A Fife MP has accused Fife Council of “paralysis by analysis” after slamming the local authority for commissioning a £15,000 report into tourism.
Douglas Chapman, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, hit out at the costly document saying it simply repeats conclusions of previous ones.
He has been backed by Thomas Moffat, of Visit Dunfermline, who says downgrading events like the Bruce Festival have been “a mistake”.
Mr Chapman said: “We’re almost at a stage where it’s paralysis by analysis, and we’ve been knee-deep in reports for too long.
“It’s not the absence of knowing what to do but the absence of doing it that lies at the heart of our problem.
“I’ve met a lot of people who are just getting on with it, sometimes in spite of the council, and those are the very people we need to encourage and support to make our tourist-offer more attractive.
“The council should be concentrating on the basics and getting them right.”
Mr Chapman says the council’s role should be to provide clear signage, improve pavements and introduce better parking facilities.
“These are just three simple but crucial steps the council should be focusing on to improve the tourism and boost the attractiveness of West Fife, instead of wasting money on more reports,” he added.
“It would seem that there is nothing new here and it could have been that the council felt they needed to do something in the wake of the closure of Abbot House.
“If this is it, then I think we’re all disappointed.”
Mr Moffat, of Visit Dunfermline, said he too wanted to see a more positive approach to ensure Dunfermline will “punch above its weight”.
“Events like the Bruce Festival – which was absolutely unique and brought in thousands of people – have been downgraded in the events calendar,” he noted.
“In my opinion this is a mistake.
“When you have an established event, synonymous with your town, you should build on it year-on-year – you don’t just dump it.
“Next year is Scotland’s Year of History and for Dunfermline to give up on an iconic historic figure like Bruce is pretty bad timing, especially for a town that is making efforts to increase the awareness of its historical and heritage-led tourist offerings.”
However, Councillor Helen Law, chair of the local area committee, said the report had been given cross-party support.
“We recognise that Dunfermline and the wider West Fife area has a lot to offer,” she told The Courier.
“But it’s a bit rich that we get a report highlighting the need to work better together, and then people like Mr Chapman attack it.
“The report has helped us to identify the key players, examine the root causes of why the area is underperforming and to develop strategies to address these issues.
“It also highlights that our biggest weakness is the fragmentation of our many visitor attractions as well as duplication of what is being sold across these outlets as part of their retail operations.
“Heritage and culture is a very competitive market so we need to focus on what is unique about the area to make Dunfermline stand out in an already crowded marketplace.
“A steering group will now work towards encouraging better communication and co-operation with everyone involved and to develop the critical ‘wow’ factor.”
