TOURISM & HOSPITALITY
Tourism fights back The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the business community hard but the tourism sector has suffered more than most. Multiple lockdowns have forced the temporary closure of many of Hertfordshire’s star venues and attractions, and even when they were able to reopen again last summer, strict social distancing measures meant that trade wasn’t as buoyant as usual.
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ow, though, the tourism sector is fighting back. The successful COVID vaccination programme has given everybody hope that the pandemic will come to an end soon, and tourism firms are preparing to open their doors again in a phased way in line with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown. That said, they face several challenges as they begin to welcome customers back. Social distancing measures are likely to remain in place for some time, and the big question is whether people will be confident enough to return to busy venues – especially those who haven’t yet received their vaccine.
Here we profile some of Hertfordshire’s tourism businesses and ask them about the challenges ahead and their hopes for a brighter future…
Paradise Wildlife Park (PWP) It has been a challenging year for Paradise Wildlife Park (PWP). In spring last year, with the pandemic spreading through the UK like wildfire, the park was forced to close its doors and although it reopened in the summer, a further surge in COVID cases in the autumn brought two subsequent lockdowns. Now, however, brighter skies are emerging on the horizon. PWP was able to reopen on April 12 and its management team is planning for a much busier summer. Anna Tank, public relations manager at PWP, says: “We were actually a little disappointed with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown because we wanted to be open for Easter. That wasn’t possible, but we’re looking forward to opening our new Jaguar Jungle in May. This will be three times the size of the original jungle and will have a new
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INSPIRE
show house, upstairs viewing areas, and a new pool with underwater viewing – bringing visitors closer to our jaguars than ever before. “Later in the summer we’ll be opening our ground-breaking sun bear habitat, which will see sun bears, binturong and Asian shortclawed otters in a Malaysian mixed exhibit, which will be the first of its kind in the UK.” Not that it has been an easy ride to get here. Some of the staff who work at the park are just returning from furlough, while social distancing measures are still likely to be needed once the park reopens to protect the animals and visitors. However, there’s little doubt that PWP is one of Hertfordshire’s most sought-after tourist destinations. Set in the picturesque Broxbourne Woods, it’s home to more than 1,000 amazing animals, some of which are endangered and are part of international breeding programmes. Along with a varied collection of animals – including lions, jaguars, otters, reptiles, red pandas, meerkats, camels and penguins – the park has one of the best animatronic dinosaur exhibits in the UK, with the remarkable World of Dinosaurs home to more than 30 life-sized moving, roaring, breathing Jurassic creatures.
All of this attracts thousands of visitors to the area each year – and this directly benefits businesses that operate in the vicinity. Anna says: “If you have good footfall in the area, people will spend money on food at local restaurants or perhaps have an overnight stay in one of Hertfordshire’s luxury hotels. “We’re targeting the business customer by offering team-bonding experiences at the park, and we also have facilities that can be hired out for business meetings and events.” The support of the local community also gives Anna hope for a prosperous future at the park. “During the pandemic we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of people,” she says. “We received fruit, veg and meat for the animals, and toys to play with to keep them occupied when they couldn’t see any visitors. That kept us going and gave us much encouragement for the future.”
