By Susan Young
As Scottish Tourism Month 2026 gets underway, I caught up with Marc Crothall MBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), who has spent four and half decades immersed in the hospitality and tourism sector.
From starting as a commis waiter in Oxford to running hotels, leisure clubs, and event venues across the UK and South Africa, Crothall’s career is a blueprint for understanding the Scottish tourism industry from the ground up.
Marc’s career began back in the 70’s in Oxford, working at the famous La Sorbonne for Chef Patron Andre Chavagnon who had also taken Raymond Blanc under his wing, on leaving Oxford he then spent a brief spell working as a milkman in Brighton and a chef at the Metropole hotel before moving to Cape Town to do a trainee management role with Gilbey’s . “I was only going for six months but ended up staying four and a half years and running my own restaurant,” he recalls.
Over the following decades he worked for international and independently owned city and rural hotels, and in major event venues, sporting stadia, theme parks and leisure clubs – from the Sheraton Skyline at Heathrow to being Director of Catering at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow when it opened in 1990.
He undertook the same role at the SEC from 91-95. During this period, he also manged the corporate and public catering services for the Scottish Open Golf Championship and at Hamilton Park Racecourse.
“What I have loved most about my career, first and foremost is the people that I have had the privilege to work with, and secondly the diversity of the job every day has been different especially when it came to managing events and venue operations, yes it has been hard work, but you were constantly learning, constantly adapting. My time leading the STA has been no different ” Some of the experiences that shaped him were extraordinary. In 1982, as a 19-year-old Duty Manager in Cape Town, Marc helped a guest in crisis.
“A woman called from Johannesburg, worried her 22-year-old daughter might attempt suicide. We spent time with her over the weekend… and then, on Sunday afternoon, she very sadly took her own life, and I was the person that found her in her hotel room.
“What followed was like that Fawlty Towers sketch of trying to get the body out of the hotel, except it wasn’t funny – from an ambulance that couldn’t access the hotel, to a resident who I knew was a doctor. that I had requested come and help, but who immediately passed out when he saw the body (I later discovered he was a Doctor of physics not medicine) and then the body fell off the stretcher.
“Experiences like that teach you resilience, crisis management, and empathy – lessons I’ve carried through every role since.”
In December 1994, Marc faced the Great Glasgow Flood while managing the F&B operations at the SEC. It was just before Christmas and there were back-to-back concerts at the SEC and a Jurassic Park exhibition on.
He says, “When I left for the evening it was fine – the next thing I heard on the radio at 6am was that the Meat Loaf concert had been cancelled, so I headed back in – the Kelvin had broken its banks, and the water flooded the site – it was surreal. Jurassic Park exhibition dinosaur heads peeking out above the flood water and cardboard cut outs of Mickey Mouse on ice skates floating down the SEC concourse.
“It was chaos, but the team camaraderie at the venue was incredible as within a week we had the water pumped out, the site cleaned and open for the Carnival,” he says.
He left Glasgow in 1995 having been appointed to run the £10m on park Retail Catering operations division at Alton Towers helping what he describes as “delivering the magic”, He refers to this as one of the “best fun jobs” he has ever had.
Then followed the invitation to launch Amadeus a contract catering joint venture between a midlands pub company and the NEC, which he did for 2 years before switching track to manage in the health and fitness industry.
He spent two terms of five years holding cluster management roles with David Lloyd Leisure in London and in Glasgow. This wide range of operational experience has provided him with the empathy for those across the sector and a deep understanding of the practical challenges they face.
Marc took up his post with the Scottish Tourism Alliance at its inception in 2012 and has represented the agency ever since.
He was also appointed in 2022 to co-chair the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group (ILG) alongside Minister Richard Lochhead, the ILG being the strategic guardian of the country’s national tourism strategy Scotland Outlook 2030.
He admits, “The past 14 years have been a rollercoaster of emotion, great fun, hard work and at times real frustration. Too often it has felt like some in government and others don’t understand the workings of or appreciate the industry and just take it for granted – they assume that no matter what they do or decide that the sector will cope.
“Our resilience has become a kind of double-edged sword. People assume we can manage, and that sometimes means our requests for support aren’t fully understood or granted.”
He’s candid about one of the sector’s most frustrating recent policy battles: Non-Domestic Rates. “The NDR change doesn’t affect the biggest employers? (a £110,000 cap). What people don’t always realise is that a what is classified as a large business when is in fact a relatively small one – such as the 30-bedroom Loch Melfort in Argyll which falls outside the support bracket, and there are many similar sized hospitality business’, especially across rural Scotland that have not qualified for relief.
“These businesses are absolutely vital as they create jobs, attract visitors, and provide the glue that makes communities thrive. If they aren’t supported, investment won’t flow, and you start to see assets for sale.
“Some owners are ready to retire, frustrated by valuations that don’t reflect the value of their contribution, while ambitious new operators need support to innovate.
