Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) Chief Executive Marc Crothall has welcomed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s appointment of Kate Forbes (pictured) as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy and Ivan McKee as Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise after she unveiled her cabinet yesterday with new appointments to ministerial roles.
Said Marc, “The Scottish Government has acknowledged the vital role of the tourism economy by placing the sector within the economy portfolio and clearly, the importance tourism will have in the recovery of Scotland’s economy and our communities.
“This marks a new opportunity for both the Scottish Government and the sector to build on the strong working relationship we have had to date which is very much in part thanks to the great work of the former tourism secretary, Fergus Ewing MSP who has represented the interests of tourism with such dedication, vigour and keenness to uncover the detail that makes the difference in relation to government policy.
“The STA is the acknowledged Industry Leadership Group (ILG) by government and the overarching representative body for Scotland’s tourism industry and our board and sector council look forward to continuing our regular dialogue with Ms Forbes and also engaging with Ivan McKee at the earliest opportunity.
“We naturally are keen to appraise both ministers directly of the industry’s most pressing issues and immediate challenges. Equally, we are also keen to discuss and share the opportunities that the industry believes can drive the sector’s recovery if supported by government; a plan that will not only help the industry bounce back quickly but also one that will contribute significantly to Scotland’s wider economic recovery in addition to achieving our collective ambition as set out in our national strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030.”
Also in the cabinet:
- Shirley-Anne Somerville becomes education secretary
- Humza Yousaf moves from justice to health
- Keith Brown takes the justice secretary job
- Michael Matheson keeps his transport post (expanded to include net zero, energy and transport}
- Shona Robison returns to cabinet as social justice, housing and local government secretary
- Former SNP MP Angus Robertson is now responsible for constitution, external affairs and culture matters
- Mairi Gougeon takes on the role of rural affairs and islands secretary
- Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney will be leading the country’s pandemic recovery