On the 12th of April 2020 (the day that pubs were allowed to reopen in England), reservations for a meal out jumped to 79% of the level recorded on the same day in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics
While still not at 100%, this is the first time the level has exceeded 2% since January and the numbers are expected to grow as restrictions ease further and people become more confident across the tourism industry.
English Tourism Week is an initiative started by national tourism agency Visit Britain. Its stated aims are to identify ways local councils can support local tourism, which you can follow via #SupportLocal, #HereForTourism, #HereForEngland, and to increase awareness among overseas visitors of the delights and wonders that English tourism has to offer.
Here’s what Visit Britain is saying about domestic tourism in 2021: “Our central scenario forecast is for a recovery to £51.4bn in domestic tourism spending in Britain in 2021; this is up 51% compared to 2020 but still only 56% of the level of spending seen in 2019. We do not expect an immediate return to pre-COVID levels of spending in any domestic tourism journey purpose or activity type, although we anticipate different recovery rates in different areas; some could see a strong summer.”
In 2019, English tourism generated over £100 billion and supported 2.6 million jobs. But for the past year, the intermittent bans on both international and domestic travel have created many pain points for the travel industry in the UK and around the world. International travel has, of course, been worst hit, whereas local tourism has had several moments of glory – in periods of low restrictions – since lockdown procedures were first introduced in March 2020.
In ‘normal’ times, English Tourism Week takes place around March/April. It went virtual last year and has now been brought back to life, albeit a few months delayed, just in time for the joyous combination of eased restrictions and good weather (finally!) that this week promises. The return of this awareness week seems like a promising sign of good things to come, and we at emerchantpay are certainly thrilled to be celebrating it.
We support local tourism businesses
At emerchantpay, we’ve seen an uptake in bookings coming in from our travel merchants over the past weeks. Hospitality businesses like restaurants and pubs are also on an upwards trajectory, signalling the positive growth that the industry will face over the summer period. We’re excited to be empowering local businesses as consumer demand picks up and this vibrant sector gains traction once again.
“Britain is lucky to have so many fantastic places, cultural icons and things to do on our doorstep. English Tourism Week is a chance for us to celebrate that while doing what’s been so important throughout the pandemic – supporting local businesses. And it’s important that our passionate travel merchants aren’t forgotten when we say ‘local businesses’. They’re the ones who are getting people to visit Britain!” – John Harris, Vice President of Travel at emerchantpay
How we can help
The backbone of tourism (especially since Covid-19) is consumer confidence. Here at emerchantpay, we want to help you support your customers by making your payment processes as easy, safe and touch-free as they should be.
We can help you meet the heightened security and hygiene standards that will be crucial to businesses going forward. Hospitality businesses looking to welcome customers can benefit from our mobile POS terminals so you can accept contactless payments with ease.
And as we see more people booking hotels and flights in and to the UK, your eCommerce payments journey will also need to be more up-to-scratch than ever. Our full-service solution can help you seamlessly accept payments from your customers, wherever they are. From global acquiring and risk management services, emerchantpay enables businesses to optimise their payment set-up, boost conversions and scale their operations.