A RECOVERY plan for local tourism and hospitality businesses at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has been proposed by a local MSP, with film and TV production being the focus.

As Scotland is increasingly showcased to the world through productions such as the Outlander series and Netflix’s Outlaw King, a growing number of ‘screen tourists’ had been visiting locations such as Loch Lomond before the pandemic began earlier this year.

And West of Scotland MSP Ross Greer believes that a recovery plan for 2021 can be developed to fully harness the benefits of the area’s growing national and international prominence through film and TV.

Greer, Green MSP for the West of Scotland, commented: “We are all realistic about the bleak picture for tourism and hospitality in the short term but we need to be planning now for a recovery starting next year, one which not only gets Loch Lomond back to where it was before but which builds on those past successes whilst addressing the negative consequences of the previous tourism boom.

“With a plan in place we can create more local jobs whilst spreading tourism out across the National Park, preventing the kind of chaos local residents have experienced in areas like Luss.

“I’ve worked with a lot of people from Scotland’s film & TV industry in recent years and they are all passionate about the long term benefits their productions can bring to areas like Loch Lomond.

“We can realise those benefits once things return to normal but only if we start planning now, through the development of the kind of film & TV map I’m proposing, as well as improvements to local public transport, better walking and cycling routes etc.”

A spokesperson for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority said: “The recovery of the whole National Park area following this very challenging period is a key concern for us with a lot of work underway and in preparation to support this.

“We have received a request to meet with Mr Greer on this proposal and look forward to hearing more about his ideas.”