The national media has finally begun to take notice of the effects of foot and mouth on the outdoors and tourist industries
The national media have finally cottoned on to the damage that the
foot and mouth situation is doing to the outdoors industry.
Last night the BBC carried a story which hightlighted the effect
on the Welsh National Outdoor Centre at Plas y Brenin, where - as we
reported last week - all courses have been cancelled until further
notice. At this time of year, the Brenin normally employs around 100
people, ranging from instructors to domestic, kitchen and other
maintenance staff making it a major employer in the Snowdonia
area.
According to today's
Guardian, which has also picked up on the story, the centre has
been forced to lay off 40 staff with the other 60 now working a
three-day week. With overheads of £120,000 per month, temporary
closure is a distinct possibility.
The same story also hightlights the effects on tourism in areas
which normally rely on walkers, climbers and mountain bikers for
custom. The Cumbrian tourist board puts the cost to the local economy
at between £5M and £8M per week while Ted Sylvester, the
manager of legendary Llanberis caff, Pete's Eats says they have lost
'most of their trade'.
Gear shops in areas catering mainly to visiting outdoors people
such as the Lakes and North Wales have also been hit hard, with one
leading UK gear supplier having to put orders on hold for some shops
who simply haven't been able to shift their existing stocks. It's bad
timing too, the Spring is traditionally a good selling season with
new ranges appearing in the shops.
In areas like this, the economic damage to the tourist trade
outweighs the effect on farming, but while the agricultural industry
will be compensated by the government, the outdoors and tourist
industries just have to hang on and hope the crisis ends soon.
Meanwhile, the outdoors magazines are having to come to terms with
being unable to test gear or protograph features in the UK. At least
one major UK outdoor publication has resorted to sending staff to
Italy this week, poor things.
Outdoors Impact
• Adventure races, fell races, cross country and orienteering
events cancelled
• B and Bs, cafés, hotels, pubs and bunkhouses in
walking / climbing areas suffering
• Outdoor retailers see reduced sales in walking areas and,
potentially elsewhere
• Outdoor centres forced to cancel courses, instructors and
guides unable to work
• Walkers, climbers, mountain bikers miss out on some of the
best conditions for years
• Outdoors manufacturers face possibility of reduced sales
during what is usually a peak selling season
• OUTDOORSmagic changes its logo to INDOORSmagic for the duraction of the crisis
