‘The new hotels aren’t being built because people think they’ll lose money on them!’ why Torbay’s MP believes the area could bounce back stronger after the pandemic
A rise in staycations is expected across Torbay, as people look at alternatives to going abroad next summer – with the area benefiting from the huge investment it’s currently seeing.
Last updated 16th Nov 2020
That’s according to MP Kevin Foster who says all the new hotels being created in the bay show confidence in the area’s future.
He says new demographics of visitors have this year had a 'first taste of a modern British seaside holiday' - finding it's about 'great service' and 'not Basil Fawlty'.
He said: "It's easy to look at the current challenges and think the future might be negative, however we look at what's under construction in our bay and it's quite remarkable.
"It's worth thinking that since the modern borough of Torbay was created in the last 1960s there had not been a large brand new purpose built hotel built on Paignton seafront - now there's two under construction.
"We're looking at , for example, not only a new five star Palace but now the Imperial coming forward with a major revamp and a major change to its offer.
"A very large package of investment there. With the Torwood Street development finishing off construction with some real jobs and opportunities there.
"There is a lot of investment coming in, plus the great news on the Torquay Town Deal from Government - £22 million coming in for that.
"There's a lot to be positive about and a lot of opportunities to bounce back after we've gone through this period. But for now we've got to focus on getting the current situation under control.”
When asked if he thinks we'll see more staycations next year, the MP said: "Well the hotels being built are not being built because the person paying for them thinks they'll lose money on them.
"They're obviously being built because they think there'll be a strong demand for that type of accommodation.
"The evidence from over Summer is the type of visitor coming into the bay was different to normal.
"Some of our perhaps older visitors were staying at home, understandably in the situation we face.
"But a lot of people who might otherwise have gone abroad on package deals or low cost airlines had decided to take a look at us for a change.
"I think that does give us a real opportunity to bounce back afterwards with people who've had their first taste of what a holiday at the British seaside is like today and found that it's much more about quality service and having a good time than about Basil Fawlty."