STEWART NICOL: Inverness has quality of retail, hospitality and leisure that deserve our support

There’s no doubt that all of us are currently facing some really difficult times, both domestically and in our businesses.

Massively increased energy costs are impacting everyone, with none of us really sure either just how much support we are going to receive from government, or for how long.

I am certain these significant financial challenges are forcing all of us to consider more carefully how we spend our money. As we do so, I would reflect as I always do at this time of year, where we spend our money really matters. Supporting local business, whether in Inverness city centre or across our retail centres, really matters to our local economy and to the economic wellbeing of our city and region.

The challenges of the nation’s high streets are well documented and will no doubt remain ever-pressing. However, I truly believe Inverness has a range and quality of retail, hospitality and leisure offerings and experiences that deserve our support over the upcoming festive season.

Quality goods and services are on offer at the highest standard of provision, delivered at a competitive price to the highest standard of customer service. The city centre remains bustling, with a significant number of foreign visitors.

Businesses that attended our event last week with KLM and Inverness Airport learned of the strong recovery in passenger number between Inverness and Amsterdam, with a significant uplift in inbound tourists. Projections for 2023 indicate that this trend will most certainly continue, hopefully enabling an increase in the services between our two cities. This is an encouraging situation which bodes well for the ongoing development of one of our region’s significant transport links. I’m also aware, from my involvement in ScotRail’s stakeholder advisory panel, that leisure traffic now forms a significant proportion of rail journeys.

All of us have the opportunity to make sure visitors to have the best of retail and hospitality experiences. And each of us can support our local businesses in the way we chose to spend our money by shopping local.

Stewart Nicol, Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive