While campervan users inject money into rural economies on the plus side, by their very nature they can also have a significant adverse impact on fragile, often substandard infrastructure; on other road users; on the lives of residents; on the enjoyment of other types of visitor; and on the natural environment borderingroads.
Moreover, while campervans are growing in number (and size, which is another issue), practical visitor management on the ground has generally not adapted to meet the new challenges, and what management there is comes across as haphazard and uncoordinated.
From the media of all types and numerous conversations it is clear that few residents in most key hotspots believe that management is even remotely fit-for-purpose.
While the situation varies across Scotland, in many parts campervans and the behaviour of their occupants are increasingly seen as the unacceptable face of tourism, and this in turn is impacting on the attitudes and behaviour of some residents towards the industry as a whole. There’s even talk of militant residents
adopting direct action.
A great deal of last September’s Highland Tourism Partnership Strategy Day was devoted to the campervan issue, reflecting its importance to the industry as a whole in that region.
This roundtable is designed to tackle the issues head-on: to bring key players together to identify the issues in more detail and discuss practical, achievable solutions. In short, it is not about the words voiced in the discussion alone; much more importantly, it is about the outcomes that result:
● The actions needed from governments, the public sector, businesses and communities to maximise
the benefits and overcome the problems. These include: investment in infrastructure to reduce
inappropriate wild camping; ensuring that rules and regulations are fit-for-purpose and meet current
and future needs; ensuring that they are enforced, acting as a deterrent that dramatically reduces
unacceptable behaviour; and ensuring that visitors and would-be visitors are educated about what
to expect and how to behave before they arrive.
● Clarity on who leads and who is involved and at what level.
● Identification of the resources required, including the likely cost of different elements, and where the
cash might come from.
● How the results will be monitored
Finally, there is the exclusive nature of the current debate – it is dominated by the public sector. Given the
issue’s growing importance to Scottish tourism, the wide range of interests not represented on the National
Motorhomes, Campervans and Camping Working Group, and the frustration amongst businesses and
communities,
Moreover, while campervans are growing in number (and size, which is another issue), practical visitor management on the ground has generally not adapted to meet the new challenges, and what management there is comes across as haphazard and uncoordinated.
From the media of all types and numerous conversations it is clear that few residents in most key hotspots believe that management is even remotely fit-for-purpose.
While the situation varies across Scotland, in many parts campervans and the behaviour of their occupants are increasingly seen as the unacceptable face of tourism, and this in turn is impacting on the attitudes and behaviour of some residents towards the industry as a whole. There’s even talk of militant residents
adopting direct action.
A great deal of last September’s Highland Tourism Partnership Strategy Day was devoted to the campervan issue, reflecting its importance to the industry as a whole in that region.
This roundtable is designed to tackle the issues head-on: to bring key players together to identify the issues in more detail and discuss practical, achievable solutions. In short, it is not about the words voiced in the discussion alone; much more importantly, it is about the outcomes that result:
● The actions needed from governments, the public sector, businesses and communities to maximise
the benefits and overcome the problems. These include: investment in infrastructure to reduce
inappropriate wild camping; ensuring that rules and regulations are fit-for-purpose and meet current
and future needs; ensuring that they are enforced, acting as a deterrent that dramatically reduces
unacceptable behaviour; and ensuring that visitors and would-be visitors are educated about what
to expect and how to behave before they arrive.
● Clarity on who leads and who is involved and at what level.
● Identification of the resources required, including the likely cost of different elements, and where the
cash might come from.
● How the results will be monitored
Finally, there is the exclusive nature of the current debate – it is dominated by the public sector. Given the
issue’s growing importance to Scottish tourism, the wide range of interests not represented on the National
Motorhomes, Campervans and Camping Working Group, and the frustration amongst businesses and
communities,
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, I'm Rosemary Gallagher, Head of Commercial and Business Content at The Scotsman.
00:04We're here today in Inverness for a gorgeous sunny morning to discuss camper vans.
00:09Camp Van Tour has become much more popular in recent years and it's brought both opportunities and challenges.
00:15We're in partnership with North Coast 500 Limited, hosting a roundtable to discuss those challenges and opportunities
00:21for the economy, for communities and for tourists themselves.
00:25Brought to organizations like VisitScotland, Local Authorities, PoliceScotland and those who represent campers and caravanners and camper van owners
00:34to discuss the way forward to make the most of the opportunities and tackle the challenges.