“Operators don’t do it just for the money. People like Jonathan Macdonald at Scoop or Mark Ferrier at the Bearsden Athletic Club are reimagining their spaces, pivoting when necessary, and creating experiences that connect with local communities. It’s about serving people, not just keeping the doors open.”
He stresses that these independent operators be they self-caterers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, or pub owners, they are the heartbeat of Scottish tourism.
“Visitors come for real stories, real interactions. Big companies provide the consistency, but the soul of tourism is often in these smaller, community-connected businesses.”
Talking of connections – he also believes Infrastructure and policy integration are central to the success of Scottish tourism and hospitality. “We must continue to grow our international flight connectivity, but growing Rail tourism presents a huge opportunity too. We’ve been working together with VisitScotland, ScotRail Holdings, Network Rail, The Caledonian Sleeper, and other operators to create a unified Rail tourism strategy rather than siloed operations.
“When you show political leaders that the sector can work together, it strengthens buy-in. The current level of collaboration we have both across the wider business community with the government and its agencies sector although some might question it at times, is something that many other countries envy.
“However too often decisions are made without considering the positive effects that tourism and hospitality can bring and what the unintended consequences might be if the wrong decision is made or the industry is just ignored.
“Tourism is not just about holidays – it’s music festivals, business events, the daytime economy, and when business dries up it affects everyone that supplies a hotel or pub. From linen providers to local suppliers and too often that is overlooked.”
Despite challenges, tourism in Scotland remains strong. Domestic and International spend was £11.4 billion last year, and with those attending events contributing another £5-6 billion, it amounts to c£17.5 billion.
The sector is also the largest employer. Says Marc, “Post Covid we have seen more and more people travelling the world and exploring their own country too. But there’s still a domestic visitor spending gap due to the increasing cost pressures on UK household budgets with many families opting to do free activities or cheaper foreign holidays.
“With business costs continuing to rise if the visitor spend doesn’t flow through, then assets and businesses suffer,” Marc warns.
“Internationally, Scotland is also facing growing competition from across Europe and in still relatively new and emerging destinations such as the Balkans, they’ve become extremely competitive both on price and quality.
“Aside from our globally renowned warmth of hospitality Scotland has many unique advantages, authenticity, scenery and yes even our cooler climate but we can’t rely on that alone.
“Transport, accessibility, and pricing must be competitive and the quality of the offer in many parts needs to be better, or visitors will go elsewhere. The customer expectation bar on value and quality has been raised significantly.”
Whilst the US remains the number one in bound market to Scotland he points to subtle demographic shifts as well, which could be good news for Scotland.
“Visitors from the Middle East, and older travellers who are a seeking out our cooler weather as we see the impacts of climate change and a gentler experience. Afternoon tea, fresh air, and scenery are all attractive to them, but they also need convenience and they too expect quality and value for money. You can’t just offer a landscape; everything has to work together for a seamless experience.”
Tourism as a career of choice is another area that Marc is keen to see develop. “We employ 245,000 people and generate £17 billion annually. We need digital marketers, accountants, strategists, operations managers – not just frontline staff.
“Too often parents think a career in our industry has no future and the roles and earning potential is limited. My own father wasn’t too impressed, but his view changed when he realised that I was managing multimillion-pound operations and got to understand the sector.”
Marc’s owns experience and personal commitment to promoting the industry as a great one to work in is reflected in his family. “Three of my children are in the industry – they’ve gone there by choice like me they love working with people, being creative and the buzz of an event! Jamie’s worked through Revolution, Tigerlily, Virgin, Gleneagles and is now with Buzzworks, and Calum has been a manager with Vue Cinemas for 9 years in Aberdeen and Glasgow, my middle son Sam whois 21, established his own live music events company, Khaotic Events, two years ago , and is selling out venues like the Classic Grand, The Liquid Rooms and many others across the UK.
“So, as you can see, I have a have a personal stake in the success of the industry too, which is another thing that keeps me invested in it every day.”
In 2022 Marc was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to Scotland’s tourism industry and in 2025 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Directors in recognition of his career contributions to date.
He remains extremely humbled for receiving such recognition. “It is our operators, our independents, our communities – that are the soul of Scottish tourism, supporting them, giving them the tools to succeed, and celebrating what they do best is what keeps this industry vibrant, relevant, and meaningful.
“I continue to be very grateful for the huge support and backing from the STA board, my industry peers and the many thousands of members and non-member business that support the STA to do what we.
“Resilience is in our DNA, and I will continue to make the point to everyone that Tourism must never taken for granted, it isn’t just an industry it’s an economic, social, and cultural force, that binds communities, it’s the heartbeat of the nation sells and tells the story of Scotland to the world.
“It’s importantly an industry that offers many amazing career opportunities as it has to me and full of amazing people who are all committed to helping create and deliver great memories for their customers and guests.”
