Cumbria Tourism is working with its partners to support the county’s tourism businesses as Brexit concerns grow. The county’s official Destination Management Organisation says that anxiety caused by the ongoing uncertainty is increasing among its members, with tourism businesses fearing the impact of the continued political stalemate.
The latest concerns mirror Cumbria Tourism’s recent Business Performance Survey, where 58% of tourism businesses highlighted Brexit as bad for the region. Border controls, increased red tape and operating costs are all issues under the spotlight.
The greatest fear for many is that the Government’s current policy around migrant workers, with the £30,000 skills cap, will compromise the growth of Cumbria’s £2.9billion tourism sector and destabilise the county’s economy as a whole. European workers are an important asset in Cumbria and there is widespread concern about the impact this will have on so-called ‘low skill’ EU nationals’ ability and ambition to enter and support Cumbria’s tourism industry.
Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, says, “Talking to businesses in recent weeks and months, the labour issues and the ongoing uncertainty are the main concerns as visitors take a ‘watch and see’ approach and tighten their belts around their discretionary spend.
“At the same time, there are opportunities to further grow international visitors in a range of non-EU countries, particularly key markets such as the USA, India and China, and we are actively working with partners to tap into these, as well as work alongside Visit Britain to reassure European visitors.
“We know that our tourism businesses are very resilient and understand that adapting and innovating is the key to navigating through uncertain times. To support businesses, we are developing and updating a series of online resources and are partnering with other key organisations to help signpost help and advice.”
Cumbria Tourism has an online resource centre designed to offer help, support and advice on Brexit and its potential impact on tourism businesses.
The organisation is also working with its Strategic Partners to offer support for tourism businesses. Three of those key organisations have the following advice:
Cumberland Business – Simon Whitwham, General Manager, says, “It’s an unsettling time for local businesses. While the Brexit negotiations continue it is vital that businesses ready themselves for the challenges ahead, but also be clear on how to seize any opportunities. Our advice to local businesses would be to review your plans and contingencies to ensure they are robust and to understand what the potential impacts might be. Preparation is key. Our region is blessed with expertise and support from a variety of organisations, including Cumbria Tourism – we’d highly recommend browsing their online resources. We have worked with businesses through challenging times – from foot and mouth to the floods. Our commercial team are well placed to offer support, and will continue to work closely with our customers to help them in this uncertain economic climate.”
Lamont Pridmore – Graham Lamont, Chief Executive, says, “Tourism and hospitality operators should check with their supply chain, particularly their wholesalers, to better understand whether the supply of the goods that are critical to their business operation, such as food, cleaning supplies and other consumables, will be affected. Ideally, they would wish to secure certainty around their ongoing supply or understand the impact of potential delays at EU borders. I think a deal with the EU will be achieved which should prevent such difficulties but it is prudent to be prepared nevertheless. In the face of ongoing uncertainty, however, Lamont Pridmore has prepared a free ‘No Deal Brexit Guide’ to advise businesses about some of the issues to consider in this scenario.”
NFU Mutual – Tim White, Kendal Agency comments, “Following research NFU Mutual conducted in 2017 across 147 hospitality businesses as part of a series of in-depth reports, the political and economic effect of Brexit (47%) and skills shortages (45%) were the two most common concerns raised by those surveyed. At that time our research showed that very few businesses had started making plans for Brexit, although now we are starting to hear how businesses are preparing in case of a reduction in EU workers, such as Travelodge which recently launched a recruitment drive for parents wishing to return to work. Encouraging more people to take jobs in the sector in general is a positive step and now is the time to tackle barriers and misconceptions about the industry, for example that it is just a stop-gap while studying or preparing for a different career.”
