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The following table shows the number of committed applications in each year since the introduction of the rural priorities scheme.

Of these 9,080 full applications made, 204 have been withdrawn in advance of approval, and a further 980 are still within the application process at various stages.

The following tables provide detail on capital payments for the Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

This table shows the total number of claims paid, plus the proportion within and beyond 90 days of the claim being received.

This table provides a breakdown of claims paid more than 90 days from receipt.

Notes:

1. In interpreting the data on late payments it is important to note that the data above shows the time taken between the claim being received and the date of payment. Not every claim received is valid. Under the covering EU legislation, payments can only be made on fully validated claims.

2. There are a large number of administrative and regulatory checks which must be made before a claim can be validated and legally progress to payment. Requirements include the provision of properly-receipted invoices and any required consents such as planning approval, electrical certificates and Controlled Activities Regulations licences. In addition, we are required to inspect at least 5% of claims. A number of the claims paid beyond 90 days of receipt could not be validated within 90 days, due to issues being identified when administrative checks were undertaken. There is a 90-day target period for paying valid Rural Priorities claims, i.e. from the date on which all the necessary supporting documentation is in place.

3. The tables do not include claims whose eligibility for payment is still being checked and/or where information is awaited from the claimant.

4. There is a small proportion (<1%) of payments to which a timescale cannot be attributed because of the way they were recorded on the central payments system. These also have not been included in the tables.

All sectors of Scotland’s tourism industry make a valuable contribution to the achievement of our joint aims and a range of support, including marketing and business development, is available to help them do this. Working with our partners in the industry and public sector, we carefully monitor market trends and current and emerging business opportunities to ensure we support the industry sectors which provide the strongest basis for international competitiveness and growth. Currently these include products like food and drink, active/outdoor pursuits like golf and mountain biking, built/natural heritage, culture/creativity and business tourism.

All tourism businesses have the potential to grow and a range of support is available to help them do this. The product areas which we have currently identified as having the greatest growth potential include food and drink, active pursuits like golf and mountain biking, built/natural heritage, culture/creativity and business tourism. However, this list is not exhaustive and we work closely with the industry and our public sector partners to monitor consumer trends and to identify and harness the potential of new and emerging tourism opportunities such as ancestral and marine tourism. The Tourism Leadership Group is embarking on a detailed analysis to help define a route map to growth for the tourism industry.

Scotland can only maintain its comparative advantage if all sectors of the tourism industry work together to ensure the delivery of a truly first class visitor experience. Scotland currently has a comparative advantage in sectors like food and drink, active pursuits like golf and mountain biking, built/natural heritage, culture/creativity and business tourism. However, this list is not exhaustive and we work closely with the industry and our public sector partners to monitor consumer trends and to identify and harness the potential of new and emerging tourism opportunities such as ancestral and marine tourism.

VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highland and Islands Enterprise are working closely with the industry and partners to boost current activity and also identify new and emerging opportunities to maximise the economic and other benefits of all aspects of tourism to Scotland, this includes ancestral, eco, outdoor activity, food and drink and cultural aspects.

Ancestral tourism is a key focus within VisitScotland’s brand portfolio with annual investment in ancestral themed campaigns, targeted e-communications, PR and a dedicated website, www.ancestralscotland.com along with a training package and welcome scheme for businesses – “The Ancestral Tourism Welcome Scheme”.

Ancestral is likely to be an underpinning theme of Homecoming 2014. An Ancestral Tourism Steering Group has been brought together, with representation from across the sector to develop the new National Framework for Ancestral Tourism.

Cultural messages are woven through VisitScotland’s core marketing campaigns and press activity including the new year-round domestic Surprise Yourself campaign, the European Meet the Scots campaign, the long-haul I am a Scot campaign, and My Scotland campaign activity with national media. Cultural activity features in the TV advert, national and local websites, things to see and do guides, and e-newsletters to consumers. VisitScotland Information Centres promote cultural activities in their area.

The cultural messages in all marketing activity will be greatly expanded during 2012 to maximise the opportunities offered by the Year of Creative Scotland and the Scottish events in the Cultural Olympiad including Open Weekend, Big Dance, and Forest Pitch. A new TV ad, PR activity, travel trade activity, websites and sales missions will position Scotland as a creatively vibrant country and a world-class cultural tourism destination.

VisitScotland and partners are working to take advantage of the Olympic and Paralympic games overlapping with the Edinburgh’s Festivals, in particular pursuing opportunities for extensive positive media coverage to increase the impact, attendance and worldwide visibility of the festivals.

VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highland and Islands Enterprise are working closely with the industry and partners to boost current activity and also identify new and emerging opportunities to maximise the economic and other benefits of all aspects of tourism to Scotland, this includes ancestral, eco, outdoor activity, food and drink and cultural aspects.

Work continues to build on the legacy of the 2010 Year of Food and Drink, through Scottish Enterprise’s support for local tourism destination groups and through the “Experiencing Scotland” project which encourage key tourism businesses to use Scottish produce profitably. Food and Drink continues to feature in VisitScotland’s campaign activity and VisitScotland recently launched Appetite for Adventure, a guide that matches the best places to eat with outdoor adventures.

VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highland and Islands Enterprise are working closely with the industry and partners to boost current activity and also identify new and emerging opportunities to maximise the economic and other benefits of all aspects of tourism to Scotland, this includes ancestral, eco, outdoor activity, food and drink and cultural aspects.

2011 is the Year of Active Scotland, one of a series of themed years leading to Year of Homecoming 2014. Throughout the year a programme of events managed by EventScotland, and supported by a PR and marketing campaign led by VisitScotland, are raising the profile of Scotland as an active country and an active holiday destination. Our Enterprise agencies continue to support the development of tourism around mountain biking and through company and destination groups, (support for tourism) around walking, cycling and adventure tourism.