20 www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com GLASGOW TALKS The future of tourism


Two business leaders – determined to bring more visitors to Scotland – have captivated members at two separate Glasgow Talks events, sponsored by Clydesdale Bank and the Adam Smith Business School.


Glasgow Talks ... with Jonathan Hinkles, Managing Director, Loganair


Jonathan Hinkles, Managing Director of Loganair, Scotland’s national airline, spoke about his company’s expansion plans for next year, which includes flying 50-seater regional jets to a series of European destinations. “We will be flying our first jet in modern times. It will be a significant upgrade and enable us to go further afield. There are major European centres from Glasgow that


Jonathan Hinkles, Managing Director, Loganair


are not currently served.” The airline boss told the audience: “It is a good opportunity for us to increase travel between Europe and


Malcolm Roughead OBE (left), CEO, VisitScotland with Richard Muir, Deputy Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce


the Highlands and Islands for business and tourism, using Glasgow as a hub.”


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Glasgow Talks ... #ScotlandIsNow with Malcolm Roughead OBE, CEO, VisitScotland Meanwhile, while uncertainty over Brexit remains a deep concern, Scotland’s tourism economy is in robust health, said the Chief Executive of VisitScotland, the national tourism agency. Malcolm Roughead


explained the current portion of Scotland’s biggest industry, and praised Glasgow for performing ‘exceptionally well’. “The city’s success has been building. This is about continuous investment and commitment over time. It’s a tribute to Glasgow Life for putting in that effort and belief, which has been backed up by the Team Glasgow approach,” he said. He spoke broadly about the wider benefits. He said international overnight expenditure was up 22 per cent to £2.3bn per annum, which is a ‘fantastic performance’. This is foreign currency coming into Scotland from abroad. The UK market also grew by almost 4 per cent to £3 bn. This combined


£5.3bn, represents an 11 per cent increase, a rate that would be welcomed by any other industries. Adding the day-trip market of £6bn, this equates to £11.3bn a year, and when the supply chain is included this makes a total of £13.5bn per annum. “Which puts tourism right up there as one of the most important generators for the Scottish economy,” he told the audience in the Radisson Blu Hotel. However, one of the


key aspects is migration of labour, which may be impacted by Brexit. Around 60,000 people from across Europe work in the hospitality and leisure sector in Scotland. “Organically, with the present growth we will need to increase the workforce by 5 per cent year on year. So we’ve got to try and find more people to come through this system. That means making the industry an attractive career destination for people,” he said.


He said while business


rates, a squeeze on margins, a possible tourism levy and GDPR, which has restricted the use of customer data, have had an impact, he sees ‘an underlying strength’ in the Scottish tourism offering.


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