A survey by Cumbria Tourism predicts that by the end of May, the Coronavirus pandemic will have cost the tourism industry in the county £1.45billion in revenue – almost half of tourism-related income for the county for the year.
Hundreds of tourism businesses reported an average 91 per cent cancellations for May, June and July and into August. The figures also predict an economic impact fall of 48 per cent, and a 49 per cent drop in employment supported by tourism: a reduction of 18,459 jobs related to the sector.
According to Cumbria Tourism, the county’s visitor economy contributes around £3billion to the county annually, while supporting 65,000 jobs, equivalent to 26 per cent of Cumbria’s working age population.
“The impact has been catastrophic for our tourism industry,” says Cumbria Tourism president Eric Robson. “Just coming out of winter, this crisis has come at the worst possible time when businesses were gearing-up to make money during the traditionally busier spring and summer seasons. That money is what would see them survive the quieter autumn and winter months.
“Even if some businesses can survive in the short term, grants and loans are just covering essential costs, they are not replacing profits. Some businesses will survive for long enough to re-open – but will they manage to get through the following nine or ten months into the 2021 visitor season?”
In just the past month, Cumbria Tourism has received more than 1,500 enquiries from businesses seeking advice and information on how to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
