The floodwaters which devastated homes and businesses over the Christmas and New Year period may be beginning to abate, but that does not mean that affected areas of the south of England can put the experience behind them immediately. Instead, it ushers in one of the most extensive clean-ups the UK has ever seen with insurers believing that the cost of repairing and refurbishing damaged residential and commercial properties could well run into billions of pounds.
One of the major concerns regarding the aftermath of the flooding is the impact the damage will have upon the tourism industry. As the UK is one of Europe’s key tourism destinations, firms in affected areas are concerned that they will miss out on tourist spending in the peak Easter period and thus will struggle to channel investment into the reparation of their businesses.
In an attempt to alleviate these worries and help local tourism-centric economies recover the government has announced an additional £2 million fund specifically geared towards aiding businesses within the tourism industry. This fund is separate to the £10 million already promised to businesses which suffered commercial property damage during the floods and will, according to Culture Secretary Maria Miller, go a long way in getting tourism firms “back on their feet.”
Ms Miller also revealed that, as well as the financial report, businesses in flood-hit areas will benefit from visits by flooding experts offering tips and advice to help them recover from the disaster as soon as possible.
She says; “We want to help all those tourism businesses that have been affected by the horrendous floods get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
“Experts will be put on the ground to help small businesses with practical advice and communications.”
The sessions will take place throughout March and will see experts visit flooded areas to make an assessment of what businesses can do to keep their operations running whilst the recovery effort is ongoing. Tourism body VisitEngland will act as host in these sessions, and will give additional advice to tourism firms regarding effective marketing and advertising tools, accessing business support initiatives and improving consumer communications.
Furthermore, the tourism organisation is currently mapping out the finer points of an Easter marketing campaign which will, hopefully, encourage doubtful visitors to the UK to explore flood-torn communities in the south of England.
James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, says; “Our message to customers is ‘business as usual.’
“Despite many areas having been affected by bad weather and some travel disruption, the tourism infrastructure is largely unaffected.”
With river dredging and armed forces support still a significant part of daily life for those in flood-hit communities, it may seem difficult for some businesses to imagine returning to normal. However, by preparing for a busy summer tourism season, SMEs in the south can greatly reduce the financial impact the floods will have taken upon their annual results.
Do you think the government should be assisting flooded areas financially, or would the money be put to better use if invested into preventative methods such as flood barriers to prevent future disasters?
