Motion S5M-00967: Windfarms and Tourism

10 Aug 2016

That the Parliament notes the research published by BIGGAR Economics that finds that windfarms have had no negative impact on the tourism industry; understands that the research looked at 18 sites across Scotland, taking into account employment in tourism before and after the renewables projects were developed; further understands that the report actually found that many of the local authority areas with the largest growth in onshore windfarms were those that had experienced the biggest bounce in employment in the tourism sector; recognises the 21,000 jobs supported by the renewable energy sector in Scotland; further notes research performed by Scottish Renewables, which finds that roads and paths built for windfarm sites may actually encourage more people to explore the countryside, and believes that these reports show that Scotland can have both a world-leading renewables sector and a world-leading tourism sector.