Diversity and quality of services in Sligo
GAIL McGibbon, the CEO of Sligo Business Improvement District (BID), says the support of local people for businesses in Sligo will be key to their ability to respond to the impact of the crisis.
“I think what is coming through nationally and internationally is that our towns and cities in Ireland are going to be very dependent on the resident population for supporting them in the short term,” Ms McGibbon told The Sligo Champion.
“I think our focus is very much the resident engagement with local businesses, the support of local businesses in the phased reopening, the one thing that is so commendable about our businesses is that they closed for the greater good in a national reaction to a crisis situation and they will need every level of assistance in support of the local population when they reopen and we all need to mindful of that we’re in a changed phase of engagement.”
The diversity and indeed the quality of services and business in Sligo means the north west has the necessary capabilities to bounce back, particularly when it comes to attracting tourists from within Ireland; a sector that will be highly sought after due to likely international travel restrictions for some time.
Ms McGibbon said: “There is going to be that reluctance to go too far. Our staycations will probably stay on the increase, so I’d imagine there will probably be a pick-up there, once people get comfortable that they can go to neighbouring counties and certainly Sligo has the benefit of having so much within a 10km radius of an experience to offer and plenty of open spaces.”
Supporting local business not only ensures the survival of the business; it also helps safeguard employment in Sligo. Jobs are critical to the prosperity of any region, and by buying local we are likely to be helping a family member or friend stay in employment.
“Our national consciousness has shifted - it is that buy local, support local and for the variety of shops and cafes and restaurants and all our service industries that are there, one of the benefits is that they are all located within. I think we have one of the most stunning town centres in the country, so there will be that comfort level, we need to get our comfort level. We can see the support the people of Sligo gave to the people who were trading online and were open for click and collect for takeaways, that’s been absolutely terrific because it was so important to those businesses, all those actions will mean a lot to those businesses in Sligo.
“The immediate stressing point is the variety of our businesses is just all there, and that they need the support of the local population to get through. We all have somebody who works in a business in town so the survival of our businesses is vitally important because we all have family members employed in those businesses.”