan MSP and Richard Lochhead MSP at the helm in terms of Housing and Tourism portfolios, at the ASSC, we feel positive that a resolution can now be achieved.