Talking Tourism spring 2021 by Business Cornwall

talking tourism SPRING 2021

ISSUE 3

VALUE OVER VOLUME INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• Strategy for success • Tourism awards • Is your business responsible, ethical and sustainable?

Photo credit: Mike Hogan

No one expects to take a flight in an air ambulance while they are on holiday. Yet visitors to Cornwall make up around 15% of airlifted patients every year. Thanks to the support of tourism businesses like yours, Cornwall Air Ambulance has been able to continue flying and saving lives throughout the pandemic, attending 1,061 missions in 2020. Get in touch to find out how supporting Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust can benefit your tourism business: cornwallairambulancetrust.org/ tourism-business-supporter 01637 889926 enquiries@cornwallairambulancetrust.org

Saving lives is a team effort, are you in? As a charity, the crew can’t continue to save lives without the support of our Tourism Business Partners. Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, Trevithick Downs, Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4DY | Registered charity 1133295

CONTENTS & CONTACTS

What’s inside this issue... EDITOR Nick Eyriey nick@businesscornwall.co.uk

PUBLISHER Toni Eyriey toni@businesscornwall.co.uk Tel: 01209 718688

VISIT CORNWALL Malcolm Bell mal@visitcornwall.com Tel: 01872 276529 VISIT DEVON Sally Everton sally.everton@visitdevon.co.uk Tel: 07976 711785 DESIGN design@businesscornwall.co.uk PRINT Printed in Cornwall by Deltor TALKING TOURISM is published 4 times a year by: Tonick Business Publishing Pool Innovation Centre Trevenson Road Redruth TR15 3PL Tel: 01209 718688

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in an electronic retrieval system or transmitted without the written permission of the publisher. Stringent efforts have been made by Tonick Business Publishing to ensure accuracy. However, due principally to the fact that data cannot always be verified, it is possible that some errors or omissions may occur.

Malcolm Bell reflects on what has been a crazy 12 months

QUALITY IN TOURISM

Responsible, Ethical and Sustainable Tourism – the new mark of quality

G7 SUMMIT

Cornwall on the global stage

VALUE OVER VOLUME

New tourism strategy to be released

CORNWALL TOURISM AWARDS

Celebrating Cornwall’s best

MARTIN BARLOW

DEVON TOURISM AWARDS

18 20 22 24

WELCOME

26 28 30

We meet the owner of the Budock Vean Hotel Celebrating Devon’s best

THE GROWTH HUB

A lifeline for local businesses

WEDDINGS

Ready for a post Covid wedding boom?

THE SKILLS HUB

Feeling a case of déjà vu?

POWER OF PRINT

How sustainable use of print can deliver added value for your business

ONLINE MARKETING

Digital action plan for tourism

PLAIN SAILING?

We profile Mylor Sailing School

JUST AN OPINION

Charlestown Harbour operations manager Colette Pearce

Tonick Business Publishing can not accept responsibility for such errors or omissions. Tonick Business Publishing accepts no responsibility for comments made by interviewees that may offend.

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WELCOME

Stop the rollercoaster! Well, what a time we’ve had since the last edition of Talking Tourism. It’s been more than a rollercoaster ride, it has felt more like one those cutting-edge American rollercoasters that throw and twist upside down, inside out as well as up-and-down. The only difference between how the pandemic has hit the visitor economy and a rollercoaster is that with the rollercoaster you expect at the end of the ride, having been scared witless but to come off smiling and laughing.

We can look forward to a profitable summer and hopefully a very strong autumn.

That certainly isn’t the case with this pandemic, we have gone through the pains of lockdown, the very interesting times of the tiers, which certainly brought most of us to tears and then to lose most of Christmas/ New Year before moving onto lockdown three and leaving us wondering what support there would be and what the roadmap would be.

Well, we now have the roadmap and we do know from the recent Budget announcements the support measures that will be in place, which by and large were welcomed and certainly more generous than some had feared, but not as generous as some had hoped. More importantly in terms of looking on the bright side of life, the strong demand for Devon and Cornwall in what will be the 2021 staycation year. So, on the

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positive side we know our way out of this current lockdown, we have a vaccine programme that is the envy of the world and we have strong forward bookings. We can look forward to a profitable summer and hopefully a very strong autumn. But even with these strong predictions, we know that this is just the start of recovery, as many, if not most of our businesses and members have had to take on considerable levels of additional debt, which will take more than one good season to make a dent into. Visit Cornwall and Visit Devon have been here to help you, support you with advice and guidance and most importantly to be your representational body. We have been making the asks of both local and national Government. It has also been a rollercoaster ride for us, with financial strains and being close to closure at times, but we are still here and hopefully with your support we will continue to be here not just for the rest of 21 but for 2022 and beyond. So as we look forward to coming out of lockdown and plan to open your business to make the most of 2021, let us also keep an eye on 2022, when the British public will be very keen to travel abroad again. We will need to work with you on in the autumn, winter and spring of next year to generate business for 2022. MACOLM BELL

SPRING 2021

Design for ambitious businesses that want to make waves dive deeper...

www.vitamincornwall.com

QUALITY IN TOURISM

More recent benchmarking shows that only 1 in 10 tourism operators have any targets in place to even roughly align with the targets set out by the ITP. So what is causing the sector to turn a blind eye? Do we just not care? Is the commercial argument too weak? Or does it all frankly feel a little too overwhelming and someone else’s problem?

If your business doesn’t embrace this, many of your potential customers will go elsewhere.

Solving the jigsaw puzzle You can’t eat an elephant whole. Deborah Heather, director of Quality in Tourism offers her advice on what tourism providers can do to be Responsible, Ethical and Sustainable Tourism (REST) operators, the new mark of quality.

I imagine that it is a little of all these aspects, but I also believe that it is essential that we lead the charge on changing this response. So how do we make that happen? To paraphrase conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, it’s essential to view the world and climate change as a jigsaw puzzle: trying to solve the whole picture is overwhelming but viewing and working on it piece by piece makes it more manageable. Regardless of your own personal opinions on the matter, I think from an operator’s perspective, there are, and should be, two major drivers for change. The first is the operational argument for cost-savings and future proofing of the business, and the second is the shifting consumer expectations that we are seeing in support of business responsibility. THE GUEST CASE…

If 2020 brought one issue to a head, it was the need to reduce operating costs. Whether you have four guest rooms or 400 there are some simple but effective ways of doing this. But let’s start with the ‘global’ picture and then get down to how it can affect your business. In response to the Paris Climate Agreement, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) issued its Hotel Global Decarbonisation Report at the end of 2017, highlighting how and why the sector should align to the targets set out for 2030 and 2050. It recommended that hotels should work to cut emissions by 66% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, against the benchmarks established in 2010.

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Statistically speaking, the number of searches for specifically ‘eco’ accommodation remains low, but the appetite for places that have been awarded REST credentials is growing. In fact, 1 in 5 consumers already favour operators based on their overall REST credentials – so if location, price and convenience still come first, ethics, responsibility and sustainability become the defining factors between providers once a shortlist has been established. With the ‘Greta Thunberg effect, and the term Flygskam been coined in Sweden (meaning literally ‘flight shame’) if I had to bet on it, even after the Covid-19 hangover period, I’d say that in the next five years we will see short-haul travel and staycations on the up and long-haul in decline and there will be a boom in the responsible travel movement. THE BUSINESS CASE… A decade ago, businesses and individuals had to seriously consider the cost-benefit of installing sustainable and

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environmentally beneficial systems, with adoption often being driven by personal preference rather than any strong commercial case. Now, however, the cost, variety and availability of systems have expanded, as have the robustness and longevity of the hardware, making the cost-benefit analysis a far more compelling case. What’s more, as adoption grows internationally, the price continues to drop and the longevity continues to rise, making these solutions a ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ opportunity. As a nation, we are behind many of our international counterparts, particularly from a large business perspective; however, it’s evident that the savings can be astronomical. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel company created a three-year programme to save energy across its group, reducing energy consumption across the portfolio by 13% and making an estimated $11 million saving. The Hilton in San Antonio reduced water consumption by 49% and saved $160k per year. These are not, however, the only area where savings can be made, and many do not require any structural changes and require little financial contributions to establish. A lot comes down to processes and attitudes, from switching one product with another and removing certain things from the supply chain. They will all deliver cost-savings, and even better, help you to take advantage of positive customer selection as I’ve highlighted above. For these, I think the most useful tools at your disposal are common sense and time. This is part of the jigsaw; tackling items one by one. ‘Responsible’ and ‘Sustainable’ have become buzzwords within the industry but are in danger of being ignored. Responsible travel is a relatively simple, yet powerful, concept in which visitors are aware of their potential impact on a destination and they look for ways they can reduce or remove any negative impact brought about by their travel practices. The clever tourism provider can have a programme that addresses these concerns up front and will give them a huge credibility bonus with their guests which in turn leads to repeat visits and recommendations. Promote your recycling programme to guests – it’s no longer enough to have the bedroom

