A great summer ahead for Ayr
Let’s put out the welcoming mat to tourists
Deja vu? History repeating itself? Groundhog Day? Same old same old? Call it what you like – but when it comes to summer holidays abroad, 2021 is not just starting to look like 2020 ... it’s starting to smell like it too.
And it’s a pungent pong of uncertainty and frustration.
Just over a year ago, we lived in a glorious era of Covid-19 innocence.
A ‘furlough’ was Sergeant Bilko’s permit for a weekend in Vegas – and ‘efficacy‘ and‘ epidemiology’ were the answers to three down and seven across in The Times crossword.
And just over the same year ago, I sat down to watch a TV show called ‘A Place in the Sun’. It’s a kind of property related travelogue where couples are shown houses and apartments for sale on the Costa Del Somewhere. Its success is making you believe you are also viewing the property – and it works. “Oh my goodness – those tiles would have to go!” Mrs Bob would announce – as the camera panned in on a beige and burgundy bathroom in Benidorm.
But in this episode, the properties were in a place called Marseillan in the South of France – with beaches nearby that stretched as far as your imagination. And Mrs Bob loves long walks on the sand!
Within minutes, we were hooked – and within a day, we were booked. Within a week . . . we wished we’d never heard of the damned place!
Last March, April and May were spent wondering if we’d ever get there. Last June was spent accepting that we weren’t getting there. And last July was spent trying to save our deposit and get there in 2021.
So – here we go again. March is heading towards April 2021 . . . and we’re still wondering if we’ll ever get there! This time last month, I’d have bet a case of Chablis against a sack of snails that we’d be going.
I wanted to believe Boris Johnson’s road map more than Nicola Sturgeon’s road block – and vaccinations were rolling out like thunder. But now – as they say in Marseillan – it’s all going poire shaped!
It’s starting to look like Scotland and the UK might be open for business – while most of Europe is still out of bounds.
And if we’re heading for the biggest national “staycation” in generations – I hope we’re ready for it! After a dire six months, our hospitality industry will find it hard to get motivated – but I know they will rise to the occasion.
I understand the Government are planning some “kick start” funding to help them – but I hope the cash trickles down the guesthouses and bed and breakfasts that could play a huge part in a “staycation” summer.
Ayr Racecourse has placed big bets on the summer of 2021 with a host of meetings – from the flat season getting “off ” on April 26 through to the Gold Cup weekend starting September 16. Well done to them for filling their calendar – there are five meetings in July alone – and if they can get the OK for punters in the stands, their confidence could be well rewarded. Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre has a packed autumn schedule – from Elvis to Harry Lauder – but I can’t find any main house shows before August 12. Hopefully chief executive Jeremy Wyatt will be studying Holyrood’s road map with extra care. Come June and July, there could be an awful lot of people looking for somewhere to go in Ayr – and the Gaiety could be whirling again. Will there be an Ayr and District Flower Show this year? Will Northfield be staging its summer bowls championships? Will The Citadel be open again for swimmers?
Will our railway station be ready for the extra traffic? Has anyone thought about re-opening a tourist information office? It’s all looking good for a great summer ahead for Ayr . . . but dark clouds still linger over Prestwick’s airport. If Europe’s ‘costa’ resorts are out of bounds for another summer – and PIK loses its bread and butter routes – it’s going to be a long hard winter and beyond for our local airport. Hopefully, this year, we’ll get the chance to unlock the door and put out the welcome mat to one of the most beautiful and welcoming corners of the UK.
We’ll get the chance to put out the welcome mat to one of the most beautiful corners of the UK