Craobh Marina Toilet Block - Access Limited To Marina Users Only

[Burst Boiler]

Have you ever seen loch lomond after a bank holiday Monday? If people can fit full bottles of coke and single use barbecues in their cars on the way out, they can certainly fit the empty coke bottles and used barbecues in and drive them back to whichever Glasgow suburb they live in. But apparently BoB says Argyll and Bute should leave skips around Luss and Duck Bay. Although the schemies won't use the skips, just leave it all on the grassy areas anyway, so presumably BoB thinksA&B should employ litter collectors too.

[BlowingOldBoots]

Have you ever seen loch lomond after a bank holiday Monday? If people can fit full bottles of coke and single use barbecues in their cars on the way out, they can certainly fit the empty coke bottles and used barbecues in and drive them back to whichever Glasgow suburb they live in. But apparently BoB says Argyll and Bute should leave skips around Luss and Duck Bay. Although the schemies won't use the skips, just leave it all on the grassy areas anyway, so presumably BoB thinksA&B should employ litter collectors too.

They already do provide these services, just not enough of them. More should be done in many areas to provide clean amenities, raise more money from tourist dollars, retain more of the tourist cash in the regions, make better use of local labour and facilitate the ability for local labour to live at affordable rates.

I agree that taking waste home should be the number one priority but waste also needs to be dealt with at the areas being visited and in my point of view, this is not provided. The numbers of public toilets, being a good example and in keeping with the thread, have declined over the years because councils do not want to fund them except in a few areas. As road trip tourism has expanded, councils and governments should provide the services to support that, or limit the numbers that can participate. Try finding a a disposal place for camper van toilet waste north of Fort William, it is difficult. It should not be like that.

Th money should come from better taxation and the distribution of tax receipts. Where does the tax and duty from fuel bought in A&B go, it certainly does not stay inside A&B. The assets that A&B has for tourism can't be fully exploited as nearly tax goes back to the exchequer. Affordable housing that allows local labour to live in areas and provide labour, just doesn't exist. There are other ways to fund facilities, grow economies, especially from tourist spend, which, is not worth nothing, as you suggest with your examples to A&B.

[BlowingOldBoots]

.... Landlubbing city dwellers with no respect for places they only visit temporarily.

This constant haranguing of city dwellers is a cheap attack based on prejudice rather than facts. The real reason that people dump their excrement is the inability of Scotland's councils and governments to provide facilities for tourists. There is no real infrastructure in place, yet massive spending on tourist campaigns for the likes of the National Parks, NC500, Kintyre66 through Visit Scotland. All contribute to the trashing of the likes of the Fairy Pools, Skye and dumping of waste outside recognised facilities.

The facilities to support tourism that do not rely on private facilities are woeful. Honest, hard working and enlighten country dwellers can't be trusted to provide communal facilities either as they do not always have the cash or intelligence to provide a service. There are exceptions, and the NC500 group try and provide facilities and offer guidance.

So, blame your council, local government and national government for their lack of foresight, planning and couldn't give a flip attitude to managing tourists.

Hardly constant haranguing - first time I've mentioned it at least. Couldn't the dumb dumpers just take their crap back home again? Why should the councils etc spend scarce cash on "tourists" who come in camper vans, bringing their own accommodation, food and cooking facilities and contribute nothing to the local economy other than dumping trash. And don't get me started on the cruise liner day trippers, wandering around and spending zero because they are on the all-inclusive package on-board.

It is people with "normal" lifestyles with no concept of how remote economies or communities function, with a "someone else should be doing this for my convenience" mentality. All take and no give works in cities with good communal facilities, the problem us when people take that expectation into remote areas that's the problem.

Which city do you dwell in?

You said it, so own it. However, it was a general statement, not specifically applied to you, as I have frequently read about city dwellers being blamed for everything wrong in the country. That cruise liner, pays to anchor and pays to drop off the tourists (I agree with the gist of your comment though), so some one again is benefiting, it is not a zero sum game being played here. Harbours all over Scotland have not provided expanded services, not for nothing, they feel there is a return to be had from that.

