Coastal Business Survey for Visitor Economy - Spring 2024

Introduction

Welcome to the visitor economy business survey being undertaken by the National Coastal Tourism Academy (NCTA) in partnership with Coastal Destination Management Organisations across the coast.

This wave focuses on performance over 2023, future bookings and challenges . All recorded data will be anonymised and the results used by the NCTA to lobby for further support. Results of previous waves can be found here.

This survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

Please note although some questions are the same as previous waves of the survey, we would appreciate it if you answered all questions so we can understand how your business is changing.

Question Title

* 1. Which Tourism and Hospitality sector does your main business principally operate in?

Serviced accommodation (Hotels, guest houses, B&B)

Non-serviced accommodation (self-catering, caravan and camping)

Restaurant, cafe, takeaway

Bar, public house, night club

Visitor attraction or activity

International Education

Transport

Retail

Marketing and promotion

Events, meetings and conference venue

Arts and Culture

Leisure, Sports and Activity

Travel Agent

Supplier (e.g. linen, catering)

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. Which of the following best describes your business?

Self-employed/sole trader

Micro business (1-10 employees)

Small business (11-50 employees)

Medium sized business (51-250 employees)

Large business (250+ employees)

Question Title

* 3. Is your business

Independently owned

Part of a regional or local chain

Part of a national chain

Question Title

* 4. Where is your business located? (Please provide first half of your premises' postcode or nearest town)

Question Title

* 5. Reflecting on your turnover in 2023 compared to 2022, how did your overall turnover position compare?

Much better

Better

It was about the same as 2022

Worse

Much worse

Don't know

Other or further comments (please specify)

Question Title

* 6. How did your visitor types change in 2023?

	Increase in visitors	No change	Decrease in visitors	N/A
Local residents	Local residents Increase in visitors	Local residents No change	Local residents Decrease in visitors	Local residents N/A
Day visitors (UK)	Day visitors (UK) Increase in visitors	Day visitors (UK) No change	Day visitors (UK) Decrease in visitors	Day visitors (UK) N/A
UK Staying visitors	UK Staying visitors Increase in visitors	UK Staying visitors No change	UK Staying visitors Decrease in visitors	UK Staying visitors N/A
European visitors	European visitors Increase in visitors	European visitors No change	European visitors Decrease in visitors	European visitors N/A
Other international visitors	Other international visitors Increase in visitors	Other international visitors No change	Other international visitors Decrease in visitors	Other international visitors N/A
Business / corporate visitors	Business / corporate visitors Increase in visitors	Business / corporate visitors No change	Business / corporate visitors Decrease in visitors	Business / corporate visitors N/A
Coach and leisure groups	Coach and leisure groups Increase in visitors	Coach and leisure groups No change	Coach and leisure groups Decrease in visitors	Coach and leisure groups N/A
School and education visits	School and education visits Increase in visitors	School and education visits No change	School and education visits Decrease in visitors	School and education visits N/A

Question Title

* 7. How confident do you feel about your business trading over the next 6 months (to end September 2024)?

Very confident

Somewhat confident

Unsure

Not so confident

Not at all confident

Question Title

* 8. What are your current levels of forward bookings?

	Up to 25%	25-49%	50-74%	75%+	N/A
Spring (Mar-May) 2024	Spring (Mar-May) 2024 Up to 25%	Spring (Mar-May) 2024 25-49%	Spring (Mar-May) 2024 50-74%	Spring (Mar-May) 2024 75%+	Spring (Mar-May) 2024 N/A
Summer (Jun-Aug) 2024	Summer (Jun-Aug) 2024 Up to 25%	Summer (Jun-Aug) 2024 25-49%	Summer (Jun-Aug) 2024 50-74%	Summer (Jun-Aug) 2024 75%+	Summer (Jun-Aug) 2024 N/A
Autumn (Sep-Oct) 2024	Autumn (Sep-Oct) 2024 Up to 25%	Autumn (Sep-Oct) 2024 25-49%	Autumn (Sep-Oct) 2024 50-74%	Autumn (Sep-Oct) 2024 75%+	Autumn (Sep-Oct) 2024 N/A
Winter (Nov-Feb) 2024/25	Winter (Nov-Feb) 2024/25 Up to 25%	Winter (Nov-Feb) 2024/25 25-49%	Winter (Nov-Feb) 2024/25 50-74%	Winter (Nov-Feb) 2024/25 75%+	Winter (Nov-Feb) 2024/25 N/A

Question Title

* 9. To what extent do you agree with the following statements:

