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Jim Parker: We need our 'A' Game if Torbay is to be prosperous
The Fragrance Group's Ibis Hotel on Paignton seafront, just part of their huge investment in the resort
Reporter:
Jim Parker
11 Apr 2024 5:00 PM
Email:
torbayweekly@clearskypublishing.co.uk
A weekend in Cornwall with my daughter and the rest of the family was absolutely lovely but heaving the place was not. Sensational St Ives may have been as busy as ever but G7 location Carbis Bay was breathtaking but very quiet, the Flambards holiday attraction virtually empty and even our popular caravan and camping park on the clifftops of Hayle not as busy as you would expect.
One big player in this - and this would apply to the English Riviera as much as its Cornish counterparts across the Tamar Bridge - was the weather. It was awful and that is putting it politely. The gales rocked the sides of the caravan so much my daughter was preparing for lift off at any time. As for the rain, can anybody please remind me of the last time the heavens stayed closed in the best way possible, of course.
Totally depressing. It wasn't the kind of weather you would associate with Easter which came early this year to only worsen the woes of those especially trying to make a living out of holidaymakers and visitors. (I loved every minute of spending time with the family by the way despite all this). It can't have been a great start for our tourism businesses and some would say it's not the shy and hatless sun that is to blame.
English Riviera BID Company CEO Carolyn Custerson gave an interesting and enlightening insight into holiday market trends when she spoke at the recent Torbay Business Forum breakfast meeting. Carolyn revealed visitor numbers to the Bay are still nowhere the levels of the pre-pandemic years and that shows no sign of changing in the immediate future. The cost of living and people's cautiousness to spend money have a bearing on the figures.
Holiday resorts like the English Riviera have taken full advantage of the recent 'Staycation' times where Brits have opted to stay at home and holiday rather than venture abroad. Local businessman Paul Lilley pointed me in the direction of an article in the Observer which questioned if those lucrative Staycation days may be coming to and end or slowing down at least for one section of the industry.
Much of the basis for the story are claims from some holiday-let owners who are reporting a noticeable drop in short-term bookings. One holiday let owner - ironically not far from St Ives - said demand for her four three-bed holiday lets for January and February were 80 per cent down compared to the same period 12 months ago. She blamed the atrocious weather and the massive over-supply of accommodation as owners tried to cash in on the Covid-linked Staycation boom.
Across-the-board visitor numbers to the Bay are expected to be down but obviously nowhere those levels.
But Paul Lilley, senior partner at South West Business Finance, Director Helping at Home, Trustee and chair of finance at the Ivy Education Trust, makes some good points when he says: "It would appear that the honeymoon period for 'Staycation' is over. Torbay, we therefore need to be on our A game if we are to attract what is left of this reducing market. Although we are making great strides to make ourselves the destination of choice in the South West, we have a long way to go in order that our A game is just that.
"Every aspect of our location needs to be acceptable and better than the rest. Our town centres, in particular, need to step up and present themselves as worthy of our visitors. We are someway on delivering this. We all need to collectively pull together and make sure we are proud of our offering."
Couldn't agree more, Paul. The regeneration of our town centres is key to a bright new future for and one of the most important chapters in the Torbay Story. Visitors, and locals for that matter, want more for their money when they visit the High Street. They want an enjoyable experience, an enjoyable 'offer'. That is why the millions of pounds investment from the government and the £100 million public/private sector partnership with Willmot Dixon/Milligan are so, so vital in providing that new offer with less retail but more residential and leisure driving footfall back into the heart of our towns
Alongside more 'Safer Streets' money won by then Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, the improved environment should also help resolve some of the major issues in some parts of the town including anti-social and intimidating behaviour and drugs.
Local hotels and holiday parks are investing millions in the future. So, too, are holiday attractions - look at in-the-news Kents Cavern and Splashdown Quaywest to name just a couple. We need to get our heart pumping again. As Paul said we need to be on our A game if we are to not only to survive and thrive as a leading holiday resort but to also provide a happy, healthier and more prosperous Torbay and future for our residents
No matter what the blooming weather!
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