IF I were to hazard a guess I would say that one of the biggest problems facing the hospitality industry, especially pubs, is that the politicians and experts handling the coronavirus crisis are not the kind of people who go down to the pub for a pint or two on a Saturday night.
That being so, it is inconceivable that they can realise just how much this matters to a large number of the population. It may also explain why so little thought or imagination seems to be being addressed to the problems of how to get the pubs back open as early as possible. Outdoor seated areas, for example, could probably open up soon, relatively safely.
However, political point-scoring involving what happened in the mists of coronavirus time, i.e February, in an Edinburgh hotel seems, once again, to be more important than getting the hospitality or indeed any industry back up and running.
The public have more than done their bit in trying to halt the spread of this virus but our patience is wearing thin. Some kind of positive action needs to be taken now before this patience finally snaps.
Oh, and before being criticised by the usual suspects for being anti-Scottish Government, I would point out that I've voted SNP in every election since the early 1970s.
Dave Henderson, Glasgow G12.
IN his letter on tourism (May 18) David Henderson concisely and perceptively sums up the situation: "Scottish scenery is magnificent but you can’t eat or drink it." The most obvious problem facing Scotland's tourism sector post-coronavirus is that without the hospitality industry in all its various forms the visitor experience in Scotland will be much diminished.
Many of Scotland's hotels, pubs and restaurants are now struggling for survival, with income for most reduced to zero and those with a rateable value over £51,000 a year unable to access either the £10,000 or £25,000 business interruption grant.
All over the country these viable businesses which provide employment and generate substantial revenues for local and national government could disappear, making our villages, towns and cities (and of course rural areas) much less attractive to visitors whether they are part of Fergus Ewing's "staycation boom" or in some future time visitors from further afield.
The hospitality industry can play a significant part in the regeneration of Scotland's economy, but only if it still exists. Action is required now before it is too late and we lose one of the main reasons Scotland is ranked so highly as a visitor destination, our hospitality.
William Gold, Hielan Jessie bar, Glasgow G4.
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