Cheers to the hospitality trade
[16 June 2020] The hospitality and tourism trade in Northern Ireland employs around 65,000 people and is worth around £2 billion to the local economy, so it’s a welcome announcement that hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants will be able to open from 3rd July.
Social distancing will be enforced, and bars that don’t serve food will be limited to outdoor environments, however it is a positive step to rebuild a sector which was particularly badly hit by the Coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking about the announcement from Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, Colin Neill, CEO Hospitality Ulster said: “The Covid19 pandemic has taken many lives across our communities and it is important that we recognise the serious nature of this virus and the continued threat it poses, but we must also ensure that as many families as possible do not also lose their livelihoods. Pre Covid19 65,000 people depended on us to put bread on their tables and a roof over their heads, we must now strive to save as many of those jobs as possible.”
Any Excuse to innovate
Guinness has partnered with digital platform, anyExcuse, to offer on-trade venues an innovative contact free ordering system. The app enables customers to access digital menus, place orders and reserve click and collect orders. As well as reducing contact between staff and patrons, innovations like this enable venues to manage staffing levels and offer additional revenue streams via collections.
Ensuring venues have adequate space to maintain social distances is also key. Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, last week wrote to local councils to urge the relaxation of planning controls around temporary outdoor seating areas, such as beer gardens and on-street café tables.
It’s not just in Northern Ireland where the on-trade industry has suffered and innovation has been the result. Brussels agency, Happiness, part of FCB, has created a campaign for trade association FedCaf Belgium urging happy punters to ‘pay two, get one’. The idea behind the ‘helpy hour’ is to turn the happy hour on its head and give something back to much loved venues as they find their feet in a new and socially distant world. It’s been estimated that as many of half of the 12,000 cafes in Belgium might not survive the crisis.
Hospitality venues are full of OOH advertising opportunities, and brands that think it’s only suitable for drinks retailers are missing a trick. Dwell time is high, audiences are relaxed and receptive to advertising and the formats are strong. From Glowboxes to washroom panels and beer mats, delivering niche content to very specific audiences is easy with Ambient OOH. Public health campaigns, local awareness messaging, reminders about community safety and retail messages are just a few ways that Ambient OOH can work hard to deliver communications.
As well as advertising opportunities within hospitality venues, increased numbers using outdoor venues increases the dwell time on our high streets, revitalising the areas and exposing large audiences to existing roadside and retail OOH formats, such as 6 Sheets.
Caravans and museums reopen earlier than planned
Self-service accommodations, such as caravan parks have also had their reopening date pulled forward, now permitted from 26th June. Museums and other visitor attractions are also opening from 3rd July, in a further boost to the hospitality and tourism sector. According to Exterion Media’s Work.Shop.Play research, 58% of people in NI would feel completely comfortable visiting open air exhibitions or attractions (e.g. The Zoo or Ulster Folk Museum). 62% of people feel that being a tourist in your own city is a great idea to support businesses and the local economy, while 54% feel Belfast is full of hidden gems and things to do that there’s no time for visit normally.
While foreign holidaymakers are in short supply, locals should take the opportunity to explore Northern Ireland, and experience some of the sights that have made this wee country one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Now is the time to get ‘helpy’. The future of many jobs and tourist attractions is in all of our hands, and while it might be a cliché, the industry needs us all to think like holidaymakers for the big staycation of 2020.
