The chair of V&A Dundee said social distancing requirements should be reduced due to the success of the vaccine rollout.
Tim Allan who is president of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said current rules are hurting businesses desperately trying to recover.
He has called on the Scottish Government to reduce the current two metre guidance to one metre.
Impact on V&A Dundee visitor numbers
“The government needs to be confident the vaccine will work,” the prominent Dundee businessman said.
“World Health Organisation says one metre is the minimum. With our vaccination levels we should go to one metre.
“Two metre social distancing means there is a limit on the number of people that can flow in and out of the V&A.
“A move to one metres would improve the footfall potential. We’d be able to offer more daily tickets and have more people in the café and the shop.
“If that’s the case for the V&A it’s the case for every gallery and museum in Scotland and also big leisure environments.”
Guidance ‘under review’ says Government
The Scottish Government said social distancing is an “important tool” in controlling Covid-19.
It said current evidence indicates maintaining two metre distancing is safer than one metre.
But the guidance is currently under review.
“We do not underestimate the severe impact this pandemic has had on Scotland’s cultural venues,” a Government spokesperson said.
“We want them to be able to reopen fully and plan future activity with confidence, but we must continue to move very carefully to ensure continued suppression of Covid-19.
“The outcome of that review will be published shortly.”
Hospitality targeted by restrictions
Mr Allan said he is asking the Government to take a more “risk adjusted” approach to Covid restrictions.
He added: “There hasn’t been strong evidence the hospitality environment has been a main vector for infection.
“The hospitality sector pivoted quickly to ensure physical distancing measures.
“These included table ordering, cleaning measures, masks to and from the table and no one standing at bars.”
He said the V&A had been “phenomenally” popular since reopening.
The popularity of the new Night Fever exhibition showed people had “money in their pockets to spend” he said.
Eden and esports ‘game changers’
Mr Allan is a shareholder in the UK’s largest forecourt owner MFG and has a variety of property and venture capital investments through Tricorn Capital.
He is also excited at the tourism prospects for Dundee with the Eden Project plans.
“Currently the V&A gives someone the reason to come to Dundee for a day, maybe we can tempt them to stay a night,” he said.
“You put Eden Project in there – they have to stay overnight. It would create an utterly compelling reason to come to the city.
“If the esports arena comes off as well – that’s a potential game changer.”
Mr Allan is a shareholder in the UK’s largest forecourt owner MFG and has a variety of property and venture capital investments through Tricorn Capital.
He will appear at a Courier Business Briefing on June 23 which has the theme of tourism and hospitality recovery.
The Courier event is held in association with Johnston Carmichael and supported by Tricorn Capital.
Other speakers for the free virtual event include Crieff Hydro owner Stephen Leckie and Johnston Carmichael’s head of leisure and tourism Rosalind Catto.
To register for the free online briefing, visit www.thecourierbriefings.co.uk