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notices about towel re-use. You could sell your own branded reusable water bottles (or give them as a ‘thank you’ gift). Encourage guests to use reusable bags (again another branded sales opportunity!) and provide links to digital guides on your website. Encourage guests to support local businesses – work with them to promote local crafts, products and services. And if you offer a ‘round up’ option on your bills, alternate local charities which will receive these funds. If you do not already have – and display – a statement of your hotel’s ethical credentials, then it’s time to look at having one. MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY… Perhaps one of the most important aspects is to monitor the impact of any changes you make so that they are quantifiable and demonstrable. Starting with benchmarks of where you are now and monitoring these over time is an essential part of both establishing the effectiveness of your changes, and also communicating them to customers. It’s also worth looking at independent certifications which hold your changes to account, such as the B-Corp Certification (which we are currently working towards) or our REST certification. We have built our award on three pillars against which operators are benchmarked by our team, including Environmental & Economic Management, Social Responsibility & Community, Inclusivity & Integrity. For us, being a business with purpose goes beyond just the environment to include the business as a whole, but of course environment does play a crucial role in our assessments. Honestly, these changes are worth it and I believe an essential part of futureproofing your business. You will attract more business and save money. What are you waiting for?

Contact Quality in Tourism on hello@qualityintourism.com to find more about our buy now pay later or continuous payment offers and the support you will be given to achieve a REST award.

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MARKETING OVERSEAS

All set for G7 All being well, in June (11-13) of this year we will see the world leaders come together in Cornwall to discuss the key issues facing the world, especially after the pandemic. As this publication is prepared, Visit Cornwall is working with the HMG Cabinet Office G7 Team and G7 delegations to secure the accommodation needed to host such a prestigious event. While there may only be seven world leaders at the G7, together with three invited countries, namely South Korea, Australia and India, the event involves around 10,000 people, many of whom are obviously security, but there are large support teams to ensure a successful event. Visit Cornwall will seize this opportunity to take Cornwall as a tourist destination to the world to increase overseas tourism and to play a part in ensuring that the world views Cornwall as not only the UK’s leading holiday destination, but also the wider economy - the new Maximise the emerging green industries, digital, creative and opportunities to grow cultural and an amazing food and drink sector export earnings from to name just a few.

overseas visitors.

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Visit Cornwall was at this year’s virtual Visit Britain’s

Explore GB event and spoke to over 60 overseas tour operators, the vast majority of which had heard that the G7 was coming to Cornwall. They represented countries as far apart as Australia, Japan, USA, Canada and many European countries. There was considerable interest from these operators that the media and especially TV coverage during the event would help them to boost interest and business from both short and long haul to Cornwall in 2022 and beyond. Visit Cornwall will be completing the development of a brand-new travel trade and travel media portal in May ahead of the G7 to ensure we maximise the opportunities to grow export earnings from overseas visitors in the coming few years. Visit Cornwall will continue to support the Cabinet Office, Cornwall Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership in maximising the legacy for Cornwall and we will be present during the event at the media centre in Falmouth to fly the flag high for Cornwall.

G7@visitcornwall.com

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TOURISM STRATEGY

2030 and Beyond Visit Cornwall chief executive, Malcolm Bell, shares details of his new tourism strategy and explains why the key to managing growth should be value over volume. I wrote my first strategic review of tourism in 1995 when Cornish tourism was still in the doldrums and in fact was designated as a tourism development action programme area, which put it into the same category as Blackpool and Skegness! In other words, a destination in decline, whose best days were behind it. Roll on 25 years and Cornwall has been awarded top UK holiday region in the British Travel Awards for 10 years out of the last 11. So, if Cornish tourism is a success, why do we need a new strategy? Quite simply the competition is after our crown and there is a real danger that our success may become our downfall, with over tourism leading to losing our premium status and rates, a growing resistance from local people to tourism and losing our higher spending customers. Now is the time to firstly build on our strength and secondly head off over tourism problems and last but not least, fully embed sustainable and regenerative tourism. Over the last 15 months, myself and Abi Steel assisted by Dominic Houston of Houston Economics have reviewed the current position of Cornwall, the future trends and policies for tourism development and taken into account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to prepare a draft strategy for consultation with the private and public sector. Over the past weeks there has been a series of consultation meetings to hone the strategy and most importantly agree the priorities for action.

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Here are the key messages and conclusions from the review to date. • We must protect and improve the quality of environment and life in Cornwall. • There is an urgent need to develop mechanisms to manage and control the supply side to avoid the negative impacts with “over tourism”. • Limited growth in numbers in the peak season/weeks - any growth must be in value over volume as well as a major focus on winter and the shoulder seasons.

Tourism Development Part of economic growth agenda Driver for employment creation and reducing unemployment Focus on visitor wants No direct consideration of impacts on environment and communities

Sustainable Tourism Visitors Satisfied Environment Protected

• Given the demographic changes, especially relatively wealthy seniors/ pensioners, combined with societal changes in a post Covid crisis world from new working practices, there is a great opportunity to tackle seasonality and to significantly grow tourism out of season.

Residents accepting

• Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly should use the future development of tourism to be a force for good for the region and local communities, by improving the quality of life and employment for local people, the diversity of nature/wildlife and the quality of the environment.

Improve environment

• Cornwall should be an exemplar for the development, implementation and delivery of high-quality workplace training and career development, to ensure that those in the sector can, if they desire, reach their full potential. • Cornwall should be the location of a national or even international research & development centre of excellence for sustainable, competitive and regenerative tourism.

Business competitive Accessibility & Inclusion Climate Change Agenda Net Zero Carbon

Regenerative Development Increase natural diversity Rewilding Increasing quality of life Increasing cultural offer Whole system approach Resilient Future proof

Circular Economy Retain money within local areas Support local businesses Reduce waste Reuse, sharing and recycling Minimising resource inputs Retain money within local areas Local energy sources Reduce carbon & Net zero

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TOURISM STRATEGY

Tourism Development

Sustainable Development

• Will increase the facilities, services, leisure, entertainment and cultural offer for local people, as well as visitors.

Priorities for the wise and selective growth in Cornish and IoS tourism

Regenerative Development

THE VISION FOR THE VISITOR ECONOMY IN CORNWALL By 2030 Cornwall will be: • A leading region for competitive, sustainable and regenerative tourism. • Creating more wealth, quality facilities and a cultural offer for our communities.

Circular Economy

MANAGED GROWTH There is opportunity for growth, but that growth must be at the times of year we need the business and in the areas where growth is needed. We therefore need to manage growth which is: • Driven by high quality research, market intelligence and data analysis. • Delivered by targeted sustainable and regenerative product development that has the maximum impact on the circular economy, while meeting and delighting the needs of customers from selected market segments with high quality, high value experiences. • Be inclusive and accessible. • Supported by targeted marketing and promotion to attract the selected markets to reposition Cornwall as a winter and wider shoulder destination of choice - “the Cornwall you will love but don’t know” - we will build back from the winter.

There is opportunity for growth, but it needs to be managed growth.

• To have an ‘attract and disperse’ marketing strategy to ease pressures on hotspots and direct businesses to the areas that need more businesses at the time of year they need it. • Ensure we have more productive and profitable businesses and organisations.

• Create more permanent all year-round jobs. • Ensure that there is the opportunity for progression from entry level jobs. • Be supported by a career development and support system of training and development at all levels.

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• Providing quality employment and business opportunities for our people and our communities. • Protecting, enhancing and improving the quality of life of our communities. • Protecting and improving the quality of the environment, wildlife and nature. • An exemplar in low carbon tourism. PRIORITIES FOR ACTION To deliver this vision we need a series of coordinated action over the coming years, actions on both the supply side and demand side to ensure that we maximise the benefits while contorting and negating the negatives. SUPPLY SIDE PRIORITIES Management of the Supply Side 1. Introduction of a compulsory robust fee-based registration scheme for all accommodation providers with effective enforcement to ensure that all operators are legal, safe and compliant to all regulations and minimum standards. 2. Consideration of an accommodation licencing scheme in certain areas to allow intervention to control accommodation over supply, impacts on affordable housing and community wellbeing. 3. Establishment of minimum sustainability standards with accolades for those businesses that are exemplars. 4. Consider the development and implementation of a Cornwall branded post Covid robust, voluntary “safety assured award” scheme (score on door). Effective partnership working between businesses and the regulatory authorities. 5. Effective working with local communities, councils and appropriate organisations

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TOURISM STRATEGY

Development of the Supply Side 1. Creation of an R&D Centre of Expertise for the development of sustainable and regenerative tourism, with high quality market research and intelligence which will drive product improvement. 2. Support for the wise development of the tourism services, products and experiences to maximise use of spare capacity/out of season tourism offer. 3. Support for improving the productivity and competitiveness of the visitor economy. 4. Advice and support to help businesses and the supply chain in the visitor economy to meet or exceed net carbon zero targets. 5. Advice and support to minimise the use of resource and waste. Demand Side Priorities Development of a five-year rolling marketing and market development programme that will ensure the: 1. Effective management of existing markets achieved through life value from loyal customers who love Cornwall.

