Category: Industry News

This morning, our CEO Fiona Campbell had the opportunity to speak to the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation – ITIC in Edinburgh.

Her message was clear:

Scotland is now a case study in how not to regulate tourism accommodation.

Overlapping, contradictory, and cumulative policies — from STL licensing and planning chaos, to tax reforms and a misfired visitor levy — are dismantling a vital part of our tourism infrastructure.

We are seeing:

– Legitimate businesses criminalised

– Rural economies hollowed out

– SMEs closing down

– Legal uncertainty at every turn

All this, while the housing crisis remains unresolved. Why? Because short-term lets are not the problem.

But there is a better way.

Fiona urged our Irish colleagues not to follow us off the policy cliff – but to learn from our mistakes. Regulate, yes. But with clarity, coordination, and evidence.

– Create a clear Use Class Order

– Stop conflating planning with licensing

– Recognise that self-catering is not housing stock

– Use data — not ideology — to drive decisions

– Respect the role of SME operators in rural tourism

Let’s build housing and support tourism. Let’s not choose one at the cost of the other.

Tourism infrastructure matters.

Rural jobs matter.

Good policy matters.