"Tourism Recovery Plan" For Brighton & Hove

An upbeat set of plans has been released by the city council as it moves to support a "bounce back" for Brighton & Hove's tourism and hospitality industry.

The local authority said it's developed a blueprint for the near future, drawn up in collaboration with the city’s ‘Destination Experience Group’ of tourism business leaders.

It sets out how they will work together over the next two years, with the aims of attracting visitors, protecting jobs and revenue, and enhancing the city’s reputation.

Multiple reports have detailed the deleterious effect of the pandemic on Brighton and Hove's visitor-focused businesses.

Many owners, employees, and freelancers have seen their livelihoods harmed by restrictions on opening, that have varied, often at short notice, since the early spring of 2020.

However, tourism chiefs at the city council said they believe recent easing of restrictions has already resulted in visitors returning, allowing at least some recovery.

The popularity of the ‘staycation’ has also boosted hotel and B&B bookings — with Conde Nast Traveller naming the city as among the 12 best destinations for a "quick trip" in the UK.

After approval by the council's Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee, recommendations included:

• Promoting the city locally, regionally and nationally
• Building back consumer confidence and awareness
• Enhancing the look and feel of the city
• Extending the season to make the city an ‘all year round’ destination
• Deep cleaning

Work to improve the ‘look and feel’ of the city began in the Spring with "deep cleaning" of city centre streets, expansion of the graffiti removal service, and extra bins provided along the seafront.

Other measures proposed include introducing additional waste collection services and additional bins in the city’s busiest areas.

There are also plans to expand the lifeguard service and recruit more Covid Marshals and environmental health officers, to help keep residents and visitors safe.

New events are planned for the whole year, including a Christmas Market and Festival at Victoria Gardens, and the Bowie/MacCormack and Royal Collection exhibitions at the Royal Pavilion and Museums.

The council said it hoped these could attract visitors out of season, while Brighton Centre events are due to start again in September.

Pop up shops and window dressing will also enhance the shopping experience in the city, the authority added.

There will also be an emphasis on building back the conference and major business events programme, with a Brighton presence at meetings, conferences and exhibitions both in the UK and internationally. 

The report also acknowledged the Business Support Hub, developed by VisitBrighton — it's intended to let this continue supporting city businesses.

Mark Buchanan-Smith, Centre Director of Churchill Square and chair of the Destination Experience Group, said:

"Brighton & Hove City Council is committed to helping the sector recover.

“In addition to the Covid restrictions in traveling abroad, people are more conscious about the environmental impact of traveling overseas than ever before.

"We therefore, have a great opportunity for our population to re-discover the beauty in our nation from the urban areas to the countryside and the coast.

"In Brighton, we have all three benefits of having a great city on the coast, that provides access into the South Downs National Park.

“We need to improve, and we also need to get the basics right and there is much more work to be done, to take the opportunities ahead of us."

Councillor Martin Osborne, co-chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture and Committee added:  

“It’s been an extremely tough year for everyone who relies on the tourism trade, and we still have some challenges ahead with the delta variant and the delay of lockdown easing.

"But I welcome this Recovery Plan, which will help to boost the economy, protect jobs, promote the city and ensure that visitors are welcomed back safely.”