VisitScotland - the private company in the public sector
We have long felt edgy about the presence of publicly supported bodies operating in the commercial arena, something which is particularly prominent in the internet industry in Scotland.
This is mainly because they operate in competition with private companies which do not have the might of the taxpayer behind them to support their losses, to pay their staff and pensions, or to give them the increased authority in dealing with customers which arises from being a well known name.
But even we were surprised to find out recently that VisitScotland.com is the trading name of eTourism Ltd, a private limited company set up by a public private partnership in 2background-color: #b7c3cf; -moz-border-radius: 10px; min-height: 20px; width: 575px; font-weight: normal; padding: 15px 15px 15px 15px;background-color: #b7c3cf; -moz-border-radius: 10px; min-height: 20px; width: 575px; font-weight: normal; padding: 15px 15px 15px 15px;2. In fact, all the indications are that it is mainly French owned, with only 36% of its ownership in public hands. Yet it receives millions of pounds each year from the public purse.
A number of accommodation providers, particularly those outwith the main cities, have lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament to return the group to public ownership, arguing that the use of public money to fund the parent company eTourism Ltd is disrupting competition, an assertion which eTourism unconditionally rejects. There is also a protest to the European Commission underway.
One aspect of VisitScotland's work is to manage a large and growing network of websites featuring a variety of travel interest and holiday activity themes. These, include Golf, Walking, Cycling, City Breaks, Adventure, Ancestral, Ski Scotland and Wildlife and can be found via visitscotland.com. There is even an EatScotland website, for those who are really hungry. In fact there are more new Etourism Ltd websites around these days than you could shake a stick at.
And of the other websites not run by VisitScotland in the tourist area, most of those are under the control of one or other of the Enterprise quangos, similarly sponsored by the public purse, and similarly free from the commercial imperatives that control other businesses.
This is an unappetizing situation at a time when Scotland is trying to assert itself in the world to find that despite the Scottish Parliament, despite the massively over subscribed public sector in Scotland, we are still exporting jobs and money through these quangos which benefit no-one other than themselves.
Here is the address of the "Reclaim Visit Scotland" campaign, http://www.reclaimvs.com/ which is trying to remedy the situation - with little hope of success in the short term at least, until the Revolution!
Finally, here is an interesting quote for you
"Mike Watson: eTourism Ltd is responsible for the operation and management of visitscotland.com. eTourism Ltd is a public private partnership between VisitScotland, the area tourist boards, Partnerships UK and Schlumberger Sema. Details of revenue received through the website and reinvested in visitscotland.com are an operational matter for eTourism Ltd. "
Thanks Mike. Just to clarify, are you saying that despite the £7.5+ million of public money pumped into eTourism Ltd each year, relevant financial details about what happens to it are none of our business?