• Gain commitments agree “who leads on what” “who does what” and “who pays for what” – It has got to be a team game with clear roles and responsibilities. • Private sector will be the major investor circa £1BN+ over the next decade.

To deliver this vision we need a series of coordinated action over the coming years...

• Targeted public funding to advise, assist and support private sector investment and importantly to part fund marketing to change the perception of Cornwall to be a great place to have a specialised break, holiday or business/team meet/creative events in the winter. • Annual progress reviews and reporting. • VC to prepare funding bids for tourism development and marketing priorities. CONCLUSIONS If we are to achieve the gains from this strategy and action, we will need to ensure it is not just another set of documents to sit on a shelf or in theses digital times the cloud and Internet.

We have been here before

2. ‘Attract and disperse’ approach to ensure Cornwall attracts more visitors at the time of year and to the places where they are required to improve. 3. Maximising the growth of experiential tourism to develop new markets for the winter, combined with a “build back” and “build forward” approach to the shoulder seasons. 4. Maximise the opportunities from demographic and societal changes including those resulting from a post Covid changes in work and lifestyles. 5. Development and a strategic approach to events, with a coordinated approach to scheduling and delivery. NEXT STEPS Over the next two months, we will consult with partners, the public and the private sector to: • Consult and co-create with partners, the wider industry and communities. • Complete the research into the sector and update the economic impact model. • Co-create the action plans. • Prioritise actions.

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Cornwall will need to decide whether to do. Do Nothing and we risk the kind of growth we don’t want - more supply, over tourism, more negative impacts on environment and communities, increased volume, reduced value and no progress on improving employment or wider economic benefits. Do something, a partial intervention, we will slow the increase in the negative impacts and worsening peak week issues. But if we all get behind the final strategy/plans, we can manage the issues, manage volume, increase value, improve the environment, employment opportunities, business productivity and the benefits for local people and communities.

To find out more and to get involved please email charlotte@ visitcornwall.com

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AWARDS

the Year as well as awards for Access, Small Attraction, Spa and Wellbeing, and Wedding Venue. Sara’s Cottage was another multiple winner picking up golds for Access and Self Catering, while Mullion Cove Hotel and Spa took gold for Small Hotel and Carlyon Bay Hotel the gold for Large Hotel. The Old Embassy House took the gold for B&B and Guesthouse of the Year with Polmanter Touring Park and Ekopod taking the final two accommodation golds for touring park and glamping. Photo: The Pandora Inn

Simply the best While there may not have been any grand gala ceremonies this year for obvious reasons, it did not stop the best of Devon and Cornwall’s tourism being celebrated.

The creativity and determination shown by entrants inspired us.

Despite a challenging year for tourism businesses, the winners in the Cornwall Tourism Awards were announced at an innovative awards day hosted over five sessions by Daphne Skinnard and Robin Barker. The online event saw 74 awards presented in 27 categories. It was the culmination of an 11-month programme that started in March 2020 with entrants judged on a combination of their entry submissions, digital presence, reviews and external evidence. A surprise award went to Martin Barlow, owner of the Budock Vean Hotel, winning the prestigious Outstanding Contribution Award, while Watergate Bay’s Ben Harper took the award for Business Leader. Among the other top winners was Landal Gwel an Mor, winning Gold for Holiday Park of

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The Cornish Seal Sanctuary showed its further improvements taking gold in both the Wildlife Friendly and Dog Friendly categories with Paradise Park also taking two golds for Large Visitor Attraction and Experience of the Year. The Shipwreck Treasure Museum took the Small Attraction gold, with Treseren winning gold for Wedding Venue and St Moritz Hotel gold for Tourism Innovation. It was good to see Falmouth Oyster Festival 2019 taking the gold for Tourism Event of the Year and Visit Newquay Tourist Information the gold for Visitor Information. Food and drink businesses were also recognised with Teacup Tearoom winning gold for Café/Tearoom of the Year, The Pandora Inn for Pub of the Year (for the 4th year running) and Bango Kitchen the gold for Restaurant and Casual Dining. Prestigious golds also went to The Sanctuary Cornwall for Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism, and to Cove24 Restaurant and Bar in the New Tourism Business category. The awards also recognised five ‘Unsung Heroes’ who had gone above and beyond during 2020. These were Gary Zammit of Feadon Wildlife Centre, Kim Spencer of SECTA, Patrick Trembath of PK Porthcurno, Robert Hawkins of Martha’s Orchard and Sally Pickles from The Bowgie Inn. The nineteenth year of the competition has been run in unprecedented times for tourism, but the focus on excellence and feedback for entrants has remained as relevant as ever.

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AWARDS

Awards organiser, Robin Barker of Services for Tourism, said: “It would have been very easy to cancel the awards this year – we did think long and hard about it, but the level of early entries we received in spite of everything, and the creativity and determination shown by entrants inspired us to find a way to make this happen – and your responses and feedback ever since have completely blown us away.”

CORNWALL TOURISM AWARDS WINNERS ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE TOURISM AWARD sponsored by Jarrang Gold Sara’s Cottage, Truro Silver Landal Gwel an Mor Resort, Portreath Bronze Harrods Cornish Cottages, Penhallow B&B AND GUESTHOUSE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Worldpay Gold Old Embassy House, Fowey Silver Trewornan Manor, Wadebridge Bronze Wingletang Guest House, Isles of Scilly BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR sponsored by Be the Business • Ben Harper Watergate Bay Hotel CAFÉ/TEAROOM OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cornish Tea and Coffee Gold Teacup Tearoom, Mevagissey Silver The Thirstea Co, Portscatho

Photo: Paradise Park Red Panda Experience

Deborah Heather of headline sponsor Quality in Tourism added: “I’ve just spent an amazing day with the aweinspiring tourism industry of Cornwall. They go from strength to strength each year. We are so proud at Quality in Tourism to be headline sponsor of the Cornwall Tourism Awards. I am humbled by and optimistic because of these industry leaders.” All of the winners will be automatically considered for the regional South West Tourism Excellence Awards later in the year as well as receiving feedback from the judging process. The 2021/22 awards are planned to be launched in April. cornwalltourismawards.org.uk

CAMPING AND CARAVANNING PARK OF THE YEAR sponsored by Stephens Scown solicitors Gold Polmanter Touring Park, St Ives Silver Mena Farm: Touring, Camping, Glamping, Bodmin Bronze Treloy Touring Park, Newquay DOG FRIENDLY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Forthglade Gold The Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek Silver Kernock Cottages, Saltash Bronze Gwelmor Holiday Home, Bude Hut and Hound, St Austell Teacup Tearoom, Mevagissey ETHICAL, RESPONSIBLE & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD sponsored by South West Water Gold The Sanctuary Cornwall, Golant Silver Camp Kernow, Truro Bronze Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park, Padstow EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR (ACTIVE OR LEARNING) sponsored by Pear Communications Gold Paradise Park – Red Panda Experience, Hayle Silver Paddle Cornwall SUP, Golant Bronze Bare Feet Coasteer, Newquay GLAMPING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Jo Downs Handmade Glass Gold Ekopod, Launceston Silver Wych Elm Glamping, Coverack HOLIDAY PARK OF THE YEAR sponsored by Stephens Scown solicitors Gold Landal Gwel an Mor Resort, Portreath Silver Martha’s Orchard, Constantine Bay INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AWARD sponsored by Cornwall Airport Newquay Gold Cornwall Plus, Falmouth Silver Travel England Tours Ltd LARGE HOTEL OF THE YEAR sponsored by Hotel Perfect Gold Carlyon Bay Hotel, St Austell Silver Budock Vean Hotel, Mawnan Smith Bronze Fowey Hall Hotel, Fowey LARGE VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR sponsored by The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company Gold Paradise Park and JungleBarn Indoor Play Centre, Hayle Silver Camel Creek Adventure Park, Wadebridge National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Falmouth Tintagel Castle (English Heritage), Tintagel

