North East tourism businesses adapt to changing landscape

Tourism businesses in the north-east of England say there are challenges adapting to a changing market.

The region had the lowest number of tourists visiting in 2022 compared to any other region in the UK, according to figures released by Visit Britain.

A government-backed pilot invested £2.25m in an attempt to attract more domestic and international visitors.

Businesses said rising energy costs and staff shortages were undermining efforts to resurrect the industry.

The government pilot, which is called Destination North East England, was launched in 2022 and is being rolled out across the region's seven local authority areas.

The funding came as it was revealed the North East received a total of 65.6 million visitors in 2022, which was down from 73 million in 2019.

The partnership ties together Visit Northumberland, the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and Visit County Durham, in a bid to target investment, new businesses and jobs.

The department for culture, media and sport said it would also provide additional support for businesses facing increased costs, including through business rates relief and the £18 billion Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

Michael Dawson runs the Craster Arms in Beadnell in Northumberland.

"Although customer numbers are back [to what they were pre-pandemic], I don't think the spend is what it used to be.

"It's understandable with the cost-of-living crisis," Mr Dawson added.

He said his business was also being impacted by difficulties in sourcing staff for the location.

Amy Whitfield, who runs Triple A Food Tours in Newcastle, said customers were "thinking differently" after the pandemic.

"A lot of people seem to say that they want to spend their money on creating an experience with memories that will last for years to come," she explained.

Anna Wadcock, manger at the Maldron Hotel in Newcastle, agreed that tourists were "looking for new experiences" and to adapt the facility's technology for its customers.

The Maldron Hotel has recently introduced robots to deliver room services, which the hotel said was the first service of its kind in the UK.

"Since we introduced the robots, we have seen our room service revenue massively increase," she explained.

Newcastle Gateshead Initiative chief Sarah Green said there was "lots of untapped potential in the North East".

"We need to ask hotels and businesses to boost the quality of what they offer, encourage visitors to stay for longer and offer more training to existing staff," she explained.

"We have to reach out and get new audiences... we're targeting the Netherlands, Germany and the Nordics," Ms Green explained.

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