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TOURISM AND LEISURE


Morgan Rothwell Continued from Page 45


There are skills gaps across the sector, but if we can help people develop strong employability skills, Lancashire’s outstanding hospitality businesses are well placed to provide the technical training needed to build successful careers.


AS: We’re going to a lot more trade shows, speaking to people in the right places and letting them know what we have. We’re organising visits so they can see first-hand what we are trying to do and experience it.


AM: It is down to innovation. For example, we have Thornton Hall Country Farm in Pendle. Look at the way it has grown and changed over the past ten years as it looks to other markets.


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It’s also about looking at what our customers want. You can be passionate about what you want and how you envision your restaurant or whatever it is to be. But sometimes that may not be what they want.


VH: The biggest opportunities for growth in Lancashire are from overseas visitors and overnight visitors. We do phenomenally well with day visits to the county, and we are above pre-Covid levels from a day visitor perspective. We’re outperforming other parts of the country.


High value overseas visitors in particular are our biggest opportunity for growth because they stay longer and they spend more money.


AM: Amazing events and creating incredible experiences. Those incredible experiences are what people are looking for. Consistency is also super important. Without that you lose that repeat value and loyalty from customers.


VH: Businesses need to give people a reason to come back and visit them. Those that are doing well are creating events and executing them at a high level. Consumer habits have changed. People aren’t just going out for dinner every Saturday because that is what they’ve always done. They need a reason to go out and to do something different and experience it in a way that is shareable.


is the people, they are some of the friendliest in the country


It started as a little farming place and then it added soft play. That was followed by adding accommodation and then a big banquet hall to target the wedding market.


That adapting, changing and looking at trends and seeing what the next big thing is going to be is about future proofing. It is strategic and businesses need to start thinking about what might come in the future.


SH: What we do well here is looking at what we’ve got and adapting, making changes. Rather than sometimes trying to fight a losing battle, you can look at it and think, ‘would it be better if we changed that or if we did something different?’


Katherine Higgins


We are moving from being a ‘hidden gem’ to being a must visit destination because visitors no longer want to go to places on the well- trodden path. They want to see something new and exciting and different.


So, it’s about businesses innovating, but it’s also about us continuing to give that consistent message about what we have in Lancashire because, from an overseas perspective, there is low awareness.


People know what the Lake District is, they know about Manchester. Our opportunity is to keep telling them in a compelling way about the fantastic experience they can have here.


LC: We can market and we can bring people to a venue or a destination but, frankly, if their people experience is poor then we’ve wasted a shed load of time and money. We’ve got to focus on our people and invest in them. That welcome, that first impression, is so important.


MR: You’re better off with average food and amazing service than amazing food and average service.


What are businesses doing particularly well to attract visitors, create experiences and keep customers coming back?


SH: It’s customer service. Making people feel special. Taking time to speak to them makes a massive difference.


Stephanie Harrison


LC: There’s a new hotel in Blackpool that has European investors involved. It has face recognition for room access. That shows the innovation that is out there.


KH: Bringing a lot of businesses together to collaborate. For example, if you’re coming to a show at the Winter Gardens and you have a poor experience with the restaurant over the road, that might cloud your judgement about coming back into Blackpool.


So, it’s about everybody within Lancashire having a set standard for customer service to ensure people return.


There are also businesses thinking outside the box in terms of events. Flexibility is important.


MR: It’s going to come back to the people, to the experience and making sure that people are getting absolute value for money. The ways in which we communicate with people will absolutely change and evolve. The tools that we use to communicate will change and evolve. But the outcomes are going to be the same and it’s about giving that experience and value.


KH: A lot of digital jobs will open up across a variety of sectors, but their innovative nature and that creativity needs to shine through.


LC: Many young people start their careers in hospitality and it is where they start to pick up core skills. For me, a successful and vibrant sector in Lancashire would be addressing youth unemployment and having far more young people engaged than we have currently.


VH: In five years’ time I’d like there to be a perception that this is a sector that is not just surviving but thriving and Lancashire is somewhere at the top of everyone’s list of places that they want to visit.


Amy Slater


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