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Opinion: Does Inverness need ANOTHER souvenir shop? Highland Capital at risk of becoming tourist theme park

There are six 'Scottish' stores on Inverness High Street.

A general view of Inverness High Street with shoppers exploring whats on offer.
There are now six tourist shops on Inverness High Street. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

Tourism is a vital part of the economy of Inverness and the Highlands – and I doubt anyone would dispute this statement.

According to the latest figures published by Visit Scotland, 14.8% of workers in the Highlands are in the tourism sector.

The industry generated a whopping £587 million turnover according to figures from 2022 – with huge efforts being made to build on that.

And just three weeks ago, we published news that Inverness Castle is looking to hire between 60 to 65 people ahead of the new attraction’s long-awaited opening.

So yes, we can argue that tourism is having a significant positive impact on the Highlands.

But not all that glitters is gold.

Last month, I was walking down the High Street after a visit to the retailer Smiggle to report on a story about its upcoming closure.

As I did so, I spotted movement inside the former Shoe Zone premises, which shut last June.

My reporter’s curiosity made it impossible to resist knocking on the glass door.

A nice woman greeted me and invited me to come inside.

Even though the clothes racks filled with colourful ‘Scotland’ jumpers featuring a Highland cow made me think my question was going to be obvious, I decided to ask what kind of shop was going to be anyway.

“A tourist shop,” she replied, confirming my not-so-insightful suspicion.

Are most shops in Inverness geared towards tourists?

Now open, the new souvenir store brings the number of tourist shops on Inverness High Street to six – seven if you count the adjoining Bridge Street.

The fact that the latest addition replaces a former shoe shop makes me think that shopping trends in Inverness are changing.

The new tourist shop on Inverness High Street. Image: Alberto Lejarraga/DC Thomson

Reporter Alex Banks and I drove the North Coast 500 in March to gather views from residents on issues such as over-tourism.

During a stop in Achnasheen, we spoke to four young Inverness locals who were grabbing a coffee after a hike.

They believed tourism is “good for the economy” but were clear the fact “a lot of the shops in Inverness are geared towards tourists,” was  a “negative aspect”.

In their view, there are far too few shops for locals to go to in the Highland Capital.

Two of the six tourist shops on the High Street. Image: Alberto Lejarraga/DC Thomson

It is hard not to agree with this.

And of course it is not just in Inverness.

Walking on the high street of pretty much every European involves navigating a sea of souvenir shops.

Being from Spain’s capital, I regularly return to Madrid to visit family, but I hardly ever go to the city centre.

Traditional businesses have been replaced by shops selling ‘I love Madrid’ t-shirts and key rings.

But if this is anyone’s fault, it could be argued that we as consumers are to blame, with all too many shoppers doing so online.

Are short-term lets killing the soul of Inverness?

Two weeks ago, the P&J revealed that six new short-term lets had been approved in Inverness despite concerns raised by the community.

The Highland Council is processing over 8,000 short-term let applications across the region.

Looking down Hill Street in Inverness.
A short-term let has been granted on Hill Street in Inverness. Image: Will Angus/DC Thomson.

In a story tackling the short-term issue last year, we explained that the Highlands is the Scottish local authority with the highest number of Airbnb properties, with over 3,500.

Having lived on Spain’s Costa del Sol, where there is a huge housing problem, I do believe short-term lets are killing communities.

It’s already happening on many Inverness streets, where neighbours are being replaced by visitors.

The increasing number of Airbnbs will continue to push locals away from the city centre.

Housing should be for families

Six short-term lets have been approved in Inverness. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

In many European cities, big investment groups are buying entire buildings to convert them into short lets.

If you browse the websites of estate agents in the Highland capital, flats in Inverness are often described as “an investment opportunity”.

Call me old-fashioned, but I firmly believe homes should be for families.

Authorities should do something to restrict, if not ban, short-term lets.

We already have hotels, hostels and guest houses in Inverness and the Highlands, so we should keep the actual homes for those who want to live here.

If not, our communities are at risk of losing their essence and then, Inverness would no longer be a real city, but a soulless theme park for tourists.

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