How Damage Has Coronavirus Has Done

[Andrewcook]

I wonder will the Norfolk Broads Boating Industry Survives this Lock Down that has been for some time now has it also done  Damaged the Tourist  Industry. Will it ever  it ever recover ? With Pubs and Shops going out of business. When will the Boats be back in action on the Broads and under what restrictions such as more then Two  Crews upwards on each Boats? As at this time we are suppose to be more so many meters a Part. What help will there be to all this ? 

Yours

 Andrew 

[MauriceMynah]

There will still be money, and there will still be entrepreneurs. If there are no pubs on the broads, someone will start opening some. The same applies to any profitable business, and that in a nutshell is a simplistic take on the worst case scenario.

But. and I hope our local members will correct me if I'm wrong, the food shops will still have been trading, some of the smaller ones possibly busier than before.

Yes, hire fleets have been mothballed, but private owners have still been paying mooring fees. Commerce will still have been ticking over. However I see another problem, a bit "chicken & egg"

I suspect that when private owners are allowed to use their boats fully, the recently de-mothballed businesses will be overwhelmed by a flood of visitors.

Whilst income for many has been hit, there have been savings too. Not pubbing, buying less fuel etc. etc.

I shall be one of that flood, I shall be trying to support local broadland commerce, and when the pubs reopen I shall spend even more! I shall do my bit. 

[JennyMorgan]

The private 'racing fleet', many hundreds of boats, may remain mothballed this year. Dinghies will remain in backyards and driveways whilst bigger boats will remain in their sheds, providing income to the yards that cater for such boats. With no organised events on the Broads that means no yacht racing. There must be a hundred or so racing sailing boats on Oulton Broad alone, dinghies and keelboats. Will they launch, and pay a toll, if there is no racing? I suspect that the majority will be mothballed. Regattas are an institution on the Broads, it will hit the local breweries hard if there is no racing! I just don't see this lot launching if there is neither races nor sherbet on offer! 

[MauriceMynah]

Do these boats only sail to race? Would their owners derive no pleasure at all from sailing for the sheer enjoyment of doing so?

Oh well, hey-ho, It'll make life easier for those who fear the "flappy things" and I'm sure there are enough stinky drivers to drink that particular shortfall in local brewery sales. (as long as some pubs open.) 

[ChrisB]

Great Photos Peter. I agree summer is not the same withot Regattas

[Minigem]

Personally I would say that C-19 will do an incredible amount of damage to the Broadland economy. I have heard many times over the years from many businesses "we make our money in the Summer time to see us through the Winter". I can foresee many pubs closing down completely due to no tourism money as local trade could never make up for the losses.

With regards to boat hire, just think about the extra cleaning and indeed disinfection of a boat between hirers, that will take more than the few hours on turnaround days and therefore mean employing more staff at extra cost if turnaround is to be completed on the same day not to mention the cost of disinfection equipment and chemical spray.

It is no wonder that Tim Martin (Wetherspoons) told his staff to find other jobs if they could instead of furloughing them and he has or had pubs in prime situations with year round trade. I predict when he opens again he will have fewer pubs.

Also, it may be doubtful that people will have the spare money to spend on expensive holidays when this is all cleared up, I heard on the news the other day that the country is verging on a national debt equal to what we had after the second world war. Then the country was virtually bankrupt, taxes will rise and spare money will no longer be the case for the many ordinary working people. 

[SteveO]

Damage? Who knows? We don't yet know whether this event is a "one-off" or will become an annual event like seasonal flu or winter colds.  I am sure pubs and restaurants will be having a hard time and quite a few will fold, but hope will triumph over experience and most will reopen under new management. People's confidence has been badly shaken by this, especially older and more vulnerable folk,  and many will simply stay at home even when we are told it is safe, especially if the disease goes away and then returns. 

 

[Poppy]

5 hours ago, Minigem said:

I heard on the news the other day that the country is verging on a national debt equal to what we had after the second world war. Then the country was virtually bankrupt, taxes will rise and spare money will no longer be the case for the many ordinary working people. 

Yet look at all that was acheived at that time. Where there's a will.....

https://www.thoughtco.com/creation-of-britains-welfare-state-1221967

[colino]

15 hours ago, Poppy said:

Yet look at all that was acheived at that time. Where there's a will.....

https://www.thoughtco.com/creation-of-britains-welfare-state-1221967

We had Winston Churchill not Boris bull ****

[Poppy]

3 minutes ago, colino said:

We had Winston Churchill not Boris bull ****

But Attlee was responsible for the Welfare State.

[Andrewcook]

As to Sir Winston Churchill said quote we will take the enemy  Air / Land and Sea as we shall not give in to this Enemy we got now Coronavirus  has Stopped everything in sight as to the Second World War  it was business as usual.

As to Boat Hiring  Business Harry Blake started 1909 so then James Hoseasons taken the Helm from his father in the 1950 so this whole  Hiring Business grew with other Firms coming in 1960 I think as things grew up in to be a very competitive Hiring business . Now as to this Lock Down  right  from the start of the Holiday season been ruined for them and for whom  Customers wish to be on the Broads made things much harder for Boat Hiring and Building  to  Survive  to which will take years to get them back on track also Customer's back at the same time with the uncertainty of Firms going out of Bushiness and going back to the 1930 on financial hard times that I hope it won't happen for every one. 

Andrew Cook

[MauriceMynah]

Nothing was the same as it was before  WW2, or indeed before WW1 come to that!

In fact, things changed quite a bit after the Boer war, and, thinking about it, 1066 was a bit of a turning point too.

