Rise in holidays at home

Aug 21 2008 by Bill Midgley, The Journal

ONE of the joys and strengths of the English language is its ability to change, to adapt, to reflect changing society and to harness new words.

A recent addition is ‘staycation’ which would appear to represent a holiday at home. A reflection that the credit crunch is affecting many people’s ability to afford a holiday and spend their time and what remains of their income on a somewhat less expensive break, perhaps for many discovering the delights of the North East.

There is nothing new in the concept, as many over the age of 60 will confirm. Holidays at home were very much a feature of the 1950s and early 1960s, often with entertainment provided by some of the more enlightened local authorities.

Not that I would expect the new practice to remain with us long for as soon as we see an upturn in the economy and more surplus income, the lure of the sun will regain its popularity.

In addition, photographs and videos of a picnic in the back garden do not have quite the same social cache as sun-worshipping in the Seychelles. So while holidays overseas may be out of the question for many as a result of fuel surcharges, a pound rapidly falling in value, disappearing bonuses and, more particularly, the fear of unemployment, the UK holiday industry should be preparing for a bonanza.

Whether it will meet the challenge, however, is questionable.

Having recently returned to the South West after many years, it turned out to be ridiculously expensive, often dirty, an inability to park a car, rude and officious inn keepers and restaurant owners and a poor advert for the UK tourist industry.

Devon and Cornwall attracts the Greater London trade but hopefully we in the allegedly deprived North will expect better, and certainly should expect our own tourism to rise to a great opportunity. Tourism has long been seen as one of the economic growth areas for this region but we may only get one chance to prove ourselves.

Disenchant visitors once and they will all too quickly return to the sun.

We have much to offer in the region but it will be the people and the service that we give that can make the real difference.

That will require training, a great deal of patience and tolerance, and some long hours. It will also require attractions to be open at times to suit the customer and particularly not of those local authorities who delight in closing doors at times when visitors want to enjoy the attractions.

But it is not only public facilities that should reflect demand. The huge number of small businesses that make up our tourist industry must also be good enough to meet the challenge. A change of attitudes, yes, but the long term prize is well worth the effort, and perhaps then photographs of a holiday in the North East will be as socially acceptable as the Indian Ocean.

Bill Midgley is a North East business executive