Visit Moray Speyside fails to win second term
Moray’s biggest tourism organisation has suffered a landslide defeat in a ballot showing a divide between large and small businesses.
Visit Moray Speyside (VSM) was backed by just 69 local firms eligible to vote, compared to the 203 votes against, in an election counted today.
If businesses had backed the group, it would have received a second five-year mandate to continue promoting local tourism.
Now, however, the tourism Business Improvement District’s (BID) term will end on March 31, 2025.
Though three quarters of businesses voted to reject VMS, firms backing the BID made up three quarters of the total rateable value of businesses which voted.
However, another five-year term would have required both the support of more than 50 per cent of members, and the support of businesses with 50 per cent of the rateable value.
The average rateable value of a business voting for VMS (£160,283) was nearly ten times higher than the average value of a business which voted against it (£16,695).
Established in 2020, VMS was Scotland’s second tourism BID.
Had it won the ballot, according to plans released ahead of the verdict, it would have sought to increase tourism to one million visitors and £200 million of economic impact each year by 2027.
The membership would have increased by about 100 from 366 currently, and there would have been a move to charging members a percentage of their rateable value rather than a flat fee dependent on business size.
A Moray Council spokesperson confirmed that the impact of the vote will be considered at a meeting of the Moray Economic Partnership.
“Despite significant efforts and collaboration with local businesses, the renewal ballot did not achieve the required level of support from the local tourism sector,” the spokesperson added.
