Tourism boss says challenges remain
THE Plymouth and South West tourism sector is expecting to bounce back strongly once it can unlock but still faces major challenges if social distancing continues, says a leading industry voice.
Amanda Lumley, executive director of Destination Plymouth and co-chair of the Great South West Tourism Partnership, said there is pent-up demand for holidays and the possibility that foreign breaks will be off-limits could bring a bonanza for the West Country tourism industry, once it starts to operate again from April 12.
However, she said businesses are still likely to face major hurdles, particularly if social distancing continues and therefore reduces capacity, and with the need to balance encouraging visitors while keeping people safe.
Mrs Lumley, also director and president of the national Tourism Management Institute, said many businesses have lost as much as 65% of their income during the pandemic’s first year and are also now saddled with debt, so could be facing further reduced income.
However, she is confident the industry, vital to the South West, will recover eventually. “It will be a challenging year,” she said. “People still don’t know what social distancing there will be.
“There are strong forward bookings, but if businesses can only open with 60% capacity because of social distancing it will be challenging. The coach group market is slowly returning, for example, but with social distancing, instead of having 50 people on a coach it is down to 25 or 30 people.”
She said a move away from the tier system employed in late 2020 will help, preventing travel restrictions between different areas, but that throws up separate issues. She said: “The challenge is going to be that some people will be worried about others coming here and bringing the virus.
“There was no evidence of that happening last summer, but it’s still a worry. We are working with Plymouth City Council’s public health team so licensed premises have Covid accreditation saying they can operate safely. We are trying to encourage people to book ahead, even booking restaurants in advance, so that they are not wandering around looking for somewhere that is open.”
She said the industry is working to prevent a “pinch point” by encouraging bookings in the late summer and early autumn and even pre-Christmas, but she added that economic recovery may have to wait and said: “Some businesses have lost 65% of their income in the past six months and won’t catch that up overnight, and a lot of businesses have taken out bank loans and will have to pay them back.”