Torbay has set itself a two-year target to get its tourism business back to pre-Covid levels and add millions of pounds to the amount visitors pump into the economy. The targets are part of a new Destination Management Plan designed to make Torbay the UK’s premier visitor destination by 2030
Torbay’s tourist businesses have already endorsed the plan with an overwhelming thumbs-up.

A six-week consultation on the proposed English Riviera Destination Management Plan 2022-30 was carried out earlier this year with a survey aimed at local businesses, residents and other stakeholders. The new plan and the findings from the consultation will be presented to Torbay Council’s Cabinet for approval next week.

The new plan sets out ways of propelling the English Riviera forward, and turns the spotlight on sustainability and resilience.
The objectives it sets include returning to 2019 spending and visitor levels by 2024 and achieving an extra £75m of tourism spend and 1,500 new jobs by 2030. It also aims to attract more all-year-round business, with a target of 40 per cent of the resort’s visitors coming between October and March.

The tourist trade will be looking to attract people from new and existing visitor markets by improving the reputation and profile of Torbay. Bay tourist attractions will be developed, and visitors will be given a better welcome.
Food and drink will be one of the key areas to be developed for visitors, along with activities on the water, making more of the bay’s coveted UNESCO Global Geopark status, and exploiting more culture and events. Families seeking fun by the sea and “young actives” will be target markets, along with “Cultural Explorers”. Business tourism will also be a target, with corporate events on the calendar.

In total there were more than 100 responses to the online survey, and 84 per cent of those who responded agreed with the draft Destination Management Plan’s objectives and what the council describes as its “overall direction of travel”.
Council deputy leader Darren Cowell said: “We are pleased to see high levels of support in the survey for the proposed new Destination Management Plan. We want Torbay to be the premier resort in the UK, with a vibrant arts and cultural offer for our residents and visitors to enjoy, where our built and natural environment is celebrated and where we play our part in addressing the climate change emergency.”

And Cllr Swithin Long, the bay’s Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Housing, added: “It is important that we move with the times and the new Destination Management Plan takes a holistic view of what needs to happen in the Bay to achieve its objectives.”

Cabinet members meeting next week are expected to agree to review how the council manages its beaches, toilets and parking. The council is also likely to look at its planning policies around visitor accommodation.

The plan calls for improvements to public spaces and urges the council to take on board climate change in its tourism policies. Young people will also be encouraged to consider careers in hospitality.

The introduction to the plan reads: “The English Riviera has a strong history of being a premier coastal resort, with a tourism sector that supports local and regional businesses, creates local jobs, and contributes to the sense of pride in place and quality of life. However, in recent times the English Riviera has struggled to keep pace with changing market needs. The impact of Covid-19, climate crisis and most recently the cost-of-living crisis are creating unprecedented challenges.

“It is time to refresh and reposition the English Riviera as the UK’s premier holiday resort of the future. With a unique heritage, encompassing three towns, each offering a different coastal experience, set within an exceptional natural environment, the English Riviera is so much more than the sum of its parts.

“Combining tradition and contemporary, we have a bright future. The English Riviera can offer the best of the seaside, outstanding seafood, exciting activities on and off the water, authentic cultural events, and experiences, and a globally significant UNESCO Global Geopark designation that runs like a golden thread through the entire visitor experience.”