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NEW TOURISM BUSINESS AWARD sponsored by The Samphire Club Gold Cove24 Restaurant and Bar, Newquay Silver Scilly Spirit Distillery, Isles of Scilly Bronze Via Ferrata Cornwall, Penryn OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CORNISH TOURISM sponsored by Visit Cornwall Martin Barlow, Budock Vean Hotel PUB OF THE YEAR sponsored by Vickery Holman Gold The Pandora Inn, Mylor Silver The Boathouse, Falmouth Bronze The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor RESTAURANT & CASUAL DINING OF THE YEAR sponsored by Trevethan Cornish Gin Gold Bango Kitchen, Penryn Silver Cove24 Restaurant and Bar, Newquay Bronze The Idle Rocks Restaurant, St Mawes SELF CATERING ACCOMMODATION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Anytime Booking Gold Sara’s Cottage, Truro Silver My Cottages in St Ives, St Ives Bronze Cosawes Barton, Truro SMALL HOTEL OF THE YEAR sponsored by PKF Francis Clark Gold Mullion Cove Hotel & Spa, Mullion Silver The PIG at Harlyn Bay, Padstow Bronze The Idle Rocks, St Mawes SMALL VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Seymac Distribution Gold Shipwreck Treasure Museum, Charlestown Silver Feadon Wildlife Centre, Portreath SPA & WELLBEING EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Lovegrove Essentials Gold Landal Gwel an Mor Resort, Portreath Silver St Michaels Resort, Falmouth Bronze Mullion Cove Spa, Mullion TOURISM EVENT/FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR sponsored by Skinners Brewery Gold Falmouth Oyster Festival 2019 Silver Wavelength Media’s Drive-in Cinema Series 2020 TOURISM INNOVATION AWARD sponsored by Clockwork Marketing Gold St Moritz Hotel, Polzeath Silver Treseren, Newquay UNSUNG HERO AWARD sponsored by Quality in Tourism Unsung Heroes Gary Zammit, Feadon Wildlife Centre, Portreath Kim Spencer, Wringworthy Cottages, Looe Patrick Trembath, PK, Porthcurno Robert Hawkins, Martha’s Orchard, Constantine Bay Sally Pickles, The Bowgie Inn, Newquay VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions Gold Visit Newquay Tourist Information Centre Silver Bodmin Information Centre Bronze Fal River Visitor Information Centre WEDDING VENUE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Navas Drinks Gold Treseren, Newquay Silver Landal Gwel an Mor Resort, Portreath WILDLIFE FRIENDLY TOURISM BUSINESS AWARD sponsored by Tevi in association with Cornwall Wildlife Trust Gold The Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek Silver Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park, Padstow Bronze Ekopod, Launceston

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AWARDS

An Outstanding hotelier We meet Martin Barlow, recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award at this year’s CTAs. Back in June 2000, Martin Barlow took the up reins of Budock Vean (BV) from his mother and father after their 13 years at the helm. All sorts of lovely things were planned for 2020 to mark Martin’s 20th anniversary last year … they’re just quietly on the backburner until the time is right to celebrate. And much there is to celebrate. Deep into lockdown #1, some members of BV’s team were squirreling away in secret nominating Martin for Business Leader of the Year in the Cornwall Tourism Awards. Now, going behind your boss’ back really isn’t the done thing, but on this occasion it seemed the only thing to do as Martin is most definitely not one to draw the spotlight in his direction. The gamble paid off and at this year’s virtual award ceremony, the hotel scooped two prizes. Silver in the Large Hotel of the Year category

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and the annual special judges’ choice for the Outstanding Contribution to Cornish Tourism went to Martin Barlow. In subsequent radio interviews, Martin insists that this award is probably due to age, but the judges were clear; Martin’s commitment to the wider sector, his innovations and his long-term success won him the accolade. Outside of his duties at the hotel, Martin is on a number of boards, including the Children’s Sailing Trust, where he is playing an active role in the development of Trevassack Lake, a fully accessible site dedicated to watersports and sailing activities for young people; he champions and fundraises for the Cornwall Community Foundation (the hotel has donated close to £10k to date); he is a regular supporter of the local arts and artists, and is involved in projects to protect the local environment. “We’ve always been focused on our community, and our place within that community is really important to us,” he says. Martin, who was quite literally born into Cornwall’s tourism industry (he was born in the basement flat of the family’s hotel in Newquay!), is the third generation of his family to lead in the sector. His grandparents were hoteliers in the 1950s and his parents owned The Treglos Hotel where Martin cut his teeth tackling all sorts of jobs from pot wash to night portering and counting

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the weekly wages. You could say he was keen to be involved, as at just eight years old he would dress in his smart shirt, complete with a little tie, and help restock bar shelves before guests arrived for dinner, often giving him a playful ruffle of hair on their way past! After a successful 14 years working in the City, Martin returned in 2000 and the rest, as they say, is history. Just before lockdown, Martin was leading on several innovative projects at the hotel. There was the introduction of a resident poet, he had reignited a conversation around the BV apples (a unique apple which offers lots of opportunities) and had completed a major, and very beautiful, overhaul of the hotel’s much-loved restaurant. Of course, innovation goes back a lot further. Under Martin’s guidance BV was one of the first hotels to gain gold accreditation for The Green Tourism Business Scheme and the hotel twice won at The Cornwall Sustainability Awards. The drive to be environmentally responsible and sustainable is still at the heart of the business, with several projects in the pipeline. Listening to the customers and the team has been at the heart of the family’s 34-year history with BV. It’s the reason so many people are invested. Some customers have been returning for 40plus years and others have just made their first visit, attracted by the new array of facilities and activities on offer. Whether via post-stay feedback forms or direct conversations, Martin is always interested in listening to customers and makes a point of speaking to guests every day … and of course, taking care of his team is central to his everyday life. Under his guidance the hotel has many structures and procedures in place to take care of staff.

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Family, in its broadest sense, is at the heart of everything that BV does. Martin really walks the walk, so the integration of vision and values is pretty seamless. His open door policy underlines these values and at the annual all team AGM, everyone gets on board with the year ahead … even if it turns out to be a really weird one. He says: “I am delighted to We’ve always been receive this award. We don’t achieve things on our own in focused on our this business and so this is for community, and our the whole team at BV. They are a fantastic, dedicated place within that team, many of whom have been at BV as long as I community is really have, some longer. Thank important to us. you to Robin Barker and his team for all their determination in organising these awards, despite the challenging circumstances, and giving us all the opportunity to showcase the rich variety and quality of Cornwall’s hospitality businesses. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. “Good luck to everyone for the coming season.”

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Photo: Higher Wiscombe

The cream of Devon Rhys Roberts was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to Tourism at the Devon Tourism Awards, which like their Cornish counterpart, were held online this year. Rhys received the accolade following his five years as chair of Visit Devon and decades contributing in multiple roles across tourism. The National Trust’s Kerry Dawson took the Business Leader award.

The Horn of Plenty - photo by Kitevision

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In total, 67 awards were presented across 24 categories. Accommodation golds went to Higher Wiscombe, Lincombe Hall Hotel, The Horn of Plenty, Andrewshayes Holiday Park, Stowford Farm Meadows, Highcliffe House and Brownscombe Luxury Glamping. Attraction and Experience gold awards were awarded to Exewake, the spa at Lincombe Hall, and Pennywell Farm, with Paschoe House taking gold for Wedding Venue and Lynmouth Pavilion Exmoor National Park Centre the gold for Visitor Information. Food and drink golds went to Fishcombe Cove Café, the PIG at Combe, the Three Crowns and The Angel – Taste of Devon. There were cross-sector golds for Leafy Field Glamping for access and inclusivity, Bolberry Farm Cottages for dog friendly, Little Comfort Farm for ethical, responsible and sustainable tourism, the Cottages at Blackadon Farm for new business and Quince Honey Farm for tourism innovation. There was much emotion as five Unsung Heroes were announced: Clive Simmons from the Palace Theatre in Paignton, Hannah Pattle of Pennywell Farm, Naomi Hunt from Powderham Castle and Sereny Damon from Dartmouth Steam Railway. A posthumous Unsung Hero award was also presented to the family and colleagues of Ian Stuart, in recognition of his hard work and partnership working across the sector.

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Chair of the judging panel, Evelyn Stacey, commented: “2020 was a challenging year for us all which made the efforts of the award winners all the more amazing. I have nothing but admiration for the resourceful way in which our tourism businesses – accommodation, hospitality, activities, attractions, services, both established and new – provided high quality service for locals and tourist visitors alike in a safe and responsible manner. Having shown skill and innovation during a national crisis, they have firm foundations on which to build for the future and they fully deserve the accolades.” Sally Everton, general manager of Visit Devon, added: “The Devon Tourism Awards has showered some positivity on what has been the most challenging year for so many tourism businesses across Devon. With some definite light now at the end of what has been a very gloomy tunnel, it is a huge boost to the tourism industry to have something as prestigious as these awards to celebrate.”

