BBP Networking Event - Tourism Resilience

Several Business Partners joined us online on Wednesday 12th May to take part in our 'Tourism Resilience' Networking Event.

Stephan Price, from The University of Exeter, told us about the different tourism businesses he has been working with and how they have adapted their business due to Covid-19. He also explained how these businesses would be keeping many of the changes they had made during the pandemic, moving forward.

There has been so much for businesses to think about: Employees and home working (with the added complication of home schooling for some!), grants and furlough schemes, hygiene protocols, changes to site, production and equipment and changes to pricing structures to name a few.

The Business Partners who joined us then introduced themselves and talked us through their own business difficulties over the last year and how they have overcome them.

As business meetings were unable to go ahead in person, Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway Directors, some of whom are not Devon based, have embraced technology and video calling. This has resulted in more regular meetings as travel time/cost is no longer a factor. 

The Braunton Countryside Centre had to cancel their programme of events, but were able to move them online instead. The local community found this to be a great help during lockdown, as it helped them to keep connected to nature and other people. Some viewers, with links to Braunton, even joined from as far away as Los Angeles!

With residential bookings cancelled, Skern Lodge really diversified their business and hosted the Appledore Book Festival as the UK’s first ever Drive-In Book Festival! This allowed the festival to go ahead with social bubbles in a Covid Secure environment. 

A common theme across all the Business Partners that joined the meeting, was that the pandemic has really helped to strengthen ties with the local community - wonderful news for the Biosphere!

Overall, it was clear that our business partners have the resilience to take them forward, should we ever find ourselves in a situation where we need to adapt quickly again.

Well done to all businesses for getting through these challenging times. As the restrictions start to lift and we welcome visitors back to our wonderful Biosphere, we wish you all a healthy and prosperous summer season.

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