Scotland's Tourism Funding Opportunities
Whether you’re setting up your business or looking to grow, it’s essential to have the right financial support. Funding can help get your idea off the ground in the early stages as well as help support your development through new initiatives and adaptations for the future.
There are a wide range of organisations that can provide funding support for eligible businesses, and you may wish to approach more than one. They all have different criteria, and it is important you take the time to understand their objectives, eligibility criteria, and the application processes and timeframes.
Sources of funding
Learn more about finding the right funding for you and your business. Including useful resources, events advice and more.
Find Business Support
The Find Business Support website is a useful resource to find out more about support available to businesses of all sizes and sectors in Scotland. The site covers support offered by more than 100 Scottish public sector organisations, all in one place.
Their website covers grants, loans, funding, advice and other support available for your business. Filter the search by region and sector to help you find tailored support.
Business Gateway
The funding that is right for you will very much depend on your business, but there are some useful articles and resources available on Business Gateway to help you narrow down your search.
Explore funding routes with Business Gateway.
Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund
VisitScotland manage the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) on behalf of the Scottish Government. Funding goes towards projects to improve the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland which are experiencing visitor management issues.
Since 2018, 75 projects have been awarded £20 million of grant funding through RTIF.
Please note that RTIF is only open to applications from Local Authorities and National Park Authorities. Private sector businesses are not eligible for RTIF support.
Explore funding opportunities through RTIF.
Islands Business Resilience Fund
If you run a small or medium-sized tourism business and ferry disruption has impacted your operations, the Islands Business Resilience Fund could help.
Non-repayable revenue grants in region of £3,000 up to £35,000 are open to those operating in one of the following islands: Arran, Benbecula, Berneray, Colonsay, Eriskay, Grimsay, North Uist and South Uist.
This fund is being delivered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) on behalf of Scottish Government.
Applications must be received before Monday 1 September 2025.
Find out more including information on how to apply on the HIE website.
Event funding
There are a range of funding options specific to the events sector which event organisers should check if they are eligible for, including through EventScotland's funding programmes.
EventScotland National Events Programme
Find out more about whether your event is eligible and how to apply for funding through EventScotland's National Events Funding Programme.
EventScotland International Events Programme
Find out more about whether your event is eligible and how to apply for funding through EventScotland's International Events Funding Programme.
Funding opportunities for events
Find out more about potential sources of funding for events in Scotland.