In total, 67 awards were presented across 24 categories.

DEVON TOURISM AWARDS WINNERS ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE TOURISM AWARD sponsored by Services for Tourism Gold Leafy Field Glamping, Ashill Silver Stover Country Park & Local Nature Reserve, Newton Abbot B&B AND GUESTHOUSE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Visit Exmoor Gold Highcliffe House, Lynton Silver Barnabas House B&B, Yelverton Bronze Brightham House Boutique Bed and Breakfast, Salcombe BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR sponsored by Be the Business • Kerry Dawson, National Trust CAFÉ/TEAROOM OF THE YEAR sponsored by Owens Coffee Gold Fishcombe Cove Café, Brixham Silver The Curious Kitchen, Brixham CAMPING AND CARAVANNING PARK OF THE YEAR sponsored by Vickery Holman Gold Stowford Farm Meadows, Combe Martin Silver Westland Farm, Barnstaple CASUAL DINING AWARD sponsored by Worldpay Gold The PIG at Combe, Gittisham Silver Cary Arms & Spa, Babbacombe Bronze On the Waterfront, Exeter DOG FRIENDLY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Forthglade Gold Bolberry Farm Cottages, Salcombe Silver Saunton Beach Villas, Saunton Bronze Shoreline, Paignton The Cadeleigh Arms, Tiverton ETHICAL, RESPONSIBLE & SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD sponsored by South West Water Gold Little Comfort Farm, Braunton Silver The Cottages at Blackadon Farm, Ivybridge Bronze Harford Bridge Holiday Park, Tavistock EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR (ACTIVE OR LEARNING) sponsored by PKF Francis Clark Gold Exewake Ltd, Exmouth Silver Surfside Kayak Hire & Tours, Combe Martin GLAMPING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Foxcombe Bakehouse Gold Brownscombe Luxury Glamping, Compton Silver Devon Yurt, Lifton Bronze Blackdown Yurts, Blackborough Leafy Field Glamping, Ashill HOLIDAY PARK OF THE YEAR sponsored by Stephens Scown solicitors Gold Andrewshayes Holiday Park, Axminster Silver Ladram Bay Holiday Park, Budleigh Salterton Bronze Lady’s Mile Holiday Park, Dawlish LARGE HOTEL OF THE YEAR sponsored by Hotel Perfect Gold Lincombe Hall Hotel & Spa, Torquay Silver Crowne Plaza, Plymouth NEW TOURISM BUSINESS AWARD sponsored by Soundview Gold The Cottages at Blackadon Farm, Ivybridge Silver Nethway Farm Holiday Cottages, Kingswear Bronze Brasserie at the Bay, Torquay

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO DEVON TOURISM sponsored by Visit Devon Rhys Roberts, Visit Devon PUB OF THE YEAR sponsored by Bays Brewery Gold Three Crowns, Chagford Silver The Black River, Black Torrington The Waterfront, Plymouth Bronze The Cadeleigh Arms, Tiverton The Royal George, Appledore RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR sponsored by Plymouth Gin Gold The Angel – Taste of Devon, Dartmouth Silver Harry’s Restaurant, Exeter Bronze Gara Rock Hotel, Salcombe SELF CATERING ACCOMMODATION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Anytime Booking Gold Higher Wiscombe, Colyton Silver Nethway Farm Holiday Cottages, Kingswear Bronze Lower Campscott Farm Cottages, Woolacombe SMALL HOTEL OF THE YEAR sponsored by Clockwork Marketing Gold The Horn of Plenty Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Gulworthy Silver Cary Arms & Spa, Babbacombe Bronze Gara Rock Hotel, Salcombe The Old Rectory Hotel, Exmoor SPA & WELLBEING EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Lovegrove Essentials Gold Lincombe Hall Hotel, Torquay Silver Life is Good Nutrition – The Retreat TOURISM INNOVATION AWARD sponsored by Pear Communications Gold Quince Honey Farm, South Molton Silver The BIG Sheep, Abbotsham UNSUNG HERO AWARD sponsored by Quality in Tourism Unsung Heroes • Clive Simmons, Palace Theatre, Paignton • Hannah Pattle, Pennywell Farm, Buckfastleigh • Ian Stuart - RIP, Stuart Line Cruises, Exmouth • Naomi Hunt, Powderham Castle, Powderham • Sereny Damon, Dartmouth Steam Railway, Dartmouth VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Westward Marketing Gold Pennywell Farm, Buckfastleigh Silver Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, Lynmouth Bronze Quince Honey Farm, South Molton The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Ignyte Gold Lynmouth Pavilion Exmoor National Park Centre Silver Tiverton Tourist Information Service WEDDING VENUE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Buckleigh Linen Services Gold Paschoe House, Bow Silver Gara Rock Hotel, Salcombe

Photo: Quince Honey Farm

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TALKING TOURISM

GROWTH HUB

A lifeline for local businesses Covid-19 has had a profound impact on businesses across Cornwall. The national lockdowns have seen ‘non-essential’ businesses forced to close for months at a time. Social distancing measures have constrained shops, restaurants and cafés from operating at capacity. Travel restrictions and closed workplaces have had a huge impact on footfall in town centres. On the front line of helping businesses cope with the pandemic is the team at the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub. Since 2016 they have provided free Because of Covid we and impartial help to over 3,000 new and established had to find another businesses in Cornwall and way of keeping the Isles of Scilly, signposting income coming in and them to business support and advice. when it first started

anything indoors just wasn’t happening. Since we have done the outside stuff we have got six or seven weddings booked for next year. We probably wouldn’t have gone down this road, so it definitely helped without a doubt. Toby from Axe Heads, an axe throwing venue which diversified with Growth Hub support to offer activities outside.

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In the early weeks of the pandemic the Growth Hub saw a fivefold increase in phone calls and a fourfold increase in web traffic from businesses looking for help and information. And although those early peaks have levelled off, between March and October there was a 187% increase in people using the Growth Hub website and a 289% increase in new enquiries. In the same period the Growth Hub team handled almost 5,000 phone calls, spending the equivalent of 53 days on the phone, and close to 600 webchats.

They have booked over 700 business reviews and supported close to 1,100 people, as well as managing a £1.4 million Covid support grant funding scheme which was fully subscribed within 45 minutes of launching. Growth Hub operations director, Stu Anderson, says: “We’ve seen huge demand for our services and it’s no surprise when you consider how reliant our area is on the visitor economy and the ripple effect the closures have had on other areas like pubs, restaurants and town centres.

Business is always changing, even without Covid. The Growth Hub has always got their finger on the pulse. Especially for me, who has been running a business for sixteen years and I bumbled through setting it up, it was good just to do some general business house-keeping. Kerra’s Catering, events catering company run by Kerra Buchanan.

“But there is also reason for optimism because we have seen first-hand how resilient businesses can be, by adapting what they do to the realities of Covid. We’re hugely encouraged by how many enquiries we’ve had because, whatever the circumstances for their business, people are looking for advice and guidance on how to move forward.” There are 38 Growth Hubs across England, one for each Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area. Last summer the Government provided extra

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Growth Hub case study Among the thousands of businesses that have been helped by the Growth Hub in recent months is Fiona from the Old Post House B&B in St Just. Her small business was gearing up for the start of the season after spending the winter completing refurbishments when lockdown hit. “It was just a nightmare and I didn’t know what to do,” she admits. Reaching out to the Growth Hub was a lifeline for Fiona. In the early stages of the pandemic when support was just starting to get rolled out, the Growth Hub team was a voice on the phone to talk through the challenges.

funding for Growth Hubs via LEPs, recognising the vital work they do, including feeding intelligence back to ministers about the impact of Covid on local economies. For Stu and his team this meant recruiting three additional advisors and extending free and impartial support to all businesses regardless of size or sector, with an increased focus on town centres and tourism. He says: “We talk to lots of businesses who are still looking to grow, and others who are starting up, but we also speak to businesses who are in distress because of Covid and having to deal with things they’ve never encountered before. The feedback we’ve had is that businesses appreciate having a friendly voice on the end of the phone, someone who understands what they’re going through and can offer practical help as well as a sympathetic ear. “We’ve been here for them through the pandemic, and we’re still here for them. Taking time to talk can make a real difference.”

This encouraged Fiona to be proactive, using the signposting that the team had given her to sign up to webinars on Covid compliance, marketing and managing finances. This helped her be ready for when the business could open in July. When further grants and support was announced Fiona was kept informed, which helped her to apply for the Government grants as well as a Covid recovery Kickstart grant. This helped her promote her business through a digital guestbook. “You are in a situation where you don’t know where to turn,” she says. “You can see your lovely business that you have built up, and think it is going to collapse. Just having a voice on the phone who is trying to help you really kept me going and encouraged me to be proactive.”

