WINDERMERE-BASED adventure attractions Treetop Trek and Treetop Nets will re-open to visitors this weekend, as widespread optimism for the outdoor tourism sector starts to grow.
Encouraged by what Treetop Trek describes as “the green shoots of recovery” for the visitor economy, the attraction will be opening its doors at Brockhole, The Lake District Visitor Centre, from this Saturday, 4 July – just in time for the summer.
The decision is in-line with government advice and follows many other outdoor Cumbrian attractions which also re-open this weekend. Treetop Trek joined other outdoor-based attractions at a special webinar hosted by Cumbria Tourism recently, where reopening strategy and best practice were shared by 35 different local businesses, which specialise in the outdoor sector.
Managing Director of Treetop Trek, Mike Turner, says, “As more and more parts of the tourism economy continue to open-up, it’s great to see outdoor tourism is really starting to move forward after such a difficult start to the year. This is reassuring news for attractions like ours, but also brilliant for families who have been locked-up in doors for such a long time.
“We’ve working tirelessly over the last few weeks to ensure we’re fully Covid safe and are delighted to have been rewarded with the Visit Britain ‘We’re Good To Go’ certification ahead of our relaunch. We’re now focussing everything on doing what we do best which is warmly welcoming adventures young and old to our fantastic treetop experiences.
“Covid risks are significantly lower outdoors and achieving social distancing high in the tree tops isn’t itself a huge challenge. That said there are some things we’ll be doing differently to ensure we are completely Covid-secure for our customers and staff, including making all session pre-bookable only and introducing new hygiene stations. Capacity will initially be restricted to 25% to allow time to adapt to the new safety systems without compromising customer service, so booking in advance will be even more important to avoid disappointment.
“Whilst this is great news and we really look forward to welcoming people back, this is still with cautious optimism having already missed a significant part of the tourism season during the Covid crisis. The fact that businesses are beginning to re-open does not mean the road ahead will be an easy one. Like many tourism businesses in Cumbria, this summer is about re-establishing the market to ensure long-term survival of the visitor economy. With potential further lock downs still on the potential horizon were providing a money back guarantee on all bookings to minimise risk to the customer and hopefully promote more pre booking
“There is still a huge need for ongoing support, awareness of which is being raised by Cumbria Tourism teaming-up with South Lakes MP Tim Farron having launched a petition calling for strong financial support packages. What we need right now, is a combination of signatures on that petition, and the ongoing support of our residents and visitors, who we can’t wait to see.”
For more information, visit www.treetoptrek.co.uk/windermere
