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this will be a challenge that the retail and hospitality sector will need capitalise on this by preparing their venues as Covid-19-safe but
to overcome. entertaining environments and transforming their outdoor spaces.
After 12 months of restrictions and the constant reopening and These purpose-built spaces, specially made for the so-called ‘new
closing of facilities, some consumers will understandably be cautious normal’, will need to make the most of the surroundings and invest
about returning to hospitality venues so quickly. Businesses will in creative improvements that stand out from competitors.
not only need to contend with the additional costs associated, but The future of the hospitality and tourism industry has never
the sector will also need to reassure customers with clear and been more uncertain. But the signs are promising. We saw this in
transparent hygiene policies and safety measures. practice last summer when social restrictions were relaxed on 4th
July. The rise in staycations and government measures, such as the
Preparing For The Future Eat Out to Help Out scheme, restored consumer confidence and
While some businesses are enjoying their newfound freedoms, it’s resulted in UK GDP growing at a record 15.5 per cent in Q3 2020.
important to remember that many businesses are still closed either
due to the ongoing restrictions on indoor hospitality or through a This year, the “huge pent-up demand” predicted in December by
lack of available funds. For example, only two in five pubs have so Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England, is already
far reopened. Some of the restrictions are due to ease on 17th May beginning to bear fruit. The hospitality sector is already seeing
and again further on 21st June. So, what can those businesses which some of the benefits of the £250bn of “accidental savings” amassed
are currently shut learn from those which are currently open either by the British public. Earlier this month, spending on credit and
partially or fully? And what can they do to prepare? debit cards rose by 10 percentage points to 88 per cent of its pre-
If there are any positives to come out of the pandemic for the pandemic average, according to the Office for National Statistics
hospitality and tourism sector, they are the popularisation of the (ONS) and retail footfall increased by 9 per cent in the same week.
UK staycation and the diversification of the sector: from digital Meanwhile, a Barclaycard report found that consumer spending on
experiences and home deliveries to a rise in adventure experiences. leisure and entertainment rose by 136 per cent. But hospitality and
Additionally, the pandemic has been an opportunity for the tourism businesses can’t afford to simply assume customers will
sector to improve outdoor experiences and this has been warmly return in the same way that they did before the pandemic. They
welcomed by domestic consumers who have become accustomed must learn from the lessons of the past 12 months, adapt to the
to al fresco dining in Soho or drinking in pub gardens in springtime present restrictions carefully with the customer’s safety in mind,
temperatures in the North. Owners, developers and investors can and plan for a future that looks very different.

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