OPTIMISM has landed within the Cumbrian tourism industry one year on from a major jobs cut threat.

This time last year, nine out of ten companies involved in the UK's inbound tourism industry expect to make job cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The research was conducted by trade association UK-inbound, which polled 59 tour operators and firms providing services such as transfers, hotel bookings and excursions in the Lake district.

A year on, Mountain Goat still remains optimistic about the future. Robin Tyson, Director of Mountain Goat Ltd said: "It became very obvious earlier this year that In-bound international tourism was not going to happen and that social distancing and other restrictions would be in place until well into the Summer.

"We are very pleased with the UK staycation support for our business this year, which has continued to grow.

"With the new relaxation of rules we will continue to be cautious on behalf of our passengers and staff to ensure that our service standards remain high."

Angie Steele, branch manager, of Hays Travel in Ulverston, was one of the local travel firms that managed to keep it together over the pandemic. S

he said: “We are a more local provider of holidays and there has been a marked increase since we opened back up on April 12."

Hays Travel Ulverston were one South Cumbria branch that did not have to lay people off during the pandemic.

Branch manger Angie Steele added: “We did not have furlough time in Ulverston, we worked from home as we are a small branch, so we have stayed in employment and we have been fine.”

As for booking local and staying local she said: “In Cumbria, Hoseasons, have provided most of the local popular destinations such as in Ullswater, with the tree houses and safari tents, which have sold out for the summer stay-cation's.

“People are being cautious but we have teamed up with a PCR test and travel company, so people are getting ready to book again, so things are looking up.

Joss Croft, CEO, of UK-inbound, Which is thee trade association that represents inbound tourism, was more pessimistic about a quick recovery.

He said: “Tour operators and destination management companies across the inbound tourism industry are desperate to begin trading their way to recovery but the decision to only remove quarantine for fully vaccinated UK residents arriving from Amber list destinations was a monumental blow for the UK’s inbound visitor economy.

"By keeping Britain closed, we are losing £70m a day in exports, businesses are on the brink and therefore people’s livelihoods across the country, including in Cumbria, are in serious jeopardy.

"Our inbound visitor economy remains neglected and forgotten by the Government, far from talk of freedom this decision risks being the final nail in the coffin for an industry that will be vital to our national recovery.

"The UK’s fifth largest export sector is dying on its knees, and the government must provide more support, including furlough extension and targeted grants, whilst rapidly implementing vaccination certification reciprocity for inbound, as it has done for outbound.”

Last week the Government announced 'Freedom Day,' with the lifting of many more travel restirtcions. A full list of what can now be done can ve accessed online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do