It could be said that the only thing that's really constant is that everything changes, all the time, whatever the reason.

[Travelman]

I work in travel and I think there's a silver lining here for tourism to the Broads. Countries around the world have imposed travel restrictions and indeed the UK is imposing a quarantine for people arriving from many countries. This is far too late in my opinion, at a time when we really should have been lifting a quarantine, but nonetheless it is happening from June. What this means is that taking a holiday to most countries will involve a two week quarantine on your return, making travel abroad difficult for many people because of the time off required from work or other commitments. Also, airfares are expected to rise with fewer seats available and airlines looking to recover huge losses. I think many people will look to holiday within the UK later this year, which could mean that some of the business which was lost by establishments on the Broads could be recovered.

Of course, there are so many unknowns involved, which is why this pandemic has been so damaging. Things like a treatment, vaccine, and more knowledge about the disease could make all the difference. As an industry, however, we expect domestic tourism to recover first, and that should be a good thing for the Broads on the whole.

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[ChrisB]

A deciding factor will be the rate of unemployment and how much personal debt has grown on credit cards etc when restrictions are lifted some more.

The above will not only effect holidays but all consumer spending.  The brutal truth is : if there is no money and lines of credit are at their end, it does not matter if it is home or abroad or how much sofas, cars, and electricals are discounted they will not move.

The ending of mortgage and credit card holidays will be a nasty shock to consumer confidence.

[JennyMorgan]

The Lion at Thurne is fighting back!

https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/business/the-lion-at-thurne-hosts-dining-greenhouses-1-6659792

[JennyMorgan]

On 17/05/2020 at 09:45, MauriceMynah said:

Do these boats only sail to race? Would their owners derive no pleasure at all from sailing for the sheer enjoyment of doing so?

I am sure that some do but many of the boats are built and rigged with one purpose in mind, racing. 

[TheQ]

I've cruised and raced all my sailing boats,  some were built for cruising, some were built for racing. I just want to finish off the rebuild of my boat to get back on the water. 

I think the recession the world has been pushed into by the virus will have more effect than the virus itself.  We were coming up to another recession anyway, they happen every 10 years or so, but this one I fear will be deeper than longer than most. 

Pubs have been on the decline anyway,  most are no longer pubs, but restaurants that serve beer . With a recession they are going to struggle. 

Boat yards,  not that there are many left,  will struggle with reduced custom.  Their problem will be too many boats for the business they have,  but selling off old boats will become more difficult. 

 

[marshman]

Been quite a few folks wandering around NYA already!

Not sure sale of old broads boats will be affected too much - remember the total number of new ones is very limited which is why as long as I can remember good Broads boats hold their price. Its the ones they have to scour the UK for and not built for the Broads that will not be needed - like the petrol engined ones that still creep in still!!!

[JennyMorgan]

35 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Boat yards,  not that there are many left,  will struggle with reduced custom.  Their problem will be too many boats for the business they have,  but selling off old boats will become more difficult. 

Old boats are generally cheap boats which inevitably attracts the less affluent amongst us and there lies the problem. People can afford to buy old boats but can they afford to own them? There is no doubt that old boats can become expensive. Interesting times ahead.

Incidentally, if I were buying a boat then I wouldn't do it now. Late Autumn/Winter would be good!

[Tricky]

I've cruised and raced all my sailing boats,  some were built for cruising, some were built for racing. I just want to finish off the rebuild of my boat to get back on the water. 
I think the recession the world has been pushed into by the virus will have more effect than the virus itself.  We were coming up to another recession anyway, they happen every 10 years or so, but this one I fear will be deeper than longer than most. 
Pubs have been on the decline anyway,  most are no longer pubs, but restaurants that serve beer . With a recession they are going to struggle. 
Boat yards,  not that there are many left,  will struggle with reduced custom.  Their problem will be too many boats for the business they have,  but selling off old boats will become more difficult. 
 

On the flip side, hopefully more will stay in the U.K. with overseas holidays, in particular the AI package, being much more difficult to provide and becoming much more expensive if even practical. Social distancing is not possible in many of these destinations and massive hotels.

Hopefully we can see a return to holidays in our own country and the boom this could hold for areas such as the Norfolk broads, and the financial benefits it brings.


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[Minigem]

17 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

The Lion at Thurne is fighting back!

https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/business/the-lion-at-thurne-hosts-dining-greenhouses-1-6659792

I hope people do not mind me bringing up Elf and Safe Tea but I sincerely hope that the glass within touching distance is of the safe type,. I remember years ago when my mother tripped and fell through the glass on dad's greenhouse. It was only the quick thinking of the next door neighbour that stopped her from bleeding to death and took her straight to hospital. She was left with a scar almost the length of her forearm.

In later years, I always armoured my greenhouse with wooden sheets etc. when my young rather active nephew visited as I could never live with myself if it happened to him.

 

 

[Smoggy]

5 minutes ago, Minigem said:

I hope people do not mind me bringing up Elf and Safe Tea but I sincerely hope that the glass within touching distance is of the safe type,. I remember years ago when my mother tripped and fell through the glass on dad's greenhouse. It was only the quick thinking of the next door neighbour that stopped her from bleeding to death and took her straight to hospital. She was left with a scar almost the length of her forearm.

In later years, I always armoured my greenhouse with wooden sheets etc. when my young rather active nephew visited as I could never live with myself if it happened to him.

 

 

That is a very good point, greenhouse glass is usually the worst.

[unclemike]

simple answer,although a greenhouse type, it is classed as residential and will need toughened/laminated glass to comply with building regs

[grendel]

or plastic

[JennyMorgan]

Or even probably plastic or resin.