Halcro Johnston wants Government action on “cost and bureaucracy” of brown tourist signs
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has questioned the Scottish Government on the availability of brown tourist attraction signs in the region.
It follows a business in Moray being quoted almost £50,000 by roads agency Transport Scotland to install just four of the signs.
The Conservative MSP raised the issue with Transport Secretary Michael Matheson emphasising the importance of effective support for tourist sites. He also noted the response to a FOI request to VisitScotland in which the country’s tourism body highlighted the safety role of the signs, suggesting that they were intended to “minimise the risk of dangerous manoeuvres” on the roads.
Mr Halcro Johnston asked Mr Matheson whether the scheme was sufficiently affordable and accessible to small tourism-focused businesses, and asked what action the Scottish Government could take to support those businesses for whom cost was a prohibitive factor.
Commenting outside of the chamber, Jamie Halcro Johnston said:
“Tourism is crucial part of the economy of the Highlands and Islands, and tourist businesses in the region need to be confident that the Scottish Government and its agencies are behind them.
“We know from VisitScotland’s own evidence that the brown signs on roads are valued by tourism-focused businesses and that they help visitors find popular attractions quickly and safely.
“They should be accessible to all tourist businesses, whether large and small. But it’s clear that several businesses have been put off by both the cost and the bureaucracy of applying.
“I am pleased the Transport Secretary has said he will look into this case. However, I hope Ministers will recognise that barriers like this must be broken down if we want to grow our tourism sector and let our businesses flourish.”
