Hospitality ‘missing out’ on £40m by not capitalising on St Andrew’s Day

Scotland’s hospitality industry could be missing out on £40 million over the lack of promotion of St Andrew’s Day, a former MasterChef winner has said.

Calls have been made on the Scottish retail and hospitality trades to get behind a campaign to make the country’s national day on November 30 a major moment in the annual calendar.

Gary Maclean, who won Masterchef The Professionals and is Scotland’s national chef, said the day had been neglected in the shadow of Burns Night and Hogmanay.

He said: “Our industry has gone through hell from lockdowns to a recovery coming in fits and starts and now with the cost-of-living crisis, rising energy and produce costs, the sector could do with a proper shot in the arm.

“St Andrew’s Day has been neglected in the shadow of Burns and Hogmanay, but it’s our national day and it seems mad not to make more of it.

“I believe our hospitality and retail sectors have real opportunities here and I want to do whatever I can to reshape our relationship with St Andrew.”

It is estimated that St Patrick’s Day contributes an annual 58.3 million euros to the Irish economy. It attracts a spend of $5.14 billion annually in the US alone.

Brewing industry veteran Nigel McNally pioneered the trade rebirth of St George’s Day in England. He believes there has never been a better time to make the most of Scotland’s National Day.

He said: “By Scottish standards, St Andrew’s Day is a relative non-event and at a time when figures show that UK pubs lost £5.7bn of revenue from beer sales in 2021 and the retail sector remains in recovery mode with rising prices and supply chain issues, it’s time to do something about re-imagining what the national day should look like.

“We know from experience that we need to galvanise the trade, make some noise and seize the opportunity staring us in the face.”