Breaking Up is Hard to Do! The Future of Tourism in Scotland Under Different Possible Political Options

Abstract

No matter how the people of Scotland vote in the independence referendum, the management of tourism in Scotland will change and the implications of this vote will be felt throughout Europe. As the demand for devolved political powers grow, there is likely to be a concurrent move to devolve the management and marketing of tourism from national tourism organisations, to more regional based tourism organisations. The emergence of such regional based tourism organisations is likely to result in them forming more powerful political groupings to lobby against European Union wide rules that may restrict them from developing stronger regional products. The free movement of people and goods within the Europe Union may become more difficult, as more regional policies are developed. The future of two key European policies, the Euro and a passport free common travel area, may also be questioned. The private sector may welcome the development of more regional tourism organisations, as they may be more responsive to their priorities.