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Businesses get creative during tourism off-season

BBC Grace Harvey standing outside the Pigs & Prosecco building at Puxton Park. She has long blonde hair and smiles at the camera.BBC
Marketing manager Grace Harvey says she is constantly thinking of creative ideas

While the tourism economy in the west is reported to be worth a record £2.46 billion, many businesses say they are seeing a trend of last minute bookings.

According to research from Visit West, the tourism industry is thriving and supporting 46,000 jobs.

But people working in the sector say they have to be creative to persuade visitors to book holidays during the off-season.

"We are working all the time to come up with new and innovative ideas," said Grace Harvey, marketing manager of Puxton Park in Weston-super-Mare.

Four brown pigs look up at the camera. They are being wheeled on a trolley with some straw beneath them.
Puxton Parks offer a Pigs & Prosecco experience to try and attract more customers

The attraction has developed an experience called Pigs & Prosecco, where visitors can enjoy afternoon tea and a chance to pet some piglets.

It is one of dozens of ideas dreamed up to bring people to the park in winter.

"We're constantly engineering new ideas and coming up with new concepts," Ms Harvey said.

She explained that footfall dropped slightly during the winter season, due to fewer holidaymakers visiting the seaside town.

Lucy Green has short blonde hair. She wears a cream coloured jumper and stands in front of a door.
Business owner Lucy Green says she must think of new ideas to keep business flowing

Lucy Green, who runs holiday cottages in Minehead, said it was "hard work" coming up with ideas to fill up her cottage in the off-season.

She said she decided to offer "micro weddings" - intimate events with only a few guests.

"I'm always looking at trends in hospitality and seeing what other people are doing in other countries and if there is something we can do here and adapt for the English market," Ms Green said.

"You have to be very creative. If it doesn't work, we just try something else.

"If we stay how we are, the business is going to shrink."

Prioritising experiences

Kathryn Davis, director of Visitor West, said businesses had become more creative in recent years.

"We've seen a huge amount of innovation in the experience - and that's really the buzzword of the last couple of years - it's about visitor experience," she said.

She said businesses were thinking of new offerings that were "slightly different to the norm", such as themed events and arts and crafts.

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