West Country tour guides finding ways to bounce back after lockdown

The pandemic has hit tour guides hard, with around 99% of their work disappearing in 2020.

Lockdown has meant that, at points, taking people around the cultural and historic sites of the region in the traditional way has not been an option.

Some guides have been finding new and creative ways of delivering tours, which could change the industry for good.

Tour guide Luke Sargeant knows Bristol like the back of his hand. He offers a tour of the city that takes in both ancient and modern - 'Blackbeard to Banksy, The Ultimate Walking Tour of Bristol'. He was badly hit by the coronavirus lockdowns.

Luke Sargeant said: "We got locked down and that was it, that was the end of business for some months.

"It came back a little bit in the summer of 2020 and the winter starts to grind on and then it all stopped again and then back again in April. So the actual business side of it was completely closed down."

He has welcomed the relaxation of restrictions.

Luke said, "It feels really great to be offering the tours again to people. I'm really a sociable person and I still enjoy and value showing people around the lovely city and just showing them all the little bits of interesting trivia and all this kind of stuff."

In Bath, the beleaguered tourist trade has benefited from the likes of hit TV show Bridgerton.

The success of the period drama has provided an opportunity for the industry to recover from the pandemic with Bath Walking Tours designing a special tour taking in the memorable filming locations.

Maeve Hamilton Hercod - Blue Badge Tourist Guide for the South West of England - found ways to get through lockdown, offering virtual tours of idyllic locations like the 13th century bridge in Lostwithiel, one of the oldest in Cornwall.

She said, "The first period during lockdown, there was absolutely no work at all. But quite quickly - guides are pretty good at adapting - people started giving talks and lectures to each other and we had a system so that we were paid to do that."

"I think we can say the whole profession is moving in a different direction. Obviously the virtual tours we're not doing so much now at all but I think, come next winter, there will be historical societies that have a mix and match of going out and visiting places but equally people are very comfortable with the virtual tour format."

Carole Hiley, President of the Institute of Tourist Guiding, acknowledges that the lack of tourism from overseas and the need for social distancing, has had a huge impact on the industry.

She said, "There are some guides who found it financially very, very trying, but also mentally in that respect. We did a survey earlier this year and found that the fall out from the pandemic was perhaps in a way worse than we had thought, but they have risen to the occasion. There is something which was around before, but has come to the fore - virtual tours."

Tour guide Antony Robbins has been quick to get the technology under his wing so that he could take his tours online and into people's homes simply using a smartphone and a gimble.

He said, "I started doing Powerpoint presentations using my own photos. Obviously, I was told I was on mute and people - I think - were quite understanding of that but you know we have been at this now for over a year and a half and I think we have to move it up a gear now.

"So I am now working with a new tech start up and what we are trying to do is take the virtual tour to the next level."

It has meant Antony has had to find more obscure attractions off the usual tourist trail but he has also reached a whole new audience - who may, one day, turn up in person.