Beating lockdown blues to come back stronger
The Westcountry’s hospitality sector has been hard hit by the pandemic and lockdown. But, Giles Fuchs of Burgh Island argues, it can and must bounce back
DEVON has one of the largest tourism economies in the UK, drawing in an annual visitor spend of almost £2.5bn. There is no disputing why – an amazing natural landscape, culture and local communities make Devon one of the best places to visit in the UK.
But with hospitality, the third biggest employer by sector in the UK economy, facing some of the most stringent lockdown measures in England, we must not forget the amazing communities that are at the heart of hospitality businesses. Now is an important time for hotels not only to support their own staff, but also the local area around them – so that we can build back even stronger when dreams of staycations are once again a reality.
We need to keep up a fighting spirit. Loneliness has been at an all-time high during lockdown with as many as 24% of adults affected and there is no question that a third national lockdown has the potential to stifle spirits further. But this doesn’t have to be the case.
While we must take seriously the mental health impacts of the pandemic for people in the hospitality sector and provide long-term support, there are still small ways in which hotels can bring their community together and raise spirits – even at a social distance.
Team building initiatives and charity appeals will not only provide ways to support communities financially, but also help people to reconnect. At Burgh Island, for instance, expert hoteliers Inntelligence founded the Hospitality Positivity (HosPos) initiative – bringing staff across seven UK hotels together to raise money for Hospitality Action, a charity that has supported people working in the sector for over 150 years, through a series of fun activities for all levels of sporting experience and ability.
The financial impact of lockdown for the hospitality sector does not end with a hotel, pub or restaurant having to shut its doors. Rather, the impact can be felt at all stages of the supply chain. As magnets for investment, the closure of hotels has hit local economies hard.
So, it is important that hospitality businesses, and hotels in particular, try to give back wherever they can. Sourcing locally is the first step in achieving this.
At Burgh Island, 95% of the food served is sourced from the local area – showcasing the very best of the South Devon coastline and produce.
Building relationships with your suppliers means that revenue circulates through the local economy, helping everyone to recover once the pandemic passes.
But this support doesn’t end with how hotels spend their own funds. For instance, retail businesses can prioritise giving shelf space to local producers – allowing customers to demonstrate their support through their spending power.
Further, guests come to Devon wanting to experience the landscape and lifestyle. Once lockdown is over, hotels can facilitate this by recommending Devonshire businesses for days out, attractions worth visiting and showcasing the amazing work of local people – from photographers and artists invited to teach courses or hold residencies, to cooking sessions with other local chefs, sports activities (such as kayaking in the estuaries and sea) and foraging with local experts.
Hotels in the community should prepare now to showcase the best that Devon has to offer when their doors can once again reopen.
Sustainability should be central
however, supporting the local area is not a case of solely supporting people – it must also extend to the environment.
Hotels should strive to cultivate natural bio-diversity in their own grounds to ensure that our local ecosystems are as abundant as possible.
While aesthetically this can play an important part in a hotel’s appeal, it also has significant mental health benefits. Indeed, the NHS has increasingly adopted the use of ‘nature prescriptions’, which have been proven to improve the mental wellbeing of 95% of people within six weeks.
Devon’s green spaces will be an important tonic for people visiting from all over the UK as we recover post-lockdown, but for people in the local community their value is endless – and the hospitality sector must champion this.
The pandemic is also an important time of reflection, and as we continue to see plainly the value of our natural environment for guests and local communities, hotels should do their best to preserve it for the long-term by putting sustainability at the centre of the agenda.
Adopting renewable energy sources, reducing food miles and empowering people to switch to more sustainable forms of transport, for example by offering EV charging, are all ways to minimise the environmental impacts of tourism for local communities.
As the hospitality sector continues to prepare for a time when doors can once again reopen, it is crucial that we do not stop caring post-pandemic. In fact, after lockdown, guests will more than ever be seeking the chance to connect not only with each other, but also with local places and communities. Champion local business, protect the local economy and give back through charity that raises spirits – this is how we can begin to carry care forward for life after COVID-19.