'Best Easter businesses could have asked for' says Visit East of England

The warmer Easter weather this weekend saw the leisure industry in East Anglia receive a much-needed boost following the pandemic.

Pete Waters of Visit East of England said "it was the best Easter businesses could have asked for".

Colleen Roper - whose family run the Rainbow Park Amusements Fairground in Hunstanton in Norfolk - said the season had got off to a wonderful start.

"The weather's been glorious. We hope the momentum continues," she said.

"The weather was on our side for once, especially after the February half-term, when Storm Eunice made it a bit of a wash-out," said Ms Roper, whose family have run the park for generations.

"It's been the best possible start really to the summer season."

Ms Roper said the rising cost of living was "something we're very aware of" and as a business they had decided not to increase prices.

"We're absorbing the cost as much as we can and hope we can provide real value for money," she said.

"We rely on day-trippers and of course, holiday-makers. But those people need to put fuel in their cars to get here in the first place."

Visit East of England said that across the region, Easter had proved very good for the leisure sector.

"There were concerns about people going abroad, about the cost of living and issues with fuel deterring visitors, but none of that came to fruition," Mr Waters said.

"Airport experiences weren't good and there was lots of traffic on the roads.

"Accommodation bookings were good, and hospitality and attractions did well.

"Easter is a barometer for the rest of the year - if it goes badly businesses are playing catch up, so the sector will be confident going forward."

Mr Waters said pre-booking was also strong for the next long weekend, at the beginning of June, to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

According to the tourism body, which covers Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, pre-Covid the sector was worth £10bn a year in the region.

Some 240,000 people were employed in the industry in 2019, but this fell to 150,000 in 2020, following the outbreak of Covid.

"It's really important it's successful" said Mr Waters.

"Workforce shortages remain but otherwise things are looking good for 2022."

In Clacton in Essex, the sea may have been chilly on Good Friday but the beach was still busy as were the pier and amusements.

"It's the busiest we've been so far this holiday. It's fairly rammed on there and people are spending some money and having some fun," said Nigel Brown, spokesman for Clacton Pier.

"I think some people got used to the staycation, liked it and will at least have one holiday at home, maybe one abroad, if they're having two.

"We hope we can still keep a fair share of the trade for another year or two at least on that score," he said.

Nav Singh and his family drove from Dagenham in east London to Clacton, where they enjoyed fish and chips at one of the promenade's many cafes.

"It's better than going to Spain," he said. "It's apparently colder in Spain right now. It's nice and warm here, so why not [visit]?", he said.

Tyler Kerridge of Candy Corner was experiencing something he had not seen at his kiosk for two years - queues.

"It's good to see so many more people out now," he said.

Friends Ellouise Seymour and Gemma Mills-Gallagher travelled from Kent. They booked a caravan and brought the kids for a four-day break which cost them £250.

"We got a really, really good price for the weekend," said Ms Mills-Gallagher.

"I thought it would be really expensive, considering how everything has gone up, but it was so reasonable, and between the two of us to split it in half was even better."

"It's nice not to have to spend a fortune," Ms Seymour added.

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