New research and other updates
The Social Mobility Commission’s 5th annual report paints a picture of an increasing geographic division, especially between certain major Cities and rural and coastal communities; a division which goes well beyond the traditional view of a mainly North South divide. The report looks at England but data for the rest of Britain is also available. Although not a tourism specific report, the detail it contains may be extremely useful in supporting the case for greater focus on communities that are being left behind and within that for support for those industries and activities that naturally lend themselves to these areas, including tourism:
Price Bradley a leading UK accountancy firm has recently published analysis of restaurant closures in 2018 which are running up to a third higher in 2018. This supports our long-held concerns that causal dinning’s ability to absorb some of the declining in retail and High Street site occupation is coming to a potentially abrupt (?) end. Hopefully the Chancellor’s announcements last week on further business rate relief may ease some of the difficult that both retail and now causal dinning are facing ( more at: Tourism Alliance budget brief). Ultimately built destinations in particular, with little to see and do and a growing number of empty premises are going struggle to meet the domestic and international consumer’s, “experience” test:
And for those destinations with blessed with a Britannia venue or two a depressingly familiar new record run for the company, at least according to Which?:
https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/540809/britannia-voted-worst-hotel-chain-for-sixth-year-running
British Destinations 