THE tourism sector is struggling even in the run-up to Christmas, according to figures published by Cumbria Tourism and accountancy firm Lamont Pridmore. 

Autumn 2022's 'Cumbria Tourism Business Performance Survey' made for grim reading for people involved in the sector. In 2017, it provided £2.9 billion to the local economy and supported 65,000 jobs, according to Cumbria Tourism. Now, some in the hospitality and tourism trade worry that their business will not be able to continue after Christmas. 

According to these statistics, nearly half of the businesses surveyed said that their turnover is down, and more than two-thirds report lower profits (69 per cent). 

Cumbria's tourism businesses also reported a reduction in 'higher-end spending' (44 per cent), main spending (42 per cent), ancillary spending by visitors (40 per cent) and low to mid-range spending (28 per cent). 

Almost half of the businesses reported visitor numbers down (47 per cent), and 61 per cent of businesses in Cumbria report bookings down for the rest of 2022. 

Sadly, to manage the costs and reduction of bookings, nearly a third (27 per cent) of businesses said that they will have to reduce the number of days they are open, 14 per cent will reduce capacity, and one in ten (11 per cent) said that they will close the whole business temporarily. 

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Just under a third (32 per cent) of businesses in the tourism sector surveyed thought that they may not survive until the end of this year. 

Businesses are struggling because of decreased consumer spending, the cost of energy and recruitment issues. According to the document, a quarter (25 per cent) of tourism vacancies in Cumbria are unfilled, with up to 50 per cent of positions in some businesses vacant. 

89 per cent of businesses said that there was a lack of affordable housing in the area, and 84 per cent said it was too expensive for staff to travel to work. 

Managing director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, said: Our business tracker research clearly shows that ongoing issues around recruitment, retention and skills haven’t gone away." Ms Haigh said that Cumbria Tourism would lobby for a Youth Mobility Scheme for young people from other countries to work in the UK, something that is backed by South Lakes MP Tim Farron.