Sarwar backs plea for a marketing campaign to restore confidence in Scottish hospitality

Anas Stephen

Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar sat down the members of the press and the Scottish Hospitality Group earlier this week at The Citizen in Glasgow and unveiled Scottish Labours 10 point Framework for Living with Covid 19 saying, “Ad hoc decision making is not fit for purpose.” He also recognised that hospitality has been hard hit and agreed that we now need, “ an endorsement of Scottish hospitality.”

He told DRAM, “ If you think about Scotland’s economy and the drivers, and if you think about not the just national economy but the regional economy so much of it is dependent on the hospitality sector.” He continued, “We absolutely need a marketing campaign that is about optimism and confidence and that is about trying to inspire people within Scotland to go back out to rebuild their lives and rekindle relationships and to go out and use hospitality settings so we can get the economy back on track.

“But I also think we need a massive campaign to run alongside that which says Scotland is an outward looking nation not an inward looking nation, that Scotland is a confident and optimistic nation that believes the best days lie ahead of it. Perhaps most importantly that Scotland is open to the world to inspire that confidence for people to come back to Scotland and spend money so that we can regrow our economy and get people back to work.”

He supported the suggestion of a hospitality tsar but in fact thinks we need something more. He said, “ I think there is a wider fundamental issue – I don’t think there there is anyone in Government that understands economic development. I think it is all very well to have a hospitality tsar but I think we need an economic tsar in Scottish Government, someone that understand economic development, how you drive economies and how driving local economies helps the wider economy as well.

“If you do not have a successful economy, if you do not have economic growth and people in well paid jobs paying good taxes and businesses thriving and doing well, and paying fair taxes you have less money to spend on all the good things we want to have in our society.”

DRAM Editor Susan Young said, “It was very interesting to hear what Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie had to say. Over the past two years the Scottish Hospitality Group has endeavoured to reach out to politicians from all parties and it will continue to do so. Mr Sarwar has done the industry the courtesy of listening and obviously understands the need for a positive message to encourage customers back into hospitality.

“The past two years has shown us all how crucial communication is. We need politicians to understand our industry, so that going forward they appreciate the impact of decisions made without industry consultation.

“I hope that over the weeks and months to come that these face-to-face meetings with politicians will be replicated and I do hope that there will a Civil servant tasked with the responsibility of being a Hospitality Tsar.”

Anas Sarwar is pictured with Scottish Hospitality Group, spokesperson, Stephen Montgomery. The meeting was also attended by SHG member Mario Gizzi or the DRG Group.

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Tags: Anas Sarwar, Scottish Hospitality Group, Scottish Labour, Stephen Montgomery, The Citizen