It feels that what tourism needs more than ever right now is a crystal ball.
As we hold our collective breath whilst the impact of the vaccine rollout is awaited, there is a constant clamour for that most rare of commodities in 2021 – certainty. Identifying a clear road map out of the current restrictions would provide businesses with the ability to plan - enabling them to engage with suppliers, staff and customers and to put in place the building blocks of recovery.
But whether through a desire not to “over-announce and under-deliver” or simply because we are dealing with an unhelpfully mutating virus that doesn’t respond well to project plans, it is likely that our industry is going to have to deal with uncertainty for some time.
So what do we do?
A great leader – Sir Alex Ferguson – once said “Control the Controllables.” And in a world where things feel chaotic, there is actually quite a lot that is in our control. We can view the current lockdown as wasted time where nothing can be achieved, or we can view it as valuable planning time which allows us to rigorously review our business model and address our agility and innovation.
Throughout the pandemic there have been extraordinary examples of businesses and individuals who have creatively adapted their usual modus operandi and as a result have reached new customers and audiences. From delivering engaging virtual tours to supporting our front-line workers; from developing new, engaging experiences to supporting local producers, we can be justly proud of the extraordinary innovation which our Kent businesses have shown. But for every one of those businesses, there are many more who have struggled with the sheer enormity of the challenge presented by Covid, seeing a much-loved business bereft of customers and a future which looks bleak.
As the pandemic drags on – far longer than any of us feared – our industry will need sustained support to ensure that those that have adapted and thrived keep doing so and those that are struggling are enabled to develop the agility which is critical to their survival.
In a recent survey by Visit Kent, businesses told us that their top three “asks” of Government were: extending Business Rates Relief; making the reduced rate of VAT for tourism and hospitality a permanent fixture; and Business Grants (not loans) for the duration of the lockdown which reflect the real cost of overheads. As the Chancellor plans his upcoming budget, we will do all we can to ensure that this message is heard loud and clear. The Government has done a lot to support the sector. Maintaining that support during this final stretch of restrictions is critical if businesses are to survive long enough to benefit from the pent-up demand which will inevitably be unleashed once restrictions are lifted.
For our part, we know that our continued focus on business support is critical. Our approach has been to plan, but be flexible, and to that end we have developed a Business Plan for Kent this year which has three key phases: Respond; Re-Boot; and Re-build.
Our Respond phase – where we currently find ourselves now – focusses on supporting businesses through lockdown, providing up to the minute guidance and lobbying on the issues that matter most. Our marketing needs to be flexible too – providing inspiration to consumers when they can’t travel, and nuanced, gentle, encouragement when they can. But this phase is also critical in laying the foundations for the recovery of our vital industry.
Whether it is through the training which businesses can receive through the Interreg Experience project; working with partners across the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) on our forthcoming Consumer Confidence campaign; or working with the travel trade to develop new and innovative itineraries for domestic and international visitors alike - this phase is no wasted time. It is the vital groundwork which will ensure that our destination can flourish later this year. We need to analyse current trends to ensure that, when things open up, we can respond to the customers’ desires. Just as our world has changed over these strange times, so have our aspirations and attitudes and our industry needs to be ready to respond accordingly. Success will depend on responding to “now” rather than relying on the past playbook of ideas. The richness of our product is without questions but we will need to explore what makes our destination distinctive to ensure we achieve “cut-through” in what will inevitably be a crowded Staycation market.
Our success in securing a number of key funding projects for Kent means that when restrictions are lifted we are in prime position to Re-boot our visitor economy. Working with VisitEngland on the “Escape the Everyday” campaign, which will particularly highlight our amazing food and drink experiences, will provide us with an opportunity to target the domestic market and capitalise on the consumer’s re-engagement with nature. There will be opportunities too to re-engage our visitors with our outstanding heritage – much of which the visitor has only been able to explore at a distance – and our hospitality businesses will provide the backdrop to the much anticipated reunion of families and friends. But the real opportunity lies in the development of exciting and innovative experiences – supported by the Interreg Experience project - which will enable the visitor to experience everything from foraging to forest-bathing, axe-throwing to archery, right here in Kent.
It is inevitable that the lifting of restrictions will be more of a slow-release than a sudden surge. Staying local will not only be the advice from the scientists but is likely to chime with a population which is feeling understandably nervous. We have a significant opportunity not only to capitalise on our resident market – who have re-discovered the delights on their doorstep – but also to engage with the “near local” and highly lucrative London market. 2021 could be the year when Kent wins over Cornwall - the green choice, the local choice, but most importantly, the exciting choice.
The desire for visitors to re-connect with friends and family will be even greater this Summer and our Big Weekend will be bigger than ever, thanks to our success in securing LEP funding to re-build consumer confidence. Getting people travelling again will be no mean feat. Balancing the need to drive up footfall and ensuring the dispersal of visitors beyond the hotspots will not only be the responsible destination management strategy but also requires the wealth of diverse and engaging product with which Kent is blessed. Our aim throughout this re-boot phase will be to ensure that confidence to travel results in sustainable growth for all our businesses and places.
Finally, our desire to ensure that some good can be salvaged from this challenging year is fundamental to our Re-build strategy - hard-wiring sustainability, place-making and accessibility into our long-term destination planning. Kent is full of amazing places – stunning coastal locations, quaint villages, sweeping landscapes and historic towns. But there is no doubt that the pandemic has changed our places fundamentally. The seismic shift in our working practices and the decline in retail means that our high streets – and what we need from them – has changed irrevocably. Our industry has a huge role in re-curating our spaces – bringing culture, events, hospitality and vibrancy back to our high-streets. Re-building our communities and developing the “gathering places” of the future will be built on new ways of living – balancing efficient, drop-in, workspaces with an engaging, and locally authentic, leisure offer. Our industry provides the beating heart of our places – something which has been much missed during the past few difficult months. We look forward to working with partners across the county to re-build our spaces and re-establishing “brand Kent” as a great place to live, study, invest and visit.
But the success of our plan is founded on a single principle – collaboration. The support of public and private sector partners is fundamental to successful destination management. Sadly, the collateral damage to DMOs from the pandemic has meant that many tourism businesses no longer have the support they need to help them recover. Without national support, these vital organisations rely heavily on the investment of local partners. We are fortunate in Kent that, despite an incredibly challenging year, many of our investors have continued to support us. This support has enabled us to leverage additional funding to support our ambitious recovery strategy. There is very little which is certain during these challenging times, but one thing we know for sure. Collaboration and partnership will deliver the rapid and sustained recovery of our great industry for which we all strive.