How Harrogate's tourism industry is gearing up to welcome guests back to the district

Deep clean for Harrogate town centre as shops get set to reopen with help from BID

After a difficult few months for many accommodation providers, who have lost business and been left with no clear idea of when they can reopen, those in Harrogate have now said they are focusing on the future, hoping that their comeback will be just around the corner.

They are putting plans in place to ensure guests will be as safe as possible and looking at options such as closing communal dining areas.

And with social distancing rules set to go on for much of the year and many of the district’s top shows and events cancelled, tourism leaders have said a new plan must be employed to drive people to the area when they reopen.

Ali Standen, deputy chair of Accommodation Harrogate, the association for independent guest houses in Harrogate, and who runs Acorn Lodge, told the Harrogate Advertiser: “We are doing all that we can to make sure we are ready to reopen whenever it is possible to do so and looking after our guests is our main priority.

“But the guest houses, B&Bs and hotels in the area are definitely excited to welcome them back and get Harrogate on the map again as soon as they can.”

She is considering a range of new options for Acorn Lodge, which usually operates as a bed and breakfast, including self catering and renting out the whole building to groups, rather than as rooms to invididuals.

But without a concrete opening date and clear reopening guidelines, she says making plans is difficult and many hospitality workers are becoming concerned about their livelihoods.

She added: “We have a number of things that we are thinking of putting in place - whether that is self catering, or people booking slots for their breakfast so there are not too many people in the room at one time - but without any official guidance we still feel like we don’t know what would work the best.

“We want to be as prepared as possible but we still don’t know the rules on PPE, cleaning, any of the basics.

“There are just so many changes and we need some direction to make sure we can abide by the rules.

“We don’t even know yet whether we will have to leave rooms for days, maybe even weeks, at a time before a new guest can enter.

“If that is the case, many people will be wondering if it is even worth opening at all.”

Those in the industry are now working on a marketing strategy to ensure people still come to Harrogate.

Full plans to revive Harrogate high streets to be revealed as shops get ready to reopen

While many restaurants remain closed and some of the area’s biggest attractions, such as the Great Yorkshire Show, inset left, and the Nidderdale Show have been cancelled, hotel owners have said they are confident the district has enough to offer to keep people visiting.

Mrs Standen said: “We are so fortunate in Harrogate that we have such a rich culture and such a rich history that people always have us at the top of their destination list - with museums, shows at the Royal Hall, events at the Showground and Convention Centre.

“But while all those things are not currently open, we need to focus on the other amazing thing Harrogate has to offer - plenty of beautiful open, green spaces.

“We are the doorstep of the Dales, the Moors, Nidderdale and picnic spots galore.

“As long as we make sure people are reminded of the social distancing rules and promote how important it is to abide by them, I think we still have a real selling point.

“And even if restaurants and bars are not completely open by the time we are, there are so many amazing takeaway options for people to choose from, all while continuing to support local businesses.”

These views have been echoed by other Harrogate B&B owners.

Adam Keeler, owner of Alexandra Court Guest House, said Harrogate is the perfect base for people who want to go exploring.

He said: “Our big selling point right now is that we are in the ideal space to go off and enjoy the countryside.

“Of course, we have to be more savvy and things won’t be the same as they were before - not for a long time - but we must keep going.

“Tourism is one of the biggest contributors to our economy, it brings in money to all of our attractions and businesses, so we ha ve now got to campaign to bring people back.

“We are all ready to go now with social distancing measures in place and it is just a matter of waiting for the announcement.”

Welcome to Yorkshire has also started a new campaign to get tourism back on track.

Harrogate's NHS Nightingale Hospital to treat non-coronavirus patients

James Mason, chief executive, said: “Welcome to Yorkshire have created many different promotional schemes to showcase the county far and wide, from a new monthly online This Is Y magazine, a voucher scheme and constant updates on the yorkshire.com website.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.