Anti-wind farm campaigners have accused Fergus Ewing, the Scottish minister
for business, energy and tourism, of jeopardising Scotland’s tourist
industry after he claimed visitor numbers and turbines could ‘flourish’
together.
Mr Ewing, the MSP for Inverness and Nairn, insisted that turbines were not
having a ‘detrimental effect’ on tourism in the Highlands and that hotel
occupancy rates were still high, scenic areas were protected and renewable
energy was popular.
‘As a Highlands MSP and as tourism minister it is an industry close to my
heart, and I am pleased the latest visitor numbers suggest wind farms and
tourism can co-exist and flourish,’ he wrote in the Press and Journal
newspaper.
His comments were criticised as ‘cavalier’ by Chris Heaton-Harris, the
Conservative MP for Daventry who runs Together Against Wind, a
not-for-profit organisation for campaign groups fighting against wind farms
in the UK.
He told The Times: ‘This is a remarkably cavalier comment from Scotland’s
energy minister, who seems willing to risk his country’s tourism industry
on a vague hunch that wind turbines would attract visitors.’
Linda Holt, a spokeswoman for Scotland Against Spin, described Mr Ewing’s
article as ‘ridiculous’. ‘People do not come to Scotland to see wind farms
— that’s why we don’t see them in the VisitScotland adverts — they come to
see unspoilt wild laand,’ she said.
‘We have had loads of tourists from the US and Germany saying, ‘We have
turbines at home, we don’t expect to see them here.’ Fergus Ewing needs to
speak to B&Bs and hotels near wind farms — people pay for views.’
In 2013, a YouGov poll, conducted on behalf of the John Muir Trust
conservation charity, found that 51 per cent of Scots were less likely to
visit a scenic area that contained large-scale developments.
Helen McDade, head of policy for the trust, said: ‘Since that poll was
conducted, a number of large-scale onshore wind farms have been built or
consented, so we would expect that figure to have risen.
‘We know many local people and businesses in some areas of the Highlands
are deeply concerned. Loch Ness, for example, a key tourist destination,
could soon be surrounded by up to 500 turbines if developments now at the
planning stage are given the go-ahead.’
A spokesman for VisitScotland countered the claims, saying that the drive
for renewable energy recognised the potential of Scotland’s vast resource.
He added: ‘It is well documented that the majority of potential visitors
would not be discouraged from visiting Scotland on account of wind farm
developments.’
The spokesman cited VisitScotland’s research in 2011 which found that 27.5
per cent of Scots strongly disagreed that wind farms spoilt the
countryside, compared with 9 per cent who agreed.
In his opinion piece, Mr Ewing continued: ‘Whilst we are of the view that
wind power and tourism are not mutually exclusive, we appreciate that not
everyone agrees and thus do not dismiss those views.’
Earlier this week, Scottish Renewables, which represents the sector, warned
that renewable energy firms were at risk of ‘shutting up shop altogether’
as a result of the early withdrawal of government subsidies
The UK government is to exclude new onshore wind farms from a subsidy
scheme from April 2016 a year earlier than expected.
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