Council Leader Welcomes Scottish Government’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund

The Leader of The Highland Council Councillor Margaret Davidson welcomed the First Minister’s announcement of a Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund to deliver much needed improvements to tourist infrastructure to support the rising numbers of visitors to the Highlands.

This comes the week after figures were published for August which showed Highland visitor attractions were performing 17% higher compared to August last year, a result  that is backed by accounts from residents and businesses that the area has been hugely popular with visitors this season.

She said “I am pleased that the First Minister has listened to our request for a dedicated Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund. This is a positive step forward and will help with much needed investment in the tourism infrastructure required to support the increased numbers of visitors. However £6m over the next two years will not go far. So we need to look at how to use this fund to lever in additional money. That is why I have today written to Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs seeking an early meeting to discuss how we can maximise the benefit from this fund”.