LOOKING AHEAD: DEVON
Year of the staycation Visit Devon director Sally Everton reviews the past year and looks at what could be in story for the year ahead.
It was a long and very busy season for the many businesses linked to the visitor economy across Devon, with an estimated 15 to 20% increase on visitor numbers to the county compared with 2019.
Recruitment and staff shortages has been a major issue and still is
And in the main these were ‘Staycationers’ with many people still not confident to take an overseas holiday. We saw a further increase in the millennial visitor with many attracted to the many outdoor activities we have such as paddle boarding, surfing, sailing, kayaking, rock climbing and high wires. 2021 has had in many ways, more challenges than the 2020 season. With the well documented skills shortage and recruitment challenges, we ran a short sharp and very targeted recruitment campaign to help businesses attract the staff they needed to enable them to provide the excellent customer service that our visitors expect from our destination. In the main, businesses coped with the increased numbers of visitors, but some with a reduced offering, with shortened opening hours, reduced menus, and
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TALKING TOURISM
less capacity. Alongside Cornwall, Devon was listed as the top destination to visit in England. Attractions have had a vital and muchneeded boost as weather was not all beach weather, some attractions breaking daily records for visitor numbers. Many extended the season and remained open until the end of October and traded well with the twoweek half term. However, the busy summer has not made up for the lost trading time during the lockdowns, and with businesses still having to limit access to certain things such as pools and rides but on a brighter note, it has been a major boost for business confidence. As mentioned, recruitment and staff shortages has been a major issue and still is. Without assistance from the Government to enable some EU staff back in, this shortage of staff is likely to continue (post Brexit and Covid, UK demographics point to this trend continuing). There are not the applicants coming through to fill the vacancies. Brexit is not totally to blame, some staff who were on furlough took other jobs
WINTER 2021/22
