Two weeks ago, the STA and partners delivered one of our most successful events to date. Over the course of the two-day industry conference at the EICC, we welcomed more than 1000 people to the venue and online.

It was almost two years since our industry had come together; the feeling of connection was stronger than we imagined, it was evident that every single person felt enormously boosted by meeting new and old colleagues, feeling the warmth of human spirit and energy again. So importantly for our sector, we absorbed many insights which pointed towards a strong path for recovery.

In an almost direct repeat of the aftermath of our industry conference in March 2020, two days later we found our hopes, ambition, the sense of uplift we’d experienced that week completely shattered; a new highly transmissible variant had emerged. Thoughts of long-term hope were immediately replaced with intense feelings of worry; a dramatic overnight swing from the strength of optimism to those familiar feelings of ‘this is all happening again.’

The timing between news of this nature landing, subsequent government and public body announcements and the reaction from Scotland’s tourism businesses is something the STA has become all too practiced in managing. The impact is immediate. The stream of communication we receive from tourism businesses and the supply chain is unending, the detail never good; every message and email is a difficult read. The figures really do speak for themselves.

The situation is of course more than figures; it’s about what the figures mean. It’s about what the loss of 500 bookings in 24 hours means for a business, for the staff rota-d to work during what should be the industry’s busiest time, for the suppliers who cannot supply and trade at the required level because the demand has been wiped out overnight. It’s about what the removal of £250,000 worth of business on the books means for a hotel, one of many which has struggled to weather the storm of the pandemic. It’s about the other businesses which depend on tourism and hospitality business, and indeed an events sector; the secondary spend which makes the difference to ‘break even or bust’ for many.

The loss of revenue isn’t just restricted to so called party night revenue; people are hesitant to commit to existing bookings in any type of accommodation or going ahead with plans for socialising.

Our supply chain is in limbo; people who have worked tirelessly and gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that businesses had everything they needed to give their guests and customers the experiences they had booked, despite the scarcity in product availability and the challenge in getting those supplies through to businesses.

There is no doubt that if an announcement of immediate, robust and long-term financial support from governments is not forthcoming within the next few days, those in the industry who had planned to trade and were reliant on income being generated over the winter, may not survive until the spring.

Two weeks ago, we were looking at what we thought might be our route to recovery.

Again, our industry is plunged into the worst situation imaginable; reduced demand, widespread cancellations, a haemorrhage of income with no hint of financial support and an extremely worried and concerned workforce. Currently, there is little appreciation, understanding or acknowledgement from governments of the depths of financial crisis that many in the sector and the supply chain now find themselves in.

Confirmation of support is needed now, this week. The cliff edge that we have worked so hard to avoid is already beneath us.

Marc Crothall is the chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance.