Travel and Tourism

General information

about all public transport services in Scotland, including changes and contitions related to Covid-19, can be found on the Traveline Scotland website.

If you have mobility problems either short or long term, local charity Shopmobility Highland   provide mobility scooters, power chairs, wheelchairs and rollators for persons of all ages with long or short term mobility problems, in Inverness and Dingwall.  There is also a minibus at each location offering daily shopping trips for members.  There is a membership fee and a small charge per trip or hire.

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Travel news

*May 2024

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill  2023 passed

The bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 28 May 2024.

The bill enables local authorities to charge a levy on most types of overnight accommodation (hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, hostels, campervan hire, campsites etc) at a percentage rate to be determined by the local council.

The bill as passed

Highland Council has welcomed the passing of the bill, which will not come into force until 2026.  Councillor Ken Gowans, chair of the council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee, said

“The Highland Council welcomes the passing of the Visitor Levy Bill to Stage 3 through the Scottish Parliament. This enables the Council to begin the roll out of an 18 month implementation period to put in place the systems needed to collect and administer the levy.

"The tourism sector offers vital economic benefit to the Highlands and Islands and the Visitor Levy Bill helps to ensure its sustainability. The earliest a visitor levy could come into force is in 2026 and the revenue generated will enable the Council to deliver much needed strategic investment throughout Highland.

“A strategic priority contained within the Council’s Administration Programme 2022-2027 is to work with partners and stakeholders to address service delivery challenges with an inclusive approach to change. In general terms the tourism levy will be not a tax on the Highland people, quite the opposite it is tax for the Highlands paid by others.

“Collaboration around the levy is essential towards developing a well-informed sustainable tourism and infrastructure strategy that aligns with everyone’s aspirations for Highland and that work is underway and can now be streamlined".

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September 2023

Petition and consultation on A9 dualling

The Scottish Parliament's Participation and Communities Team has emailed community councils in the north of Scotland with a reminder that
the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee has launched a consultation which looks at the commitment to dual the A9 and address the on-going safety concerns on the road.
.   .   .   .
This consultation follows a petition submitted by road safety campaigner Laura Hansler, which urges the Scottish Government to fulfil its 2011 promise to fully dual the A9, improve road safety and consider the creation of a national memorial to those who have tragically lost their lives on the road.

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee are looking at the details of the petition, and want to know what people think about issues related to the dualling of the A9.

You can access the consultaton  here .  Responding to it is not straightforward and seems to require a Facebook or similar login.

The consultation closes on 15 September.

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May 2023

Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill  2023

The Scottish Government has introduced a bill which would enable local authorities to charge a levy on most types of overnight accommodation (hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, hostels, campervan hire, campsites etc) at a percentage rate to be determined by the local council.

An email sent to community councils and other groups by the Scottish Parliament Participation and Communities Team has links to information about the bill and how to participate in the consultation, which closes on 1 September.

More information
Scottish Parliament overview

Scottish Parliament  text of the bill as introduced

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July 2023

Transform Scotland -  Zero Carbon Public Transport summit in Inverness

Transform Scotland  writes

We were delighted to head north to Inverness last week for our Zero-Carbon Public Transport Summit.

The event brought together our members, local politicians and transport operators to discuss how Scotland can take action on climate and cut emissions from its public transport network. 

Read a report of the summit   with detailed summary.

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The Black Isle

People travel more than ever before.  Getting to work, the school run, shopping, going out, practically everything we do can seem to involve getting behind the wheel.

From being a relative backwater just a couple of decades ago, the Black Isle has become a busy through route and commuter zone.  

Traffic jams, pollution and growing vulnerability to fuel price hikes are among the pressures taking their toll on local motorists.

We're working to boost more sociable, savvy ways of travelling on the Black Isle.

Contact  info@transitionblackisle.org  to share your ideas and find out more.

 

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NC 500 - An Alternative View

The view expressed below appeared on the Facebook page of Cromarty Community Development Trust  in 2019, with this comment from the Trust - 

"This is not the formal opinion of the Development Trust, but it is an interesting 'alternative view' about the NorthCoast500, presented here to stimulate discussion. Interestingly, it says that Iceland banned camper van camping outwith official sites following rapid expansion of their camper van tourism.  We're building a site in Cromarty, and it's obvious the pressures of tourism need to be managed in many countries. Cromarty welcomes tourism, and tourists support our local businesses; but communities should be able to choose how much tourism and what kind brings most benefits to our communities."

 

Read the full article

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