Following the announcement on 7th October by the First Minster the Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing convened a conference call with key industry bodies. Sail Scotland was in attendance representing Marine and Outdoor Tourism.

The Cabinet Secretary advised the decisions taken by the Scottish Cabinet were based around the trends and indicators of virus spread detailed in Evidence Paper published on 7th October.

During the meeting Sail Scotland pressed for clarity regarding:

  • New restrictions on hospitality sector do not impact on marine tourism activities.
  • What element of the new £40m compensation package is available for marine operators affected by cancellations either directly or as a result of holiday plans being cancelled and subsequent activity reservations being lost.

Today, 8th October the following statement was agreed with the Scottish Government.

Further to the national announcements and direct discussions with Scot Govt  around hospitality restrictions and travel recommendations it is Sail Scotland’s understanding that travel advice relating to travel to, from and within Greater Glasgow Ayrshire & Arran, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley and Lothian area does not  prevent individuals participating in sailing or boating from, to or within these areas. If you have a holiday booked you can still go, however you should think carefully about whether you need to travel, avoid non-essential unplanned visits regardless of area. Participants are asked to act with great care and follow the principles of #RespectTheDestination
 
The announcements made on 24th September remain in place and are detailed in our previous post on 25th September 

Further information for private leisure sailors is available at RYA Scotland Return to Boating