Remote economies function like any other economy and the source of their failures is usually down to wider economic pressures that they too participate in e.g. selling homes for good coin that prices out local buyers. You have poor communal facilities because you have let that happen in your communities. You forget that those who live and work in cities also pay tax, which gets centralised (mostly) and redistributed. Communities have only themselves to blame for inaction and not forcing the issue. Our councils expect a lack of protest and the usual voters to vote the usual suspects in, which local communities happily oblige with. Look in the mirror if you want to see the cause of the excrement in remote communities (that is also a generalisation, not directed at you personally, although you are just to blame as I).

I have not lived in a city since 1985, although Glasgow is my birth place. Currently I live in a small farming town in the Scottish borders, have lived in 2 small farming towns in Aberdeenshire, a small tourist town in North Ayrshire. Apart from one summer, I have worked my whole life and payed taxes in all these towns. I have voted in all elections, even when I have lived abroad, and try and influence excrement. Scottish councils and governments needs to change how it manages, in or out of the union.

Scotland's income from tourism is significant, about £4 billion, it has amazing tourist assets that are massively underexploited. Why is all of that income not redirected back into Scotland tourism? Blaming everyone in the city is not the answer.

[Gardenshed]

Same issue at Ardfern or is it just Craobh that needs to keep out the tourists?
I believe all the Clyde marinas have key-pads or other locks on their doors but while understandable, its sad that there is now a need for the same on the West coast.

[Burst Boiler]

Scotland's income from tourism is significant, about £4 billion, it has amazing tourist assets that are massively underexploited. Why is all of that income not redirected back into Scotland tourism? Blaming everyone in the city is not the answer.

The tourist assets are massively overexploited. You gave the example of the fairy pools on Skye.

The overall problem is the privatisation of the profits of tourism but the socialisation of the costs. The cruise ship does pay to visit (benefitting the shareholders of peel ports or whoever), the coachloads of tourists (benefitting the owner of the coach company) get taken to a remote location, swamp the place. Are you seriously suggesting the locals in a small village should bear the burden of cleaning up after them (either personally or have the local authority do it)? How about the polluter pays? Those making money from tourists (including camper van hirers) need to take responsibility for the wider costs. That's what we do when we pay mooring fees - the marina bins are emptied by private contractors.

[BlowingOldBoots]

Our tourist assets, by that I mean the scenery and attractions, are not over exploited. The infrastructure to deal with people and their needs, is inadequate, which is my point. Scotland could deal with more tourists, make more income, if the infrastructure was provided. Provision should be a mixed bag of private and government, supplied and operated.

This bloke, built an area for camper vans on his land in response to the poor, to no facilities in the area and the significant increase in camper van tourism. https://highlandhorsefun.com/about-us/meet-the-team/ There is a BBC news article on what he did.

However, the government, in this case the Scottish, can’t even dual the A9, our councils can’t even fix potholes, so what hope is there for providing facilities such as better roads, refuse management et cetera? It is possible but we citizens but up with mediocre politicians devoid of vision.

In my travels to the USA, Canada and Europe, infrastructure is there.

[Burst Boiler]

What's your view on the Welsh govt and Edinburgh council's plans for a tourism levy/tourist tax? And what do you think of the tourism industry's responses to them?

[Burst Boiler]

This bloke, built an area for camper vans on his land in response to the poor, to no facilities in the area and the significant increase in camper van

Private sector solution to a private sector problem. That's the spirit.

[BlowingOldBoots]

What's your view on the Welsh govt and Edinburgh council's plans for a tourism levy/tourist tax? And what do you think of the tourism industry's responses to them?

Wankers. Especially as there is no guarantee of ring fencing all of the funds. I have already stated that tax revenue is available in the areas where tourists spend money, some of that should flow back direct to councils for tourism impact management. As an example NC500 rout is single track, good enough in the past woefully inadequate now for volume of traffic. Carry on advertising and promote route, yet no plans to widen road to two lanes. That in my view is the issue, all promotion, no backup.

[BlowingOldBoots]

Craobh toilet block key fob system is now operational.