MSP flies flag for Scottish Green Getaways

MSP Colin Smyth marked Scottish Tourism Month this spring (31 March) with a visit to a family’s holiday park in his constituency which is pioneering the concept of a green getaways.

Mr Smyth was at Sandgreen Caravan Park in Gatehouse of Fleet on the Solway Coast which takes a special pride in its work to help protect the area’s rich and varied wildlife, making it an ideal destination for anyone seeking green getaways in Scotland.

He was welcomed to the park by its longstanding general manager Elspeth Sutton and park manager Jan Hawthorn who took the MSP on a tour of Sandgreen’s 40-plus acre grounds and private beach – a highlight of any green getaway on the Solway coast.

Green getaways on the Solway coast

The park, near Kirkcudbright, is owned by Jane Murray-Usher and her family who have farmed the land on which the park sits for over one hundred years.

Ms Sutton said that Sandgreen and its team were delighted recently to have been named “Caravan Park of the Year” in the Prestige Awards, based on votes by the magazine’s readers.

She told Mr Smyth that the park has long had an appeal to families from both sides of the Scottish border wishing to own a holiday caravan in tranquil and picturesque surroundings – a setting perfectly suited to a green getaway.

The park has just over 200 holiday homes, said Ms Sutton, none of which deplete local housing stock in this popular holiday area, or artificially inflate local property prices.

In fact, she said, many other smaller businesses in the area benefit from the spending of visitors to the park, and help to support the employment opportunities they provide.

Sustainable Tourism

Mr Smyth heard that sustainability was at the heart of Sandgreen’s management strategy, and that the park was an active partner with the Play It Green campaign group – a clear commitment to offering a green getaway experience that benefits both guests and the environment.

The group encourages businesses to lower their carbon footprint by taking various green initiatives, and at Sandgreen this has included the planting of over 2,000 trees in the past few years.

Ms Sutton also explained how Sandgreen works closely with the David Bellamy Conservation scheme to help sustain the many animal, bird and plant species in its grounds – enhancing the natural appeal of the park for those seeking green getaways.

Mr Smyth, who is a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Tourism Group, also met some of the park’s staff team who number ten in summer.

“It was great to be joined by our MSP to help us celebrate Scottish Tourism Month, and Mr Smyth clearly recognises the importance of tourism to rural Scotland,” said Ms Sutton.

“We were able to outline some of our hopes and ambitions for the coming year, and to share some of the challenges which the parks sector is now facing.

“These include inheritance tax and the possible imposition of a visitor levy in Scotland which many tourism businesses believe will be self-defeating,” she added.

Importance of Tourism to the economy of Dumfries and Galloway

Mr Smyth said: “Tourism is extremely important to the economy of Dumfries and Galloway, and I was delighted to mark the start of Scottish Tourism Month with a visit to Sandgreen Caravan Park.

“It was great to meet with Elspeth and the team to learn more about the work being done at the forty-acre site. I was also really interested to hear about the park’s sustainability plans, which are extremely important.

“Tourism in our region is currently facing many obstacles, with rising costs and problems with recruitment locally. However, it is great to see places like Sandgreen showing that Dumfries and Galloway really is open for business. That is such an important message from our region.”

According to a recent economic survey, said Ms Sutton, the parks sector generates over £991 million in visitor spending each year in Scotland, and supports almost 18,500 FTE jobs.

There is more information on the website of Sandgreen Caravan Park, and the findings of the recent economic survey can be read at www.ukcca.org.uk – a helpful resource for those interested in the wider impact of choosing green getaways in Scotland.