00:38From today we're going to do a write-up on The Scotsman, have content online, produce a short film and also a podcast
00:45that will help create a legacy to discuss future developments for camper van tourism on the North Coast 500 and across Scotland.
00:52Well for us this roundtable is very important indeed. Tourism is the most important industry in the Highland for jobs, for everything else, for supporting communities.
01:01But the explosion in camper van ownership and rentals is taking everyone by surprise and we haven't geared up really to manage it very well.
01:09So we wanted to get together to discuss how that can be best done and we wanted to make it Scotland-wide because we think many of the issues are Scotland-wide issues.
01:16So today was about bringing people together to talk about the situation, to bust some myths, to talk facts and to discuss what could be done to make the thing better.
01:26Well camper van ownership is growing, people are coming, we know it's worth £355 million to the Scottish economy, that's a lot of money.
01:33And we want to ensure that that money is increased and that it is spent throughout the whole country, especially in remoter parts of the Highlands Islands.
01:41People are spending in shops and attractions and so on. So it's how we grow that in a manageable way.
01:46So it's the most positive way we can do it and there are weaknesses and we've got to overcome those weaknesses.
01:50I think I'd like to see motor homers and camper vanners more welcomed around Scotland in general and because there are proper facilities for them to park up and to dispose of their waste.
02:04Quite simple and just let them do what they're there to do, which is enjoy the fantastic scenery, enjoy a nice break in Scotland.
02:13I think the positivity in terms of Scotland is that we are a very good place to visit.
02:20Again, scenery, solitude, finding somewhere that's a bit special and Scotland's got that.
02:30Far better than many other continental countries that have many, many more camper van visitors, so Scotland's got a lot to offer.
02:42Well, I think it's been a really good conversation today. Tourism is one of the most important industries for Scotland and we've got tremendous assets here and it's an absolute privilege to welcome visitors from all over the world to Scotland.
02:55The thing we're trying to achieve, I think, is for tourism to continue to prosper, but for that to be done in a well managed way that creates benefits for visitors, for local people, for the environment and for the country.
03:09And today's been a really good conversation about the subtleties of some of that because the issues are quite complex and lots of different people, I think, have a role to play in helping us better manage the services and facilities for motor home visitors.
03:25So we did some research into this market published last year, which showed that actually people coming in motor homes are travelling throughout the year and they are spending quite a bit of money in our towns and villages, giving a very welcome boost to those communities.
03:41People coming in motor homes are looking to sample local food, local crafts, music, to go on tours, to visit attractions and to engage with the place.
03:51So that's a big opportunity, but we need to manage that in a way that lessens the pressure that is definitely felt in some areas and at some times of year.
04:00I think it was really useful to get everyone together and I think we found more common ground than we expected to.
04:05I think the important thing is that it doesn't end up being a talking shop and that we take good solutions and actions out of it.
04:11And there are some that will be short term fixes and some really long term goals for the group.
04:16For ourselves, our members run holiday parks and campsites, so the increase in tourism is great for us.
04:21But we'd like to see that tourism coming onto our parks themselves and spending money in the local community because that supports our businesses who are having a tough year.
04:30For the country as a whole, I think the increased tourism is great.
04:34You can see from the economy that it's a really important part of the Scottish economy and that we should support tourism industry.
04:41In my view, the challenges to motorhome and campervan tourism is the unawareness of some of the poor behaviour that we're seeing demonstrated.
04:50So waste disposal in locks, parking too close to other motorhomes, perhaps some disruption to your motorhome neighbours.
04:59We're also seeing some challenges with our own members, the holiday parks, who are having campervans and motorhomes parking on their doorsteps,
05:05sneaking into their facilities and using them when they shouldn't and not paying for the privilege.
05:09Key challenges are very simple. It's provision of somewhere that you can legally park up without causing annoyance,
05:17and to be able to safely and responsibly dispose of your waste. Simple as that.
05:22I talk to lots of people in lots of communities, and there's two real key ones.
05:26One is on the roads, campervans can be slow and they can hold people back and totally understand that.
05:31And the other one is the perception that you can wild camp wherever you like,
05:35and that causes frustration amongst many communities, especially the most beautiful spots that contain nothing but campervans.
05:42So it's how we manage that, that matters. And that's what today was about.
05:45Now, it's a one-off today, but it isn't a one-off. We want it to be part of a continuum.
05:49So we have more discussions, but not just discussions, we establish what can be done.
05:55And we work together to make it happen. It's working together that matters.
05:58It's working together.