I would appreciate an open discussion about the impact of overpromoted destinations in Scotland. There seems to be much made of how visitors deserve a lovely time, but very little made of how residents also deserve to live their lives and that the local environment also needs protected and nurtured. We and the landscape are expected to accommodate everyone, urbanise our environment so that everyone knows how to behave and where to go, make physical changes to the environment ensure the comfort of an increased temporary population for a small part of the year and there is no honest discussion about the possibility that the benefits to our communities and local environment very rarely outweigh the negatives. Economically we need to depend less on tourism, not more, but it often feels like as residents we are only expected to be here to facilitate the visitors and discussions tend to focus on increasing tourism, not the possibility controlling it strongly or encouraging a kind tourism which is better for the environment and residents. I would like an accurate assessment of the impact of tourism in the Highlands/across Scotland (economic, social and environmental) and because so much focus is put on the financial benefits - an unbiased study into where the money actually ends up. Much is made of the financial benefit, but I suspect those financial benefits don't land in the pockets of many residents, but rather those from further afield who can afford to invest from a distance, for example run campervan rental companies based outwith the area, own multiple rental homes or hotels.
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