New Hotel Investment website will stimulate hotel development in the South East
An extensive research programme into the demand for hotel accommodation in the South East has resulted in the launch of a new website www.hotel-investment.co.uk which will stimulate future hotel development and investment in the region.
Tourism is one of the largest growth industries in the South East generating in excess of £10 billion per annum, attracting 21 million domestic staying visitors and 3.6 million overseas visitors spending £4.3 billion each year. The need to develop with this rapidly changing industry by continuing to attract new visitors, industry developers and investors to the region is paramount in the survival of this market.
Over the past five years Tourism South East (TSE) has undertaken an extensive research programme to study the South East hotels market. The research project identified a large number of development sites. These locations were then assessed against local trends in hotel performance and developers criteria. The studies also looked at the degree of difficulty that developers might encounter with the different sites - problems achieving planning permission, Green Belt restrictions and other aspects which might limit deliverability.
Using key data resulting from this study TSE has created a new website www.hotel-investment.co.uk the object of which is to:
Provide a dynamic platform to showcase the best hotel development opportunities in the South East
Highlight commercially viable sites
Provide rich data on key opportunities, market conditions, competition and performance
Signpost developers to useful industry contacts including local authority economic development and planning departments.
Ongoing research from TSE and their local authority partners will feed new opportunities to www.hotel-investment.co.uk
The website was launched at the Hampshire Hotels Development Seminar, jointly hosted by TSE and Hampshire County Council, at the beginning of March. Michael Woodhall, Executive Member for Economic Development of Hampshire County Council said 'Research conducted by TSE and Hampshire County Council has demonstrated that there is considerable potential for further selective hotel investment in parts of Hampshire. This seminar was a great opportunity for local authority planners, tourism and economic development officers to meet and plan how best to work with developers to maximise the benefits that new hotel development can bring to the county's economy.'
Due to the success of the seminar and the website (13,000 hits received to date) TSE are proposing to roll this conference out around the region with the next one planned in Buckinghamshire. Date and venue to be confirmed shortly.
Leanne Marr, Development Manager at TSE said. "The South East is one of the most buoyant areas of hotel demand in the UK, founded upon strong economic growth, proximity to London, excellent communications and transport links. Existing hotels continue to add new bedrooms and a steady stream of new hotels have opened across the region. Future market prospects are positive, nationally and regionally, with a number of major new infrastructures and local development schemes underway. We hope the new website will act as a tool for developers to gain quick and efficient information enabling them to make informed decisions resulting in additional market growth."
For further information on the website www.hotel-investment.co.uk or the conference please contact Leanne Marr on 023 8062 5452 or lmarr@tourismse.com
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For further information please contact Jodie Hodge, TSE Corporate Communications, on 023 8062 5502 or jhodge@tourismse.com
Notes to Editor
Tourism South East is the strategic tourism body for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.