The Growth Hub team are also working to help businesses understand the impact the UK’s exit from the EU may have in areas such as employment, supply chain as well as import and export. They are standing by to signpost businesses to the support and information they will need. It is impartial, free and independent and works with a full range of local businesses, from sole traders and not for profit organisations, to start-up and established businesses with fewer than 250 employees.

For more information and to discuss your business with the Growth Hub, call 01209 708660 or visit www.ciosgrowthhub.com

I remember it started by meeting someone from the Growth Hub and from there we were signposted to various places which, over time, has helped to put us in the position we are in. Even if you are not considering changing or growing just look up and look out and try and spend a bit of time working on your business and not just in it. Harry from Dennis Cove Campsite in Padstow.

The Growth Hub is part-funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Cornwall Council and the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.

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WEDDINGS

After a very challenging year for businesses that rely on weddings, Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown confirmed that subject to the key coronavirus data requiring dates to change, weddings with 15 guests can take place again from April 12. From May 17 the number of guests at weddings can increase to 30 and from June 21 there will be no restrictions on weddings.

There are significant opportunities, but businesses will need to manage the rush.

There are significant opportunities for tourism businesses, particularly landowners, property owners, licensed venues and new venues looking to capitalise on the post-Covid wedding boom.

Ready for post-Covid wedding boom? With weddings allowed to take place again from April, Rebecca Edwards from Hazel Parsons Wedding Consultancy outlines the opportunities for tourism businesses in Devon and Cornwall. We are set for a surge in weddings after many couples had to postpone their celebrations during the coronavirus pandemic. Some industry commentators expect over half a million weddings to take place next year, and it could take 2-3 years for the backlog of weddings to clear.

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More couples may be willing to consider midweek weddings, to ensure they can get married sooner rather than later. Couples may also be interested in booking weddings outside the traditional wedding season, again to avoid having to wait a long time to get married, especially if they were due to marry during lockdown and opted to postpone their big day. Small and intimate weddings will continue to be popular. The pandemic has made small weddings much more socially acceptable, and couples may prefer to keep numbers down in order to allow them to spend more per head. At the opposite end of the scale, some couples will opt for large parties and celebrations and couples who have waited for the restrictions to be lifted will be going all out. Expect to see free bars and couples spending extra on entertainment, styling, florals, décor and catering. We also expect elopements to be popular. Lockdown has kept us all in our

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local areas, and as international travel continues to be tricky, couples may choose to travel within the UK to get married. Cornwall is ideally placed to benefit from this trend. When the lockdown restrictions allow, hosting open house events is a good idea as it will help to generate bookings and build relationships. There are significant opportunities, but businesses will need to manage the rush of bookings, enquiries and correspondence from couples whilst running a large number of weddings. Here are some areas to consider which will help you to make the most of the opportunities: TRAINING Ensuring your teams have the right skills is important. Investing in your people will ensure that your staff and business will achieve more. Many businesses have been using their cultural grant to invest in training during downtime when they may have had to close during the pandemic. However, it is never too late to focus on training. You will reap the benefits from using training to upskill in areas including sales, business development, customer service, upselling and the practicalities of running a wedding and managing a couple’s expectations. SYSTEMS It will be absolutely crucial to have good systems in place. This should include accountancy, billing, contracts and CRM systems. VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS Virtual assistants are a useful way to keep on top of customer enquiries. These computer bots respond to customer enquiries and can be built for your website and some social media channels include them in their chat function, for example Facebook messenger. TECHNOLOGY We have spent a whole year using technology to stay connected and run our businesses. As things open up again, now is a good time to cherry pick the elements that work and use them to enhance and support what you do.

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KEEP IT SIMPLE Make sure your wedding suppliers team is primed and ready to go to, having information for couples readily available or prepped ready to re-send. OUTSOURCE Don’t be scared to outsource. You will still need to promote your business even when you are busy and time-poor and if you don’t have time to do that in-house, you could consider using an external resource. You are likely to need flexible staffing, so should consider working with outside wedding coordinators, staffing agencies and using other wedding businesses to help you deliver and grow. COMMUNICATION You will give the best service when you think about things from the couple’s point of view. Communication is a key issue that couples are looking for. They are planning one of the most important days in their lives and they will need regular reassurance and planning support. This can be done with regular group emails, once a month live events or Q&As and venue specific supplier Facebook groups. The backlog of weddings caused by coronavirus offers a significant opportunity and there is potentially more good news ahead as the Law Commission has proposed changes which would allow couples to legally marry anywhere, including outdoors. This would bring England into line with the rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The final report and recommendations for the Government is expected to be published later in the year.

Photographs by Tom Frost Photography of a wedding co-ordinated by Out of the Ordinary Weddings at Cosawes Barton

The key message for businesses wanting to capture part of the wedding market is: be prepared, get ready for the rush! Rebecca Edwards is a partner in Hazel Parsons Wedding Consultancy. Along with Hazel, Rebecca works with tourism and wedding businesses to offer training, consultancy support, venue management and event design. For more information, please call 07900 954051, email rebecca@hazelparsons.com or visit www.hazelparsons.com

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SKILLS HUB

Groundhog day As tourism gets ready to go again in 2021, the Skills Hub is here to help. As the summer of 2020 approached, Alex Horsfall was hopeful. His luxury, self-catering holiday cottages, The Valley, in Carnon Downs was preparing to open its doors with the 46, 5-star cottages close to capacity. Fast forward to 2021 and Alex finds himself in a similar, if not identical position, to that of 2020. Once more, and like many others within the tourism industry, he is juggling the competing priorities of a business being on pause and staff placed on furlough, while also managing the day-to-day demands of a business that will be looking to restart as soon as government regulations allow it to do so. In May last year, Alex worked with the Skills Hub to up-skill his staff for this new way of working, suggesting the impact of COVID-19 would truly be felt in 2021. So where does he stand 12 months down the track? “Because it has all gone on a lot longer than anyone could have imagined, I don’t think the impact hasn’t truly been felt by all yet. It’s been a rollercoaster of extreme lows, and extreme highs. Last summer for all of Cornwall was

incredible, and the lockdown either side has been pretty dire,” Alex says. For Alex, the impact the pandemic has had on his business has not been as bad as first thought, however being a holiday park means ongoing maintenance and the need to keep some staff on to keep things ticking over. The Valley – a secluded village of its own– has with it two pools, a squash court, tennis court and restaurant. Maintenance and upkeep of these facilities has needed to continue throughout the lockdown period. This maintenance is usually carried out across the winter, with a smaller number of guests keeping an income coming in to sustain the payment of wages for his staff. This past year, that has not been an option.

Similar to last year, everyone is going to want to come to Cornwall.

“Unlike hotels and restaurants who can often just close their doors, we very much have to keep on top of maintenance when it comes to the cottages and our grounds and, with that in mind, we’ve had to dig into the war chest a little these past 12 months to keep paying the bills,” he says. With the books full again for the summer, Alex is hopeful once again. But he also remains cautious, knowing that one good summer season will not be the panacea for all financial ills. “Similar to last year, everyone is going to want to come to Cornwall. I don’t think 2021 will provide much more of an opportunity than last summer, with us not really being able to open our full offering until 17 May, so in our case we’re still missing out on a good four months of rental income,” Alex says. With the safety of both his guests and his staff of the utmost priority, Alex

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believes there are a couple of essential skills needed to ensure a safe and prosperous summer is had by all.

what we need to do should anything change for a safe summer for all,” he says.

Firstly, Alex worked with the Skills Hub on staff development. His staff have been trained in areas such as digital marketing, and this has no doubt been of great assistance in keeping existing and future guests abreast of updates with regards to The Valley.

What does the ideal summer look like for tourism operators in Cornwall? According to Alex it is a matter of respect.

Secondly, Alex believes that the emphasis is now on decision makers to provide timely guidance to everyone within the tourism industry, to make sure that both safety and enjoyment is front of mind. “I think a lot of the skills we need within the industry have been built up already, as after last year we have an idea of what we need to do. Timely guidance will be key and being advised of

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“All we really ask is for people to be sensible and respectful. A little bit of respect and common sense, and we’ll be able to take care of both our guests and our staff.”

I think a lot of the skills we need within the industry have been built up already, as after last year we have an idea of what we need to do.

With many businesses within the tourism sector now doing business differently, perhaps we can help you just as we have done with Alex and The Valley Cottages. Call us on 01209 708 660 and let us help you make your business better and ready for the summer.

