Brighton and Hove tourism could be boosted by Starling murmurations, heritage trails and winter festivals

How could Brighton and Hove be better marketed to potential visitors? Ideas at a council meeting included promoting the area’s unique offerings from starling murmurations to year-round sea swimming and heritage trails.

Members of Brighton and Hove City Council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee made the suggestions as they discussed almost 30 ways to improve the “visitor economy” and encourage more overnight stays.

The ideas were the product of a cross-party “task and finish group” which held seven evidence-gathering meetings with 23 guests representing businesses and other organisations involved in the local tourism industry.

The task and finish group noted that people visited year-round but most were day trippers – and the number of overnight stays had fallen.

More than 11 million people a year visit Brighton and Hove, spending almost £900 million, but in the winter off-season, there were limited fewer attractions.

The task and finish group looked at ways to boost Christmas events and how to extend summer events.

The night-time economy faces challenges because of a lack of late-night transport, a perception that Brighton is a “party town” and rising cost which are affecting night-time businesses.

At the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday (3 November), Labour councillor Amanda Evans noted Brighton and Hove’s largely positive reputation.

YouGov listed Brighton and Hove as the third most popular tourist city in the country this year, among all adults, after York and Edinburgh. London and Cambridge were fourth and fifth respectively.

Councillor Evans, who chairs the committee, said: “We punch above our weight already. However, a huge proportion of those 11 million visits a year are summer day-trippers.

“When they come down when it’s a hot day, they clog up the roads. They clog up the railway station. They clog up the beach. We love them anyway. They’re very important to our economy.

“But we set out to look at the idea that, in common with other tourist destinations, we’d like more of them to be coming all year round and more of them to be staying overnight than coming for the day.”

Green councillor Sue Shanks suggested promoting attractions to those attending conferences at venues such as the Brighton Centre – and she brought up the starlings, elms and sea swimming.

Councillor Shanks said: “Lots of people come to see the starlings – the murmurations. It’s a big thing for bird-watchers.

“We could make more of that with hotel packages and someone talking about the starlings or just looking at them – and the elms.

“Soon after I moved here, my dad came to visit for the first time and he was just amazed to see the elms because they were all wiped out across the country. We could make more of them.”

Councillor Shanks also suggested identifying more places for overnight stops for motorhome users, as one herself.

Conservative councillor Anne Meadows put forward heritage trails as another promotional idea to encourage visitors to explore Brighton and Hove.

Councillor Meadows said: “We have so much heritage within the city but we don’t promote where it is or how to get there.

“My thoughts are: ‘Well done on the task and finish group.’ It takes in a broad spectrum and I would want cheaper parking myself if I was going anywhere.”

Among the 27 recommendations made were

• reassess the Visit Brighton model to reduce the barriers to promoting hospitality venues, events and activities
• have Visit Brighton host a central platform providing information on activities in the area
• co-ordinate destination packages
• market Brighton and Hove for its unique identity, the independent shops, the seafront arches, art and culture
• explore partnership with Gatwick Airport to promote the area
• promote Brighton and Hove as a food destination with trails, festivals and restaurant offers
• look into expanding summer events with a winter fringe and winter pride
• tap into the sauna economy and invite the UK Sauna Association to have its festival in Brighton

The report is due to go before the council’s cabinet for consideration on a date yet to be set.

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