AN INCOMING new North Coast 500 boss says the government has been “caught out” with the increasing popularity of the route and that locals are at boiling point over lack of action.
David Richardson will head up the role of development and engagement manager of the NC500 at the start of next week and has called for politicians, local communities and the public sector to come together to help address the challenges affecting the tourism route.
As the NC500 approaches its 10-year anniversary Richardson has highlighted how it is “essential” for the Highlands economy and that it poses huge opportunities for people living in the north of Scotland.
However, the incoming boss has warned that despite the route's economic positives residents in the Highlands are “desperate” for enforced measures on motorhomes as they feel “overwhelmed” by them.
Figures from VisitScotland show 26 per cent of visitors to the Highlands either camp or stay in campervans, an increase that doesn’t surprise Richardson who has a long career in tourism.
“My point is very much that the authorities have been caught out. This growth hasn’t just exploded . It has been exacerbated by Covid, but this goes right back,” he said speaking to The Scotsman.
“It has been a steady growth, it has now reached 26 per cent and you don’t detect any urgency on behalf of anyone to control it. Local communities are desperate to control it, desperate.
“Nobody has paid much attention to it, least of all governments, so there are no rules and regulations. There is no policing - not policing with a capital P. Rangers have been withdrawn.
“You can stick in any local rules you want, but if nobody is doing anything about it, then well, who cares, people will think they can go where they want.”
Back in March countryside rangers stationed at tourist hotspots across Scotland were let go as public funding from government agency NatureScot dried up.
The roles of the rangers included educating visitors about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, parking, litter, and environmental protection.
In 2023 rangers recorded more than 31,000 motorhomes and collected more than 2100 bags of litter.
The Highland Council introduced a new initiative earlier this year which entitles campervan owners to various benefits such as inclusive overnight parking at a network of designated car parks.
The seven-day pass costs £40 and is designed to help improve and sustain tourist infrastructure across the region such as public toilets.
However, it is not the same as a visitor’s tax as people don’t have to pay for it if they don’t want to and the scheme has been heavily criticised and referred to as “toothless”.
Richardson has highlighted that the lack of action from the government has upset local communities and has called for calm and a resolution to the concerns voiced.
He said: “Tempers are raging and we have got to cool it down. We have got to get it back to proper discussion. We need to get together and by ‘we’ I mean everybody - politicians, the public sector, private sector and communities.”
He added: “We can have rules, but what we need is education. There also needs to be a deterrent. This has got to change. There has to be money found for this.
“Highlands and Islands politicians are well aware of the issues and they are concerned. We need to find a solution and talk about it.”
The tourism boss also said there was a tendency to regard motorhome users as the “devil incarnate” when really they were just holidaymakers.
He said: “We don’t go on holiday to be an upset to others, you go on holiday to relax and enjoy yourself. Society as a whole is becoming far more selfish and less tolerant in so, so many ways.
“You have lots of anecdotes of visitors saying ‘we don’t care about you locals’ and equally we have got a lot of locals going out and deliberately looking for things that are wrong because they are so inflamed by it.”
“We have to win over communities, many who feel completely overwhelmed and dissatisfied with the whole thing. At a time of really tight resources, we have got to convince the powers that be that they have got to invest,” he added.
Figures from 2018 showed the 516 mile-long touring route generated £22.8 million for the Highlands' economy with 180 new jobs created in the industry that year.
Richardson is adamant there must be a resolution found so that the opportunities offered by the route are fully redeemed but not at the detriment of the Highland communities.
He said: “Every problem has a solution, but we have got to come together to make it happen. If we don’t, demographic decline is going to continue and all that we will have is a series of retirement communities around our coast. It is already going that way. Jobs and careers is what will hold people and attract young people.”
