The owner of a world-famous hotel on the Isle of Skye has warned visitors from England have cancelled stays due to fears over cross-border quarantine rules.
The Three Chimneys is listed in guidebooks around the world and consistently wins top accolades from the Michelin Guide and Lonely Planet.
It was owned for 34 years by Shirley and Eddie Spear who retired last year.
But new owner Gordon Campbell Gray, who also owns The Pierhouse at Port Appin in Argyll, said 'livelihoods were at stake' amid the row over the prospect of border quarantine rules being imposed by the Scottish Government.
Mr Campbell Gray said: "I have recently received cancellations from guests from England who say that they are worried about being unwelcome.
"This is shocking and we must ensure that this message is changed.
"People's livelihoods are at stake here and I am without patience when I hear of locals sending out negative messages.
"The Scottish economy needs tourism and the many jobs, directly and indirectly, it creates."
He said the situation had calmed down in recent days but the problem had not gone away.
Falling coronavirus levels in Scotland have fuelled suggestions that visitors from other parts of the UK with higher incidences of Covid-19 may have to quarantine on arrival.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she has no plans to impose such a policy on English tourists but the Scottish Government has not ruled it out.
Supporters of Sturgeon's position say she is taking a responsible approach to public health, while detractors have slammed the prospect of restricting freedom of movement and the potential impact on tourism and jobs.
A Scottish Government spokesperson highlighted previous comments from Sturgeon: “There are many, many parts of the world right now, where particular parts of the country have internal borders closed to other parts of the country because of a desire to stop this virus spreading.
"I think some public health experts from overseas will probably look at this debate in the UK right now, and won’t really understand why we wouldn’t be driven purely by considerations of public health.”
But other hoteliers have also expressed their concern over the lack of clarity and have told how English tourists have called cancel breaks in Scotland amid the uncertainty.
Beth MacLeod, who runs the Knockderry Country House Hotel in Argyll, told the Daily Record earlier this week how she has received three calls a day from people worried about whether they can come to Scotland.
In a message to the First Minister, Beth said: “I would like her to make it clear that English visitors are welcome in Scotland.
“I am getting calls from customers, who have either booked and are now saying they want their money back because they believe they cannot come to Scotland on holiday or they are calling and are nervous because they may have a credit note and they want to know about when they can come. They are saying, ‘When will the Border be open?’
“I had a lady on Friday who had six rooms booked for her family to come up. She wanted a complete refund.
“I had a very, very hard time persuading her that she could come to Scotland. She said that as far as she was concerned Scotland was closed to her.”
She continued: “We are now seeing less and less bookings on a daily basis.
“People are not going to invest £200 for a dinner bed and breakfast stay if they feel there is a possibility the border is going to close.”
