Sluggish start to Ross-shire tourist season reported by some as post-lockdown bounce fails to materialise
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
ROSS businesses hoping for a swift post-Covid bounce have been dealt a blow amid signs that pent-up demand for holidays may be more lukewarm than hoped.
With pandemic travel restrictions easing, many hospitality traders are hoping for a repeat of last summer’s scenes – where the end of the virus’ first wave signalled a boom in visitor numbers to the region.
But while travel numbers are on the rise, the relative lack of international travel is continuing to have an effect, according to regional and national business leaders.
The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) has warned that accommodation bookings for May, June and July were well down when it surveyed hundreds of the nation’s businesses recently – with up to 45 per cent of respondents reporting occupancy levels below 20 per cent for those months.
“Virtually all the hotel visitors this year will be from the UK. Their average spending will be significantly less than that of the overseas visitors who previously were very important for the Ross-shire economy." - Tony Mackay
The STA’s recent survey also revealed that nearly two-thirds of rural hotels which responded had occupancy levels of less than 50 per cent for May, and 54 per cent of them reported similar levels for June and July.
Responding to the situation, Highland economist Tony Mackay said: “I expect the 2021 tourist season to be on a relatively small scale… probably 50 to 60 per cent of what it was in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic hit. It will be 2022 before the economy returns to normal.
“Virtually all the hotel visitors this year will be from the UK. Their average spending will be significantly less than that of the overseas visitors who previously were very important for the Ross-shire economy.
“Nevertheless, a relatively quiet 2021 season will give the local hotels, shops and businesses time to plan and invest for a return to normal.”
Some Ross-shire and Lochalsh tourist attractions have also noticed a sluggish start. Eilean Donan Castle revealed, via its Twitter account, that visitor numbers were at levels normally seen in late autumn at the tail end of the tourist season. It said: “This is our seventh day of re-opening, and current visitor numbers are more akin to November 2019 levels. Accommodation bookings are starting to pick up for July and August but both May and June looks challenging for the entire business. No boom here. Yet...”
