Thomas McLean, who runs Brema Hotel, says trade has been ‘hit from a number of directions’ this year (Image: Supplied)
The director of a Blackpool hoteliers group says a growing number of people are “prioritising GP appointments over holidays” – and B&B owners agree that the trend is putting small, family-run businesses at an extra disadvantage.
Ian White, whose job brief as director of the trade association StayBlackpool is to work with holiday accommodation providers across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, knows that a drop in trade has become a problem in the Lancashire seaside town.
In a recent council meeting speech, he blamed the “huge increases in cancellations or delays in stays” at local hotels and B&Bs on the scarcity of NHS appointment and operation slots – and, speaking to Express.co.uk, he doubled down on the claim.
“The public will very often book later, specifically when NHS appointments and operations are involved – the fear of delays in getting further appointments has left a growing number of people prioritising [it] over their holiday,” he said.
It certainly chimes with the experience of Steve and Elaine Fazakerley, who have run The Arthington on the seafront for nearly 20 years, and were over 10% down on business this summer.
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Blackpool is one of the UK’s most popular staycation spots – but trade is suffering across the board (Image: Getty)
“It’s been a very quiet season – and there has been a perfect storm of problems, with the atrocious weather we’ve had and a rise in prices across the board,” Steve, 60, told the Express.
He added: “We’ve had quite a few occasions where people have cancelled their stays because all of a sudden they’ve managed to get a GP appointment. And rightly so – you’ve got to put your health before your holiday. But it puts us in a very difficult position.”
Steve said the combination of holidaymakers wanting to stay at home for easy GP access and the rising costs of travel and booking fees have been something of a death knell for the B&B industry – disproportionately impacting the smaller businesses, like his, that Blackpool was traditionally so well-known for.
“It has been our quietest in 19 years. The town is still a popular place for tourists, but there’s no incentive to stay, and the unregulated Airbnbs that have appeared create more competition for that small market.
“It’s a double whammy for us because no one has as much money in their pocket and obviously our running costs have gone up too. We do feel a bit on our own sometimes because the council seems to want the bigger hotels – like the new Holiday Inn – to come in. All you can do is smile and hope next season will be better.”
Steve and Elaine Fazakerley have recorded their quietest year of business ever (Image: Supplied)
Mohammed Maneer, 32, who is looking after Denside Guest House in the town centre while his dad Akbar is abroad, added that the always-quiet autumn season has been even more so than usual this year.
“Family-run B&Bs are a sector where people on a low budget stay,” he said. “Tourists on high salaries, who can afford not to worry about cost of living and getting an appointment, go to the five star places.
“And unfortunately, that’s the market that’s dropping at the moment. If they’re coming, they’re coming for the day and then going home. Why spend £50 on a guest house when you could spend it on your groceries?”
Meanwhile, Thomas McLean, 59, who runs Brema Hotel, near Central Beach, says his business was down by £12,000 this year – and includes cancellations for GP appointments as one of a number of directions from which “we’re being hit”.
“I’m making a loss at the moment and it’s hard because we only have eight rooms, we do our own laundry and the running costs are getting higher and higher. I’d probably be better off working as a housekeeper – at this rate, I’ll probably fulfil my lease then find something else to do where I can make an actual wage.”
Local B&B owners say there has been rise in day trippers and fall in longer tourist stays (Image: Getty)
Despite this, the think tank Centre for Cities published data last month suggesting that the resort ranks highest in the country for overnight visitor spending – accounting for 12.8% of overall in-person spending between 2022 and 2024.
Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Some accommodation providers have cited reasons why there has been a downturn in trade in some weeks, notably the cost of living crisis … [which] affects all destinations, not just Blackpool.
“As a council, we have a long-standing commitment to supporting the accommodation sector in Blackpool no matter what size the business. We make a very significant investment each year in destination marketing, including TV advertising during the summer months.
“We also invest in a world-class events programme which has attracted record numbers of visitors to the resort, with Blackpool welcoming more than 20 million people.
“Earlier this year we revealed another two-month extension to the autumn illuminations season, a return of the hugely successful Christmas By The Sea festival and millions of pounds of investment in free events such as the Blackpool Air Show and the World Firework Championship Blackpool, along with brand new family attractions including an IMAX cinema and an interactive museum of entertainment, Showtown.
“We also help fund major conferences and exhibitions which help fill our hotels and B&Bs throughout the year.
“All this investment in our tourism and hospitality industry is really important in achieving our ambition to create a year-round destination which will be of benefit to local businesses.”
