Written Question · S4W-01928 · Session 4
What criteria are used when considering applications made to the Tourism Innovation Fund.
The question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used when considering applications made to the Tourism Innovation Fund.
The answer
A number of different criteria are used when appraising Tourism Innovation Fund (TIF) applications.
Initially all applications are screened against some basic eligibility criteria. These include ensuring applicants are based in the SE area; that the lead business is not a publicly funded organisation; that the project’s intended customers are leisure/business tourists, and that the project is not intended to market or promote existing products or services. The team also consider what stage the project has reached in its development lifecycle. Sometimes projects are too far advanced or indeed already launched and again this would make them less suitable for TIF. The proposed costs are also initially assessed. For example, TIF cannot support capital expenditure costs.
Once the project team are satisfied the basic eligibility criteria, more project-specific criteria are considered. These include assessing the project’s level of innovation. TIF is looking for projects that are innovative at a tourism industry level in Scotland. In other words, the innovation must not just be new to the company, but should demonstrate features or characteristics that to the best of the TIF project team’s knowledge, have not been seen elsewhere in Scotland.
The project also must either by itself, or through formal or informal collaborations with other tourism providers, demonstrate significant market/growth potential. The direct/indirect economic impact of the project is an important consideration in the review of project applications. Indeed, the TIF project team are keen to actively encourage more collaborative activity between organisations and this is looked upon favourably in applications.
The TIF project team must also be comfortable that any potential TIF support is additional. In other words, if the project is going to develop to the same scale, quality or in the same timeframes without the intervention of TIF, then it should not be supported. The capability (and capacity) of the applicant company or individual to deliver is a further key criteria. The team must have confidence that the project will be delivered in a professional and competent manner.
Although not an explicit requirement, the team will also consider the project’s linkages with Scotland’s key tourism assets
- for example the main tourism destinations (St Andrews, Edinburgh, Perthshire, etc.) or our stronger tourism “products” such as golf, whisky or mountain-biking.
Finally, a key part of TIF is to promote winners as exemplars of tourism innovation to help stimulate other tourism companies to innovate. Therefore, the case study potential of projects and companies is also considered in the review of applications.
Initially all applications are screened against some basic eligibility criteria. These include ensuring applicants are based in the SE area; that the lead business is not a publicly funded organisation; that the project’s intended customers are leisure/business tourists, and that the project is not intended to market or promote existing products or services. The team also consider what stage the project has reached in its development lifecycle. Sometimes projects are too far advanced or indeed already launched and again this would make them less suitable for TIF. The proposed costs are also initially assessed. For example, TIF cannot support capital expenditure costs.
Once the project team are satisfied the basic eligibility criteria, more project-specific criteria are considered. These include assessing the project’s level of innovation. TIF is looking for projects that are innovative at a tourism industry level in Scotland. In other words, the innovation must not just be new to the company, but should demonstrate features or characteristics that to the best of the TIF project team’s knowledge, have not been seen elsewhere in Scotland.
The project also must either by itself, or through formal or informal collaborations with other tourism providers, demonstrate significant market/growth potential. The direct/indirect economic impact of the project is an important consideration in the review of project applications. Indeed, the TIF project team are keen to actively encourage more collaborative activity between organisations and this is looked upon favourably in applications.
The TIF project team must also be comfortable that any potential TIF support is additional. In other words, if the project is going to develop to the same scale, quality or in the same timeframes without the intervention of TIF, then it should not be supported. The capability (and capacity) of the applicant company or individual to deliver is a further key criteria. The team must have confidence that the project will be delivered in a professional and competent manner.
Although not an explicit requirement, the team will also consider the project’s linkages with Scotland’s key tourism assets
- for example the main tourism destinations (St Andrews, Edinburgh, Perthshire, etc.) or our stronger tourism “products” such as golf, whisky or mountain-biking.
Finally, a key part of TIF is to promote winners as exemplars of tourism innovation to help stimulate other tourism companies to innovate. Therefore, the case study potential of projects and companies is also considered in the review of applications.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S4W-01928 by reference.