COACH operators in Scotland can apply for emergency cash support as the Scottish tourism industry battles to stay afloat amid continuing coronavirus restrictions.
The collapse in overseas visitor numbers and restrictions on domestic tourism have severely dented bookings at operators, with some unable to trade viably under reduced capacity.
But the industry has been told it can now apply for a share of a £10 million fund to support their businesses. The funding is part of a wider £104.3m package to support the tourism and hospitality sectors through the pandemic from the Scottish Government.
The strain on the travel sector arising from the pandemic was underlined with the demise of long-established coach company David Urquhart Travel in May.
Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “We appreciate the devastating impact the pandemic has had on all of our important tourism and events businesses, affecting every corner of our industry and area of the country.
“VisitScotland is diverting our focus from marketing to funding for the next three months to ensure that desperately needed help is delivered quickly, to those most in need.
“Some in the industry have been able to generate revenue as a result of offering digital experiences online or operating within the restrictions to take advantage of the increase in domestic visitors.
“Unfortunately, coach operators have had little or no income through either of these means. Hopefully this fund will go some way to meet their immediate financial needs until coach tours become financially viable again.”
The Scotland Coach Operators – Covid-19 Business Support and Continuity Fund, which was developed with input from the Confederation of Passenger Transport, is one of nine funding streams administered by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. VisitScotland has redeployed more than 100 staff to help process applications.
Companies can apply from noon on Tuesday 16 February 2021 until 5pm on Tuesday 23 February 2021. The one-off fund will specifically provide support to Scottish-based businesses in the coach tourism and coach private hire sector which are operating the newest and most environmentally friendly vehicle fleet: a Euro 5 or 6 grade and M2 or M3 category, with eight or more seats.
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