What next for tourism in Surrey - Best-practise help your own business move forward with opening up

24th June 2020

(Image: Painshill)
With yesterday's announcement of a further easing of social distancing rules and the opening of more Surrey businesses set for July 4, we know many of you will be working through the options for your business or attraction at the moment.  

As Surrey’s official tourist board, Visit Surrey was delighted to collaborate with Surrey Chamber of Commerce to host a ‘What next for tourism in Surrey?’ webinar last week.

The online event featured guest speakers including Visit Surrey directors Stephanie Fudge from the National Trust and Paul Griffiths from Painshill, as well as Fran Downton from Tourism South East and Matt Lank from Waverley Borough Council.

Here are just some of the best-practise takeaways from the event that might help your own business or attraction move forward with opening up to the public again:

1.       Digital messaging has been king throughout lockdown and will continue to be in the coming weeks and months. Even when rules are clearly and prominently set out on websites, communication is essential to help people feel reassured and, indeed, excited about exploring again.  

2.       Staying connected with visitors and supporters has helped to ensure openings have been well attended. In fact, for many attractions, demand has been unprecedented! Give people something to look forward to and ensure they have the information they need; showcase what they’ve been missing (wildlife, views, seasonal change etc) in a friendly manner… you get the idea. Strong messaging keeps regulars keen, but also helps to attract new audiences.

3.       Videos showcasing new procedures (entrance, key facilities, one way routes etc) interspersed with soothing and inspiring shots of attractions have helped alleviate visitor concerns. Visit Surrey can also add these to member pages and share them as part of our upcoming staycation campaign. 

4.       In the main, people are currently looking for calming reassurance rather than bustling big attendance events. But be aware that there are some who are very eager to get out and about, and not always quite so keen on the rules. Reinforce respect in your messaging whenever possible. In a world of three-word slogans: Respect, Protect, Enjoy is easy to follow and makes the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

5.       Most venues, where not ticketed, have found that the influx of visitors has been far higher than expected with many people visiting from out of area and being first time visitors. There are many people who would usually be flying abroad who are looking for interesting and unusual things to do in this country. Certain businesses may wish to promote themselves more than normal to a London crowd, but there are also a lot of eager local travellers here in Surrey.

6.       Collaborating with other local attractions can be hugely beneficial for spreading crowds and easing the burden. If things are too busy where you are, why not suggest somewhere down the road that does have spare capacity and may well be equally as interesting but less well know? Or work on local itineraries to give people more options if they see things are busy. Please let us know if this is something that Visit Surrey can help with – we are, after all, a collaborative organisation at the centre of Surrey’s tourism sector.

7.       Venues that are operating pre-booked tickets have found that they’re actually maintaining higher than normal visitor numbers on rainy days because people have made their commitment to a visit already. Time slots help to spread out arrival times and ease visitor concerns.  

8.       If possible, carefully trial things rather than rushing into them. If you have a membership scheme or avid newsletter following, invite them to a trial weekend rather than throwing open the doors publicly. You’ll find some things work better than others for your venue.

9.       Some outdoor venues have found that capacity can be higher, while still maintaining social distancing, than they first trialled (the National Trust, for instance, started their gardens at 30% capacity but are soon looking to move up to 70-90% depending on the venue). This obviously depends a lot on available facilities. Don't rush into it. Take it one step at a time to ease staff and visitors towards a new normal. 

10.   Staff training is paramount for smooth operation. Whether that is to cheerily help reinforce social distancing rules, generally deal with visitor questions about facilities or spend some extra care looking after those facilities. All outdoor venues are interpreting procedures a little differently due to the various practicalities of their sites. Having well-trained staff and easy to follow signage can ease confusion and reduce problems.

11.   A stripped back hospitality offering can help smooth social distancing procedures and make the whole process quicker so people can get out of queues and back to exploring wider grounds/areas as soon as possible. Cold food rather than a hot offering; shorter menus; pre-made hampers etc. This doesn't need to mean a reduction in quality on offer or, necessarily, reduced revenue. 

12.   It’s a subject that isn’t the most pleasant to talk about, but obviously toilet facilities are essential for most venues looking to operating anywhere close to capacity in the near future. Some have found that introducing individual and regularly cleaned portable toilets has been beneficial to avoid people stacking up in tighter spaces or enclosed corridors etc.

13.   Remember to focus on the positive aspects of your venue or attraction. Beautiful grounds, wide open spaces, small groups, well organised etc. Constantly reassure people.

14.   Government guidance continues to change extremely quickly and announcements can be in the moment. Try to stay on top of these the best you can, as they can make huge differences to your operating procedures. Visit Surrey will be sharing regular updates. 

15.   And, finally, please do keep Visit Surrey informed of your openings, events and changes so that we can help to spread your message and get Surrey tourism and hospitality ticking again.

We can all enjoy a safe and (hopefully!) sunny Surrey staycation this year if we work together.

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