As Tayside and Fife businesses are gearing up for the summer season, will the tourism industry start to see a post-pandemic recovery this year?
After two summers of uncertainty, staycations and lateral flow tests, it seems going on holiday this year is as easy as it used to be.
Restrictions have been lifted and many countries – like Scotland – don’t require passenger locator forms or vaccine passports anymore.
However, locals in the tourism and hospitality industry have varying opinions on whether we will see foreign visitors return this year.
With the cost of living crisis looming, fear of cost rather than Covid might hinder staycations.
Rising food costs a concern
At Crieff Hydro staff expect both UK and international visitors.
Chief executive Stephen Leckie says: “Summer bookings across the group are looking strong.
“Staycations are continuing to hold up and we’re seeing the return of international travellers, particularly group travel from the US.”
While the hotel group expects summer to go well, the period leading up to the season has had challenges.
“Our biggest concern in terms of rising costs is food, which has seen us adjust menus accordingly depending on what we are able to source.
“Our focus is to ensure there’s no change to the customer experience and being part of a family of hotels does help us negotiate the best costs we can.”
People are ‘desperate to travel’
For Fife tour operator Best of Scotland Holidays, which caters to mainly American tourists, this season is “looking fantastic”.
Founder Duncan Dewar saw his Kirkcaldy firm’s revenue drop from £1 million to £9,000 as the pandemic hindered foreign holidaymakers.
This year he has 40% more tourists coming over than he did in 2019 and has taken on an extra member of staff.
He says: “We’re absolutely delighted. People are so desperate to travel.
“We haven’t had cancellations because of the war in Ukraine, and provided it doesn’t escalate further afield its not affecting us.
“When I started a long time ago, people were cancelling because we were too close to the war in Libya.
“People are much more educated now as to where these countries are in relation to us.”
This year will be ‘challenging’
A bit more hesitant about the return of foreign tourists is the chairman of V&A Dundee Tim Allan.
He thinks we will see more tourists, but not as many as we’d like.
“The same pressures which are weighing on us about cost of living concerns will be weighing upon international travellers,” he says.
“We are going to see gradual improvements in international numbers, but it’s going to take some time.
“This year is only going to be part of that slow process of recovery.”
The museum is preparing for a summer of mostly British travellers and locals exploring nearby attractions.
However, Mr Allan does not think this summer will bring the sector back to pre-pandemic levels of visitors and revenue.
He says: “2022 is going to be a challenging year for everybody in the tourist sector.
“We kind of accept that, but we are gearing up to make sure that our recovery in 2023 for our fifth anniversary year is significant.
“There’s good programming ahead that will help with the staycation offering across the Tay Cities region.”
Outlook for Tayside and Fife tourism companies looking more positive
Regional leadership director at VisitScotland Caroline Warburton says the outlook for this summer is looking more positive than before for local businesses.
Many firms have reported a busy start to the season with good bookings for the months ahead.
“We expect recovery to continue in 2022 with the summer season being stronger than last year, with a mix of Scots, UK and international visitors,” says Ms Warburton.
“We are however realistic in our expectations and do not expect international numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.
“Our expectations and forecasts suggest that it may be 2024 until we reach pre-pandemic levels.”
With new openings such as Arbikie Distillery visitor centre and golf events The 150th Open and The Senior Open, Ms Warburon anticipates tens of thousands will visit the region this summer.
She also says the ‘hometown tourist’ trend is likely to continue.
“Similar to last year, it’s important that we continue to support local businesses by visiting an attraction, eating out at a local restaurant or taking a day trip,” she adds.
“The impact of tourism spreads beyond the industry itself. It not only provides direct employment but supports many jobs in the wider supply chain as well as providing facilities which benefits local economies and communities.”
Conversation