Wishing you were here

The warning from hospitality trade body chief executive Kate Nicholls could not have been starker. She told MPs the industry faces a “bloodbath” unless government support is extended.

While she was giving that grim message and calling for more to be done to protect firms from mounting rental debts, concern was also growing over the tourism industry’s ability to bounce back from the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

The two sectors have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic and the response to it. Doors have been bolted shut, businesses put on hold and jobs furloughed, with little indication when they may be able to get back to normal.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove’s pronouncement that areas of hospitality will be among the last to exit lockdown have added to the growing concern.