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PRINT MARKETING

become more of a challenge to get your message in front of the right people in a meaningful way as you fight against competitors for space in people’s online timelines. “Print cuts through the digital noise and offers a form of escapism” Print’s tangibility feels ‘human and real’ against a backdrop of fleeting, competing communication vying for people’s attention. It’s engaged with, and remembered by, people of all ages – even younger and more digitally engaged audiences. Print cuts through the digital noise and offers a form of escapism – when someone picks up your print, you have their undivided attention.

The power of print The St Austell Printing Company explains how the sustainable and effective use of print can deliver added value to your marketing. For many hospitality and tourism businesses, the rule book for marketing has been thrown out of the window, as we adapt to an ever-changing situation of social distancing, lockdowns and business closures. With emergency business planning and budgets being stretched further than ever before, it’s crucial to ensure that all marketing platforms justify their investment – and it’s never been more important to use print to make an impact.

49% more effective than email and 35% stronger than social media advertising.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has seen an increase in the number of people spending time online – and of course, businesses have followed this trend with reports of a significant increase in online advertising throughout 2020. However, this means it has

You’re selling something aspirational; a romantic weekend away, a family holiday or a day out making memories. This is a decision led by the heart, with foundations built to inspire and excite, combined with a hunger for credibility. By using a paper stock which feels distinctive or specialist finishing such as foiling to capture people’s attention, you can promote the quality of your offering. Print also creates an emotional connection with the reader. Quality print helps to promote trust and because it’s a multi-sensory experience, the reader’s brain reacts and retains the information differently to other marketing platforms. “It’s not unusual for brochures to live on a coffee table for weeks” If your print is of exceptional quality, then it’s more likely to be retained for longer. It’s not unusual for brochures to live on a coffee table for weeks, being revisited and leafed-through. High end retail brands are now using printed brochures and catalogues more than ever, combining aspirational lifestyle images with beautiful paper stock and specialist finishing to create a showcase for their brand. Print can now be used so creatively and in tandem with digital marketing to develop a trusted and long-lasting relationship with customers, encouraging them to engage with your brand and ultimately entice them to complete a purchase. “94% of mail is engaged with in some way and is 49% more effective than email alone”

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This is backed up by research carried out by Royal Mail which found that 87% of UK Consumers said they were influenced to make online purchases as a result of receiving direct mail. Royal mail also commissioned independent neurological research which shows that mail has a power impact on retaining information – 49% more effective than email and 35% stronger than social media advertising. However, when used in conjunction, printed marketing can boost the effectiveness of these digital platforms. Memory encoding for social media advertising was 44% higher when people had seen print first. Mail reaches people directly in their homes and gains their full attention. JICMAIL is the independent body that collates and reports the effectiveness and engagement of direct printed marketing through door drops and direct mail. Its data shows that 94% of mail is engaged with in some way and that addressed advertising mail is interacted with four times on average.

“Consumers are willing to pay a premium for products from a sustainable brand” “There is accumulating evidence that consumers are impacted by the perceived sustainability of a brand,” says neuroscientist Dr Matt Johnson, World Land Trust, “and that consumers are willing to pay a premium for products from a sustainable brand over a nonsustainable competitor brand.” In support of this ethos, St Austell Printing Company (SAPC) strengthened its sustainability credentials by becoming an official Carbon Balanced Printer with the World Land Trust. This enables all clients to demonstrate their own environmental commitments by using the World Land Trust logo on their printing to show that their print project – including the manufacturing process and the paper - is carbon balanced.

“European forests, which provide wood for making paper products, have been growing by 1,500 football pitches every day!” Source FAO, 2020, TwoSides.info Let’s not forget about the sustainability credentials of print too. Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world, so sustainable in fact, that European forests, where most of the raw material comes from, grew by an area the size of Switzerland (58,000 sq km) over just 15 years. The environmental impacts of our ever-increasing digital world cannot be ignored. The ICT industry accounts for around 2.5-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and this is predicted to rise to 14% by 2040. Businesses and individuals are increasingly using ‘cloud’ services which rely on mega data-centres to store almost everything we do online; including our web searches, our social media posts and our online statements. By using FSC paper from sustainable forests alongside working with an environmental printing company, consumers can be assured that by using effective print marketing you’re not compromising your environmental values.

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SAPC has also been a member of Two Sides for many years and is a keen supporter of the ‘Love Paper’ campaign, which promotes the benefits of print and paper. Two Sides is an independent organisation which researches and promotes the environmental credentials of print and paper. “The environment is a key focus for our business, we are pleased to be longstanding members of Two Sides and tell the great sustainable story of paper and print”, says Jon Hart SAPC’s national sales manager. SAPC specialises in working with the tourism and hospitality sector to create aspirational and effective printed marketing materials. If you would like to chat about ways we can help you to embrace the exciting opportunities print brings then please get in contact with our friendly team of experts on 01726 624900, or email info@sapc.co.uk

www.sapc.co.uk www.twosides.info www.carbonbalancedpaper.com

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DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital action plan for tourism While the pandemic presented massive challenges for the hospitality industry in 2020, Rob Edlin, director of digital marketing agency Niddocks, has some advice to help tourism businesses bounce back in 2021. Communication has always been the key to success in business, now more than ever we need open and honest communication in our marketing, advertising, policies, procedures, terms & conditions. Digital marketing makes communicating your brand, message, offer, destination, accommodation, attraction, activity or other entity much easier and cheaper than it was 30 years ago when many tourism businesses relied on newspapers, magazines, tele-marketing and travel agents to attract customers. Although easier and cheaper, digital

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marketing is still confusing to many. Much of the work can be carried out by yourself now and Devon and Cornwall are full of really good small businesses that can help you with all or some of what you need to do if you need a helping hand. Having looked at the data from hundreds of businesses, we have noticed some interesting trends amongst all the difficulty and confusion that has surrounded tourism and travel throughout the last 12 months. A few key points are worth highlighting and I recommend that you take time out to audit your own digital marketing activities, advertising and web presence to ensure that you’re ready for whatever 2021 has to throw at you. The two most significant things I’ve observed are: 1. There are many more people visiting websites in Devon and Cornwall that have not visited before - the figure varies from business to business but as an average, we’re seeing almost twice the number of “new” visitors to websites, in real terms this means tens of thousands more people are looking for holidays in, services provided and products to buy from the south west. 2. Search patterns and terms have been very different, people are searching for things to do, more information, Covid restrictions, opening times, delivery

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information, cancellation policies, places to visit and generally we’re seeing searches for terms that indicate that people are new to the area or the products and services offered in Devon and Cornwall. With the above two points in mind, now is the time to make sure that you are being found for the problems and solutions that people are searching for. My recommendation for getting started with this is to address the problems and the solutions in the content on your website and social media. For Example, somebody might be searching for the problem “what to do on a wet day in Cornwall with kids” or they may search for something that more resembles the solution like “indoor playground in Newquay” - you can address both the problem and the solution in your content by working the content up into a useful paragraph of text such as “Not sure what to do on a wet day in Cornwall with the kids? Our indoor playground in Newquay is open to small groups from the same household on an hourly basis, book your half hour slot online now.” The following should help you organise and prioritise your activities over the next few months: • Be consistent with your communication across all platforms - make sure that your opening times, delivery schedules and any Covid-19 restrictions are displayed on your website, adverts, Facebook, Google My Business, Instagram and any other platforms that you use • Ensure that your information is up-todate and, if relevant, let people know when it was last updated as the rules and guidance around Covid-19 keep changing • Make sure you have your website backed up and you know where your data is and how to get it back up and running within a few hours if you get hacked. Sadly, we’ve seen an increase in website hacking, mainly through out of date plugins or missed security updates • Change your passwords regularly and where possible enable two factor authentication • Test your website performance and

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improve it or get your web developer to improve it for you if it is slow or has issues with tools such as tools.pingdom. com or www.thinkwithgoogle. com/intl/en-gb/feature/ testmysite • Enable a caching plugin on your website to speed things up • It sounds odd to me to say this now, but make sure that your website is mobile friendly and supports Accelerated Mobile Pages technology

Although easier and cheaper, digital marketing is still confusing to many.

• Take control of your own SEO and Content Optimisation by making sure you have an SEO plugin on your website (such as Yoast for WordPress) - pay particular attention to optimising Titles, META Descriptions and Headlines (H1) on each page • Wean yourself off online travel agent/ booking websites that take hefty commissions, there’s more demand now than supply in most cases, if you don’t get away from them now then it’s going to be more difficult for you in the future • Consider using Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising and Facebook Advertising to run some very targeted campaigns to attract last minute business or target the shoulder season which is likely to be much busier than normal in 2021 as international travel will still be difficult for people • Don’t worry about the summer season, save your advertising budget for the shoulder season, add negative keywords for summer etc • Try display & search remarketing • Add a mini Tourist Information Centre to your website, point people to popular attractions, places to eat, places to stay, places to visit, places to drink etc. • Check that your Google Analytics account is up to date, consider upgrading to GA4 which has been recently released and check that revenue/booking tracking and attribution is in place • Allow payments online • Be very clear about COVID-19 specific restrictions/guidelines that are relevant to you and your customers, draw attention to your booking/cancellation/ refund policies.