	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree or disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	N/A
Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years	Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years Strongly agree	Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years Agree	Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years Neither agree or disagree	Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years Disagree	Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years Strongly disagree	Consumer spend overall is lower than previous years N/A
Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years	Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years Strongly agree	Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years Agree	Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years Neither agree or disagree	Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years Disagree	Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years Strongly disagree	Consumers are booking much closer to departure than previous years N/A
Consumers are looking for offers and deals	Consumers are looking for offers and deals Strongly agree	Consumers are looking for offers and deals Agree	Consumers are looking for offers and deals Neither agree or disagree	Consumers are looking for offers and deals Disagree	Consumers are looking for offers and deals Strongly disagree	Consumers are looking for offers and deals N/A

Any comments you'd like to add about the above statements:

Question Title

* 10. Which of the following external factors, if any, are affecting your business
Tick all that apply

Competition from other local businesses

Skills gaps - lack of suitably qualified /experienced staff

Availability of staff to fill vacancies

Competition from other parts of the UK

Access to finance to invest

Cost of finance / interest rates

Water quality issues (e.g. storm overflows into sea)

VAT threshold

Poor / unpredictable weather

Employee absence / staff health

Seasonality of the destination

Regulations and compliance

Increase in insurance premiums

Planning

Lack of training and business support

Competition from overseas holidays

Increasing supplier costs

Other supplier issues (delays, lack of stock, unreliable)

Poor UK economic climate / less money in consumer's pockets

Attracting and retaining customers

Increasing energy and fuel costs

High staff turnover

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 11. How is your business planning to respond to increasing costs during 2024? Tick all that apply

Increase prices by up to 10%

Increase prices by more than 10%

Increase revenue opening for more of the year

Encourage more secondary spend (e.g. shop, bar, cafe revenue)

Cut costs by reducing staff

Cut costs by delaying investment, building or maintenance works

Cut costs by closing for more of the year

Cut costs by closing certain days of the week

Cut costs reducing services available (e.g. not open for lunch, closing swimming pool)

None of these - I'm not concerned or impacted by cost increases

Not sure

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 12. What level of investment are you planning to invest in your business during 2024?

Note: Investment such as upgrading facilities, expansion, new openings, business transformation rather than day to day operational costs

Zero / no investment

Up to £10,000

£10,000 - £24,999

£25,000 - £49,999

£50,000 - £74,999

£75,000 - £99,999

£100,000 - £149,000

£150,000 - £199,999

£200,000 +

Question Title

* 13. If you are currently recruiting staff, how would you describe the recruitment process? Tick all that apply

No issues encountered

Challenges filling certain types of roles (e.g. chefs)

Challenges filling seasonal vacancies

Challenges filling permanent / year-round vacancies

N/A I'm not recruiting at the moment

N/A I don't employ any staff

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 14. If applicable, which roles are you struggling to recruit? Tick all that apply

Front of house (e.g. receptionists)

Cleaning and maintenance (incl. ground maintenance)

Chefs and kitchen staff

Waiter(ess) / Bar staff

Sales and Marketing

Supervisors and Management

Leisure and Activity (e.g. lifeguards, instructors)

Entertainment

N/A

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. How important are the following to your business at the present time:

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not sure	Not important
Improving sustainability (reducing environmental impact)	Improving sustainability (reducing environmental impact) Very important	Improving sustainability (reducing environmental impact) Somewhat important	Improving sustainability (reducing environmental impact) Not sure	Improving sustainability (reducing environmental impact) Not important
Improving accessibility and inclusivity	Improving accessibility and inclusivity Very important	Improving accessibility and inclusivity Somewhat important	Improving accessibility and inclusivity Not sure	Improving accessibility and inclusivity Not important
Increasing year round business	Increasing year round business Very important	Increasing year round business Somewhat important	Increasing year round business Not sure	Increasing year round business Not important
Improving skills of your staff / self	Improving skills of your staff / self Very important	Improving skills of your staff / self Somewhat important	Improving skills of your staff / self Not sure	Improving skills of your staff / self Not important
Reducing costs	Reducing costs Very important	Reducing costs Somewhat important	Reducing costs Not sure	Reducing costs Not important
Lobbying for improvements in water quality in your destination	Lobbying for improvements in water quality in your destination Very important	Lobbying for improvements in water quality in your destination Somewhat important	Lobbying for improvements in water quality in your destination Not sure	Lobbying for improvements in water quality in your destination Not important

Question Title

* 16. Which of the following interventions would you most like to see to help your business?
Tick all that apply

Reduce VAT on hospitality and tourism

Support for energy costs

Increase VAT threshold

Reduce VAT on food supply costs

Business rates relief

Greater investment in destination marketing

Business support to improve the efficiency / reduce costs in your business

Business support to maximise sales opportunities and revenue

Introduce a scheme for low skilled workers to enter the UK

Improvements in water quality

Reduction in storm overflows at local beaches

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 17. Which of the following markets are you targeting in 2024?

