Scottish Caravans & Motorhomes

Opinion
This is a
levy too far
Cameron McNeish is critical of a new call
in the Scottish parliament to charge
campervanners travelling to the Western Isles
pictures CAmeron mCneish
AN MSP hAS asked the Scottish government
to consider introducing a levy for motorhomers
visiting the Western Isles. The SNP’s
Alasdair Allan suggested such a levy would
help islanders better handle increased vehicle
traffic, arguing that the number of holidaymakers
travelling to the Outer Hebrides in
motorhomes had ‘shot up.’
Mr Allan said the tourism was welcome,
but the islands lacked ‘suitable sites’ and
waste disposal points. ‘This is about recognising
the pressures created on infrastructure
by such a rapid growth in tourism and providing communities
with a new source of funding that they can direct as they see
fit,’ the MSP said.
That’s all very well, but you can’t help but wonder if Scotland
is the only country in the world that seeks to encourage
tourists and then complains about them once they’re here?
While many are praising marketing efforts like the North
Coast 500 for bringing extra business to remote areas of Scotland,
just as many appear to be whingeing about it, claiming
that the narrow highland roads have become overcrowded;
that there aren’t enough overnight facilities, like campsites;
and that bed­and­breakfast owners dislike people staying only
one night because they have to change the bedsheets daily.
In his statement to the BBC, Mr Allan admitted the
increase in tourism over the past two or three years, including
campervanners and motorhomers, was essentially good for
the local economy, but feared that this new­found popularity
‘has brought its own set of problems, and it is readily apparent
that our infrastructure has not been able to keep up with
Campervanners are made
very welcome on Harris
“Is Scotland the only
country that seeks
tourists, then complains
about them?”
demand.’ I suspect most of
us who own campervans
and motorhomes are
well aware of the lack of
infrastructure in Scotland
– but why we should we be
the ones who pay directly
for such facilities? I don’t
see any suggestions from
politicians asking car­borne
tourists for a levy to build
more hotels or garages. And
other than create an even bigger
ferry levy on the size of your
camper or motorhome, how does
Mr Allan suggest we make this infrastructure contribution?
Surely if a region is actively trying to gain economic
benefit from tourism, it’s incumbent on that region to create
the infrastructure to support it?
Room on the boat
It appears to me that Alastair Allan MSP has a personal gripe –
one that I’ve heard from a number of islanders – and that is
that motorhomes take up too much room on ferries and occasionally
local people can’t get booked on the ferries they want.
If that’s the case then surely we need more ferries making the
crossings between Ullapool and Stornoway, Uig and Tarbert or
Oban and Castlebay during the summer months. Or perhaps
a certain amount of space should be reserved on the ferries
for the islanders’ use? It’s perhaps a question to be laid at the
door of Caledonian MacBrayne, the ferry operator.
The other issue that Mr Allan is concerned
about is a lack of campsites and waste disposal
points. I would agree with him on the first point.
I’m a regular visitor to Harris, which I’ll come back
to in a minute, but there is a real need for more
campsites on islands like Mull, Arran, Skye and
the Western Isles. Indeed, a lack of campsites is
one of the main issues of contention in the Loch
Lomond & Trossachs National Park, where bylaws
have been created on loch­sides to stop people wild
camping, as I’ve mentioned here before.
Rather than slap a levy on motorhomes travelling
to the islands, what is urgently required is
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Scottish Caravans & Motorhomes winter 2017
www.scottishcaravansandmotorhomes.co.uk