March 2021 - Page 3 of 6

Restart Grants for Small Accommodation Providers

Posted on March 24, 2021March 25, 2021 by Fiona Campbell

We are delighted to be able to update on the SAP-CTF grant, and can confirm that additional funding for the Small Accommodation Providers paying Council Tax fund is available for eligible self-caterers and B&Bs to receive an SFBF April payment of £1,000 and a Restart Grant of £8,000.

Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:

“We are delighted that the Scottish Government has taken this decision and commend them for prioritising the needs of small, in many cases family-owned, businesses in this manner.

“Bolstering the Small Accommodation Providers Paying Council Tax Fund and the availability of Restart Grants will serve as vital lifelines to our sector at a time when many desperately need them.

“This pandemic has been incredibly difficult for everyone and with lockdown and stay at home orders in place this is a difficult and stressful time for our industry, however, action of this type from government is exactly what we need to help make sure that we can get back to creating memory-making holidays for our guests who need it now more than ever.”

Find out more.

VisitScotland Launches Responsible Tourism Campaign #RespectProtectEnjoy

Posted on March 22, 2021October 22, 2023 by Fiona Campbell

VisitScotland has launched their Responsible Tourism campaign, which is a rallying cry to Scots to get outdoors as and when it is safe to do so and enjoy what’s on our doorsteps, in the most respectful and responsible way possible. The campaign aims to inspire and educate everyone on how we can all play our part in keeping Scotland special, now and for generations to come. And it is just the beginning, with lots more activity planned seeking to address visitor management challenges and opportunities.

Campaign video can be reshared from social media posts (see links below) or direct from VisitScotland’s YouTube channel – 90″ full length video here and 30″ cut down edit here
Use the hashtag #RespectProtectEnjoy on social media to share the message, please join in and share your responsible stories, promises and collateral (tag VisitScotland)
- Twitter @VisitScotland #VisitScotland – campaign Tweet here
- Instagram @VisitScotland #VisitScotland
- Facebook @VisitScotland – campaign post here
The Responsible Tourism landing page can be found here with lots of information for visitors on how to travel around Scotland responsibly, including links to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and to the interactive ‘lockdown loo’ map
The Visitor Promise page can be found here, where visitors are asked to make a series of commitments to responsible actions and behaviours to respect, protect and enjoy Scotland to its fullest
You can view, download and share supporting assets on responsible tourism, like the out of home artwork and Visitor Promise PDF, from our digital media library here (please note you will need to register for an account to access, if you don’t already have one)

Scotland – it’s all of ours to care for.

ASSC Launch: 2021 Election Manifesto

Posted on March 22, 2021March 23, 2021 by Melanie Allen

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has launched its first-ever election manifesto ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

Titled Recovering, Reopening, and Revitalising: Building a Scottish Self-Catering Sector for the Future, the document gives an overview of the current state of the self-catering sector in Scotland and outlines the steps its trade body believes to be essential for its survival and prosperity in the future.

COVID-19 has done tremendous damage to everyone in Scottish tourism, self-catering included, and the ASSC has developed a series of key points that, if implemented, would help rescue the vital sector and help it to grow towards a more secure future.

Recovering, Reopening, and Revitalising: Building a Scottish Self-Catering Sector for the Future calls for the next parliament to reject calls for a tax on tourist visitors to Scotland in order to keep Scotland as attractive a destination as possible in a tourism environment that will only get more competitive.

The manifesto also urges the next parliament to do whatever it can to support those providing staycations in Scotland to help both the self-catering sector and the wider tourist economy to step into the future with confidence. Furthermore, ensuring that staycations are a viable option for Scots will also have the benefit of allowing for restful breaks to be taken even if the possibility of going abroad is not an option.

Also contained in the manifesto are calls to improve access to grant funding for self-caterers, many of whom have suffered dreadfully throughout the pandemic, and to approach any future regulations to be imposed on self-catering in Scotland from an evidence-led point of view and not be swayed by anecdotes or emotive arguments from partisan special interests.

Recovering, Reopening, and Revitalising: Building a Scottish Self-Catering Sector for the Future is the first election manifesto from the ASSC and is the first manifesto of its kind for the self-catering sector. The full text of it is available here.

Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:

“I am thrilled to be launching Recovering, Reopening, and Revitalising: Building a Scottish Self-Catering Sector ahead of these vital elections.

“The 2021 Scottish Parliamentary elections matter immensely to our sector and we’ll be working closely with many across the next parliament for the good of the self-catering and wider tourism sector.

“Our proposals are common sense, practical, and will help Scottish self-catering build a solid foundation from which to build as we come out of the pandemic and into the future.

ASSC 2021 Manifesto

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