An outward looking country

Scotland has the incredible advantage of possessing a highly regarded national brand which we should be leveraging to create economic opportunities. Scottish Labour believes it is time to stop simply selling Scotland to the Scots and start promoting our country around the world. We are determined to be a government that acts as a dealmaker, boosting our exports and attracting new investment by:

• Hosting an annual Scottish Economic Forum, bringing together Scottish businesses to showcase Scottish produce and projects to investors and international markets.|
  
• Sending Scottish businesses on trade delegations, collaborating with the UK Government’s vast trade network and embassies to promote Brand Scotland, building connections and opportunities for Scottish-specific business.
  
• Reviewing the Scottish Government’s existing international offices, assessing them for value for money and ensuring they are located where they can best support Scotland’s export growth.
  
• Building stronger connections with the Scottish diaspora, creating a strong network of informal ambassadors for Scotland and our exports around the world.
  
• Supporting efforts to build closer relationships with the EU, building on the progress made by the UK Labour Government and ensuring Scotland benefits from future agreements.

Scotland is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe but there is still a lot of room for expansion. The variety of activities and cultural experiences we can offer provides opportunities to create prosperity and growth in every part of our country.

Scottish Labour is determined to deliver excellence for visitors, working in partnership to build a tourism strategy that:

• Establishes a Major Events Bureau, strengthening the Edinburgh festivals, supporting the expansion of the Scottish Events Campus and positioning Scotland as leading destinations for world-class sport, culture, and international conferences.
  
• Markets Scotland as a premium food and drink destination, leveraging the strength of whisky and salmon while treating the wider food and drink sector as a strategic economic asset.
  
• Champions the development of specialist hospitality qualifications, working with business schools and colleges to close critical skills gaps and build clear, respected career pathways across the industry.
  
• Drives the expansion of international air routes, with a route development fund that supports Scottish airports to establish more direct flights to North America and Asia as a priority.
  
• Advances the Glasgow airport rail link as a national priority, finally delivering a modern metro connection from the city centre to the airport and ending decades of delay.
  
• Works with the Dundee Eden project, helping to build on Dundee’s reputation as a creative and cultural destination.
  
• Protects Scotlands historic assets, reforming Historic Environment Scotland so it is fit for purpose and ensuring funding is properly used to maintain Scottish sites.

In turbulent global times, acting in solidarity is even more important. It was a Scottish Labour government that first introduced Scotland’s voluntary contributions to international development work, in recognition of Scotland’s outward facing and internationalist outlook. We will continue this work, making sure that the contribution Scotland makes is as effective as it can be in tackling humanitarian crises around the world. We will:

• Maintain the international development budget, ensuring that funding for humanitarian aid is only delivered through not-for-profit organisations and is targeted at areas where we have Scottish partnerships in place.
  
• Protect Scotland’s commitment to being a Fair Trade Nation, promoting ethical trade and workers’ rights around the world, as well as at home.
  
• Carry out robust human rights due diligence checks on business support funding for defence, to take account of product end use and ensure public money is not connected to products used in human rights abuses around the world.

We also know that people in Scotland care deeply about what happens globally. §Many Scots have welcomed refugees who are fleeing persecution and conflict into their homes and neighbourhoods. To back their commitment and help build stronger diverse communities we will:

• Establish an aid matching scheme, so that government contributions to international development can double the generous donations made by the Scottish public to specific projects.
• Expand the availability of ESOL courses in Scotland, so that those seeking refuge in our country are given support to learn English to help them integrate and build lives here.
  
• Support the passporting of skills for refugees, working within devolved powers and with the UK Government to help skilled and highly qualified individuals find work and contribute to Scottish society.