By Nick Mosley

Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival

 

I’ve been working in Brighton’s tourism and hospitality sector for over five years, and in that time I’ve seen a lot of change and challenges. I fear the biggest challenge is yet to come.

The cuts are coming.

No-one running a tourism business is in any doubt that public funding for local tourism will end. Brighton and Hove City Council’s own internal analysis of its finances clearly shows there will only be a fraction of the current pot for non-statutory spending. Taxpayers’ money will – quite rightly – be focused on the essentials of education, health and social services.

So what happens when the money runs out? I’m in no doubt that the council and other strategic organisations in the city are looking at ways to minimise the impact. Sure there will be additional pots of money from central government and European Union grants. Perhaps the Local Enterprise Partnership will secure additional funding. But make no mistake, the funding pot will be increasingly shallow. Until December I was vice-chair of the Tourism Alliance, a group of businesses involved in the tourism and hospitality sector working together to improve the sector in and around the city.

After a presentation from the chief executive of Visit England 18 months ago, the group started to look at options around Destination Management Organisations (DMO) to provide long-term security for the promotion and co-ordination of tourism in Brighton. A number of members had experience of DMOs – either first hand or through their companies. There is no standard model for a DMO, however the key shared element is a partnership of the public and the private sectors. Funding comes from all the stakeholders, and how it is spent and how policy is driven is made by consensus through a board of directors.

At present in Brighton, the council’s tourism body runs the Visit Brighton Partnership, although I don’t think anyone seriously believes this is a true partnership, as the level of business consultation has declined over the years to become almost negligible.

That’s not to criticise its achievements since its inception – it’s merely pointing out that it doesn’t effectively engage with businesses. Tourism Alliance members are looking to the future of tourism and the survival and growth of their businesses.

However the call for honest and open discussion with the council is being met with apathy at best. Understandably, public sector employees are concerned about job security. What is more concerning is the frightening negativity from councillors about securing a sustainable future for tourism with businesses and public bodies working together in a true partnership of purpose and mutual respect.

Councillors don’t want to listen to tourism professionals, believing an agenda exists where there simply isn’t one.

In order to secure enough financial backing for a DMO, I dare say it will be a geographically wider area than perhaps some will like. But without the true support and partnership of tourism businesses, any model will not survive in the mid to long term. But perhaps that isn’t a great concern to the current administration? The sooner the powers that be face up to the inevitable, the sooner the economy of the city will benefit. Until that time, the council is playing a very dangerous game with the city’s future.