The Gaelic language is worth up to £148.5 million a year to the Scottish economy, according to a new report..
Development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE)led a partnership project
to research ways in which Gaelic is currently being used to deliver economic and
social benefits to businesses, social enterprises and communities.
Entitled Ar Stòras
Gàidhlig (Our Gaelic Resource), the resulting report found the language adds value
in a wide variety of circumstances.
It highlighted the potential of the language to bring further benefits to businesses, communities and individuals. Almost 70% of businesses consulted said that Gaelic is an asset to their activities.
Gaelic “worth up to £148.5 million” to economy
15 November 2014
More than half of businesses (60%) and 85% of community organisations who responded
stated that Gaelic is a key element of their work.
The majority of businesses which recognised Gaelic as an asset were located in the
Outer Hebrides, the Highlands, Greater Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Argyll and Bute.
Director
of Strengthening Communities with HIE, Rachael McCormack, said: “When we talk about
Gaelic, the emphasis is often on the need for public support to ensure the language
can survive and grow. Until now, much less has been said about its important role
as a valuable economic and community asset, which has great potential to make a positive
and measurable contribution to Scotland.
"Our new study demonstrates that Gaelic not
only plays a unique role in Scottish culture, but can be viewed and used as an asset
in a range of fields, particularly the sectors of creative industries; food and drink;
education and learning, heritage and tourism.
“These findings lay a baseline for
further research and will inform actions which HIE and our partners will take in
future to support businesses and communities which can benefit from developing their
use of Gaelic, and make a wider contribution to overall economic growth.”
Gaelic Minister,
Alasdair Allan, said: “Gaelic is part of our identity and culture and is used every
day in communities across Scotland. This report highlights for the first time, ways
in which businesses and other organisations are capitalising on the language to generate
economic value.
“These are encouraging findings and I hope to see many more organisations benefit
in the future by adopting similar approaches and building on this success.”