	High priority	Medium priority	Low priority	N/A
Local residents	Local residents High priority	Local residents Medium priority	Local residents Low priority	Local residents N/A
Domestic day visitors	Domestic day visitors High priority	Domestic day visitors Medium priority	Domestic day visitors Low priority	Domestic day visitors N/A
UK stay visitors	UK stay visitors High priority	UK stay visitors Medium priority	UK stay visitors Low priority	UK stay visitors N/A
European visitors	European visitors High priority	European visitors Medium priority	European visitors Low priority	European visitors N/A
Other International visitors	Other International visitors High priority	Other International visitors Medium priority	Other International visitors Low priority	Other International visitors N/A
Business / corporate	Business / corporate High priority	Business / corporate Medium priority	Business / corporate Low priority	Business / corporate N/A
Coach parties / leisure groups	Coach parties / leisure groups High priority	Coach parties / leisure groups Medium priority	Coach parties / leisure groups Low priority	Coach parties / leisure groups N/A
Education trips	Education trips High priority	Education trips Medium priority	Education trips Low priority	Education trips N/A
Personal events (weddings, celebrations)	Personal events (weddings, celebrations) High priority	Personal events (weddings, celebrations) Medium priority	Personal events (weddings, celebrations) Low priority	Personal events (weddings, celebrations) N/A

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 18. Which of the following visitor markets / products would you be interested in attracting or creating new products for in 2024? Tick all that apply

Walkers

Cyclists

Activities and watersports

Nature and Wildlife

Wellness and spa

Eco, green and sustainable

Heritage

Accessible

Arts and Culture

Business: meetings, incentive, conference and events

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 19. Any other thoughts or considerations you feel we should be aware of:

Question Title

* 20. We are looking for businesses who have been impacted by the increase in storm overflows at our coast this year to be part of case studies to help hold water companies to account. If you have been impacted and would like to support this work / find out more please provide your email address below:

Email Address

Please click 'done' below to submit your survey response. Please ignore the SurveyMonkey advert on the final page. Many thanks for your support.

Coastal Business Survey for Visitor Economy - Spring 2024

Introduction

Question Title

* 1. Which Tourism and Hospitality sector does your main business principally operate in?

Question Title

* 2. Which of the following best describes your business?

Question Title

* 3. Is your business

Question Title

* 4. Where is your business located? (Please provide first half of your premises' postcode or nearest town)

Question Title

* 5. Reflecting on your turnover in 2023 compared to 2022, how did your overall turnover position compare?

Question Title

* 6. How did your visitor types change in 2023?

Question Title

* 7. How confident do you feel about your business trading over the next 6 months (to end September 2024)?

Question Title

* 8. What are your current levels of forward bookings?

Question Title

* 9. To what extent do you agree with the following statements:

Question Title

* 10. Which of the following external factors, if any, are affecting your business Tick all that apply

Question Title

* 11. How is your business planning to respond to increasing costs during 2024? Tick all that apply

Question Title

* 12. What level of investment are you planning to invest in your business during 2024?Note: Investment such as upgrading facilities, expansion, new openings, business transformation rather than day to day operational costs

Question Title

* 13. If you are currently recruiting staff, how would you describe the recruitment process? Tick all that apply

Question Title

* 14. If applicable, which roles are you struggling to recruit? Tick all that apply

Question Title

* 15. How important are the following to your business at the present time:

Question Title

* 16. Which of the following interventions would you most like to see to help your business?Tick all that apply

Question Title

* 17. Which of the following markets are you targeting in 2024?

Question Title

* 18. Which of the following visitor markets / products would you be interested in attracting or creating new products for in 2024? Tick all that apply

Question Title

* 19. Any other thoughts or considerations you feel we should be aware of:

Question Title

* 10. Which of the following external factors, if any, are affecting your business
Tick all that apply

* 12. What level of investment are you planning to invest in your business during 2024?

Note: Investment such as upgrading facilities, expansion, new openings, business transformation rather than day to day operational costs

* 16. Which of the following interventions would you most like to see to help your business?
Tick all that apply