Our websites (for reference) niddocks.com niddocks.net swc700.com hyggeandrea.com southwestcoastroadtrip.com

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Plain sailing Talking Tourism has been speaking to ‘salty seadog’ Tracey Boyne, owner of Mylor Sailing and Powerboat School to find out about her business and how it led her to start the charity, Mylor Sailability, which helps those with disabilities get on to the water. When was the business founded and at what point did you get involved? And, what is your background? The business has been going since the 1970s and the training school came up for sale in 2006 and a friend offered me an opportunity of a 50/50 split. I was then teaching at Truro and Penwith College on the outdoor education and other sports qualifications. This was teaching sailing, windsurfing, climbing and other theoretical coaching modules. After a few years, my business partner got offered another opportunity, so I bought him out in 2013. After 12 years, I took voluntary redundancy from Truro College at the same time. A bit of a leap of faith, but after the sad loss of my mother in 2012 I felt the need to push myself and take some risks. I have never looked back and working individually allowed me to develop the business in so many ways and I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Can you explain what it is you do and the variety of services you offer? Our tag line is ‘From absolute beginners to salty seadogs’. We are governed by

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the Royal Yachting Association and run accredited courses for dinghy, keelboat and powerboat training for people between the ages of 6 and 106! We also have shore-based courses for VHF Marine Radio and Navigation. All our sailing and powerboating is accessible and inclusive to all. How has the business evolved over time? When I first bought the school, we had one motorboat (RIB) and around six small sailing dinghies, all a little tired and in need of some TLC. After a lot of investment back into the business over the first few years, we built the fleet to three RIBs and ten decent sailing boats. This has then grown to meet demands not only by the amount of people but also the type of training that is requested. The fleet now exists of six motorboats, three keelboats and 18 smaller sailing dinghies. We have around 50% local business and 50% visitors. Sailing and powerboat training has increased hugely and although we are open all year round, the shoulder periods have filled well, with our main operating times between March and October. I have always tried to improve the business and access as much free business support as possible. There is a lot of free help out there, you just have to find it. Being a member of the Cornwall Marine Network has helped hugely with training, marketing and business advice and general support. I am a great believer in providing as much training as possible for all staff, with customer service, personal skills and teaching skills. Can you tell us about the charitable arm of the business? After going it alone I really wanted to

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develop a more accessible aspect. With some great advice from the County Sports Partnership at Cornwall Council, and the RYA, I started a charitable arm of the business, Mylor Sailability. This seemed the easiest option to be able to apply for grants and funding to reduce one of the main barriers to sailing and powerboating, the cost. I had to prove the demand though. Together, with three-times Olympic Paralympian, John Robertson, we held an open day in October 2013. I was blown away with over 110 people pre-booking for the taster sessions. As a direct result of the success of the open day, Mylor Sailability was formed in spring 2014 as a Charity Incorporated Organisation (CIO). Initially using the facilities and the equipment of Mylor Sailing and Powerboat School, Mylor Sailability initially provided four sailing sessions per week for up to 30 participants, then sharply increasing to seven and is currently ten, due to demand. Over the years, through a combination of fundraising events and successful grant applications, Mylor Sailability now has two specially adapted sailing boats to accommodate up to 14 people at a time, a hoist and a wheelchair friendly powerboat that can take up to eight people. A successful grant from Sport England built our ramped access classroom and specialist pontoon. Since the Open Day, in 2013, we have created links with many local and national organisations and we have consistently delivered between 5-10 regular sessions per week, which equates to over 600 sailing days to over 2,000 participants. And you’ve won a number of awards over the years Yes. We’re always trying to create as much publicity as possible for Mylor Sailability to promote the facilities we have to offer here. So I decided in 2016 to apply to be considered for the Cornwall Tourism Awards in the Access and Inclusivity category. This is a three-stage process, of application for consideration, a mystery visit, and the judging panel. We were blown away when we won the Silver award and then went on to win the Gold award at the

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South West Tourism Awards (out of six counties), jointly I might add, with the amazing Eden Project. I’m still milking that one! Feeling lucky and learning so much for the process to help improve all aspects of the business, I applied again in 2018, this time winning the Gold, then Silver at the South West Awards and the Silver at the Visit England Awards, blimey! All of this process has raised so much awareness for our accessible sessions to those who need it and also to people who want to either donate or help in any way they can.

All our sailing and powerboating is accessible and inclusive to all.

That has been the most humbling of experiences, from the people who have been in touch to offer their help. I won’t bore you with many more award wins, but we were also successful in the 2019/20 awards process and I applied for a couple more categories this time, Sporting Activity of the Year (winning Gold), Learning Experience of the year (Bronze) and Access and Inclusivity (Gold). Due to this success we also won the ‘Winner of Winners’ award which was such a great honour. Where do you see the business going over the next five years? After working in this business for almost 15 years now, I feel that I have found a good varied fleet to suit all needs. I don’t want to increase the fleet much as think that we would lose the quality of the training. I always invest a lot in the business each year to maintain good quality boats, selling on and replenishing with new boats. Ongoing improvements are always staff development and gaining more advanced relevant qualifications for the team. I love creating new projects for Mylor Sailability to always ensure that we are being as inclusive as possible.

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JUST AN OPINION...

Work smart, work safe Colette Pearce, relations and operations manager at Charlestown Harbour, explains how the World Heritage site has been managing through lockdown. As a working port and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we’ve been fortunate to be able to continue essential maintenance and restoration work through lockdown on not only the harbour itself, but also the heritage vessels in our fleet. The historic wooden ships that call the harbour home need ongoing work to keep them seafaring – and our small and multi-skilled team have been working hard to cleverly adapt to the challenges presented by lockdown, to ensure we’re ready to safely re-open when the time is right. We’re really passionate about maritime heritage and are quietly working behind the scenes to ensure Charlestown Harbour is a hub for maritime heritage in the UK – by repairing and preserving classic sailing vessels and keeping alive the traditional skills, tools and practices required to do so. For example, we’re currently supporting on the conversation of Pen Glas, a 1960’s traditional wooden fishing boat, back to her original rig. It’s then hoped she’ll offer affordable bunk style on-thewater accommodation to travelers from May 2021 – as an added offering for visitors this year.

It never hurts to reflect and review on how you can better the visitor experience.

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There is no denying that the past year has been difficult. I think it’s safe to say the impact of the pandemic has been felt by everyone, but it has certainly been a particularly challenging time for many in the tourism industry.

That said, we feel fortunate that Cornwall remains a popular staycation destination and over all we’re feeling optimistic for the coming season. What’s going to be more important than ever is to work smartly and safely, for the benefit of local people, other local businesses, our own team and the visitors. What advice would we give to other tourism businesses in the current situation? Every business is different of course, but it never hurts to reflect and review on how you can better the visitor experience. For us, we spotted an opportunity to make traditional sailing and getting out on the water more accessible. For many people, who live locally or are visiting, setting foot on a beautiful historic boat isn’t the norm! So, we launched our day sailing experiences last year, to enable people to explore St Austell Bay from the water and new for 2021 we’re offering new SUP, kayaking and coasteering facilities and introducing a variety of new UK sailing holidays from Charlestown. We’re upping our work with maritime charities too - supporting them by joining forces and inviting them to share in our facilities and tap into our skilled team. Last summer also saw Mascotte, one of the largest Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter’s ever built, arrive to her new home in Charlestown and this also marked the launch of Rich’s Boat – a new organisation that, with our help, is being used as an inspirational and educational sailing tool. It’s really about using the joy of sailing to champion positive mental health and wellbeing, for people of all ages and backgrounds. We’re also fortunate to be part of a fantastic local business community in the village and love that we’re able to support young Cornish companies too. For example, around the inner harbour The Rum Sailor bar is set to return this year, alongside Cubs Coffee, Charlestown Fish Company and HarbourQ – so there is variety of places to eat and drink, perfect for long overdue catchups with friends and family, when visiting the harbour later this year.

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JUST AN OPINION

POWER OF PRINT

PLAIN SAILING?

WEDDINGS

THE SKILLS HUB

VALUE OVER VOLUME

G7 SUMMIT

MARTIN BARLOW

DEVON TOURISM AWARDS

THE GROWTH HUB

CORNWALL TOURISM AWARDS

WELCOME

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