One of the organisations we work with are Eat South West Scotland. This is the regional food group for Dumfries and Galloway which was established in 2020. The aims of the group are to identify and promote new opportunities, for food and drink businesses in Dumfries and Galloway through a number of activities including showcasing this incredible part of Scotland to the world and highlighting the people and businesses that help drive it, supporting business start-up, innovation and growth, providing and promoting education, skills and training, increasing collaboration between organisations and businesses within the region and increasing usage of locally sourced foods.
Highlighting the businesses of our region is one of the roles that I love but I have to say that since the beginning of the year it has a tinge of sadness to it. I am sure you have all heard and seen that the hospitality sector is struggling but have your realised how bad it really is in this sector? In the last week alone there have been three Dumfries and Galloway businesses that have announced there closure (that I have noted but wouldn’t be surprised if there were others) in this sector and all have highlighted the extreme pressures they are under. I’d love to say this is a blip but there have been others who have made similar announcements in the last couple of months and I fear there will still be more to come.
We are very good at highlighting the benefits of the tourism economy to this region. Has anyone ever stopped to think why people come here? Yes it is for the great scenery, the attractions that we have on offer but also for the food and drink! Will people still come if they arrive at one of our lovely villages for lunch and discover there is nowhere for them to grab a bite to eat? Has anyone considered the wider impact that these closures have on our local economy? A lot of them source local food and drink, these are other local businesses with workforces that will also be threatened by these closures.
Our hospitality businesses are REALLY struggling and this is due to overheads and no one is willing to help them. From what I can see they are just banging their heads against a brick wall and feel as if no one is listening. But once our local pubs, hotels and coffee shops close, there is very little chance of them reopening. Would you like to open up a hospitality business in the current climate? Will you still visit the area if there is no where to go for food and drink? Will you continue to brew beer, make cheese, produce good quality meat if there is no one to buy it? What about the impact on our local communities?
The hospitality sector is in a really bad place and no one want to listen!