DEVON’S tourism businesses have hailed a positive summer season with strong visitor numbers and solid spending, but heatwaves and last-minute bookings have been a challenge.

The county relies heavily on a robust summer season to support its vast number of leisure, accommodation and hospitality businesses, and positive readings have been issued about this summer.

A host of businesses have confirmed strong visitor numbers, with a helping hand from the government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme that slashed VAT on the likes of visitor attraction tickets and children’s meals to 5 per cent compared to the usual 20 per cent.

But the extreme hot weather at the start of the season has been identified as an issue for some, with visitors perhaps preferring outdoor activities to indoor ones, or eschewing going out at all.

“We can say with confidence we have been much busier this year,” said Daniel Fox, marketing manager at Stuart Line Cruises.

“A significant proportion – around 50 per cent – of passengers are returning customers, showing we are continuing to offer value for money and a wide variety of trips.

“We have also seen an increase in foreign travellers this year.”

Mr Fox said some people during the heatwave had contacted the company before booking due to worries about temperatures on board, but Mr Fox said as a family-run business since 1968, it was able to reassure people that being out on the water was probably one of the cooler places to be.

“We had some concerns about the heat but we alleviated them pretty well, and we are adapting our marketing to make sure people know it is cooler out there on the water.”

North Devon’s The Big Sheep acknowledged the heatwave “wasn’t great” for visitor numbers, but that once temperatures cooled slightly, there was a clear bounce back.

And Tara Stapley, the attraction’s general manager, said the government’s VAT reduction scheme also helped.

“We had some visitors asking about it in advance and others who were just pleasantly surprised that the ticket price was reduced,” she said.

“The scheme meant we were able to expand our children’s menu and also serve it in both our food sites rather than just one.”

Over in East Devon, Josh Haywood, resort director at Crealy Theme Park, said the business had a good summer but acknowledged the challenges of the extreme heat at the start of the season.

“That level of heat is just as challenging as the rain for an attraction like ours,” he said.

“We were helped by our investment of around £2 million in two new rides, as we now have the South West’s tallest ride and the only inverted one.

“We really pushed the marketing on that and that helped increase visitor numbers.”

Mr Haywood, who sits on the management committee of the British Association of Leisure Park, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA), said some businesses had also confirmed that the soaring temperatures were a challenge for them.

He added that he met the former chancellor, Rachel Reeves, at a BALPPA event aimed at securing the summer VAT cut.

“It’s difficult to say whether some people came because of that, or the rides here,” he added.

“But we did pass on the savings, which were around £20 for a family, and we sold more children’s meals during the campaign.”

Down in one of South Devon’s most salubrious spots, Salcombe, the owners of beach-side restaurant The Winking Prawn reported a good summer.

“The best thing about this season is that everyone has been happy that the sun is out, meaning they can do what they want to do,” said co-owner Mark Goodey.

“There has been a good, constant, steady flow of people, there’s been a constant level of trade rather than ups and downs, and the whole of Salcombe has been extremely buoyant.”

Some of the businesses noted that investment in new aspects of their business, such as Crealy’s new Rotor ride – which can be increased in intensity as it gets later in the day – and competitive pricing – such as efforts by Stuart Line Cruises to keep prices keen – were key pillars to their success.

Looking more holistically at the county, Visit Devon said it “hasn’t been a boom season for everyone” but that the good weather had certainly helped during August, “particularly with filling last-minute accommodation availability, including rooms and camping pitches.

“Visitor behaviour has been very weather-dependent,” said Sally Everton, director at Visit Devon.

“Indoor attractions have generally found it more challenging, as visitors have favoured being outdoors and close to water – whether the coast, beaches or rivers.

“Conversely, outdoor attractions and seaside businesses have benefited significantly, with strong demand for ice creams, cold drinks and other outdoor refreshments.”

Ms Everton added advance ticket sales had been “relatively soft” with many visitors making decisions based on the weather and booking “much closer to the day”.

“However, this has translated into good walk-in traffic when the weather has been favourable,” she said.

“Overall, the season has been mixed, with the weather playing a significant role in where visitors choose to go and what they spend on.”