New hotel support programme

South Scotland MSP, Joan McAlpine, has welcomed a new fund from the Scottish Government to help larger hotels recover from the pandemic.

The new Hotel Support Programme which was launched this week offers grants of up to £250,000. It’s hoped the fund will help secure up to 3,000 jobs across Scotland.

Commenting, Ms McAlpine says,

“I’m delighted that the Scottish Government has recognised the important contribution that larger hotels make to tourism and the wider economy.

“The need for additional support for larger hotels was raised repeatedly at the enquiry into the impacts of the pandemic on the tourism sector carried out by the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and Economic Affairs committee which I chair. This was because many of the larger hotels were ineligible for earlier grants due to having a rateable value of over £50,000.

“The hotel sector is a major employer across Scotland, especially in rural areas like Dumfries and Galloway, so it’s vital we do what we can to help them protect valuable jobs.

“Any hoteliers interested in applying to the programme should visit the www.findbusinesssupport.gov.scot website for more information or to find out if they’re eligible. In addition to possible grant support, each successful applicant will be offered a bespoke package of wrap-around business support and advice. The deadline for expressions of interest is Wednesday 9 September at 5pm.”

The Hotel Support Programme is a collaborative initiative between the Scottish Government, Scotland’s enterprise agencies and VisitScotland.

Scottish Enterprise, along with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise, will administer the programme.

findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/funding/hotel-support-programme