World Class claims queried

The Citizen, 10 December 2004

Allegations in a Sunday newspaper that St Andrews was "in revolt" over proposals to make it a world class resort, have been queried by local residents.

The report stated that St Andrews World Class believed the town faced “a multi-million pound loss in tourism revenues if it is allowed to continue at the same rate of underachievement”

The newspaper also printed claims from the St Andrews World Class “that an effectively implemented action plan could increase revenue by £23m and create more than 1000 jobs across Fife.”

After the Citizen contacted Scottish Enterprise Fife, one of the partners in St Andrews World Class, a spokesman explained where those figures had come from.

“We commissioned independent consultants Hall Aitken in 2001 to conduct the Economic Impact of Tourism on St Andrews study so that we could examine how the town’s tourism economy might develop over the next 10 years,” he said.

“The report helped us identify that, if certain aspects of St Andrews weren't improved, it was likely that spending would reduce, leading to a reduction in the number of jobs.

“However, if the town’s tourism was managed, businesses were helped to grow and the physical environment was improved for the benefit of residents and visitors alike, it was expected that employment and spending would increase.

“The private sector also independently recognised the benefits of such an integrated approach and championed this through the St Andrews World Class initiative, subsequently bringing on board public sector partners.”