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Culture Secretary visits Butlin’s
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has visited Butlin’s Bognor Regis to see the new health and safety measures in place since Covid-19.
Mr Dowden met with holidaymakers and staff – including the famous Red Coats – during a tour by Managing Director Jon Hendry-Pickup.
A new open-air amphitheatre is hosting outdoor entertainment from 10am until 9pm at a safe social distance with capacity for up 500 people.
Butlin’s has also participated in a UK government pilot to test the use of indoor theatre space at reduced capacity.
New mobile platforms where customers can book activities, swimming and shows in advance to avoid queuing has come into operation, while a £40m swimming pool, which opened in May last year, has reopened with new social distancing measures developed in conjunction with Swim England.
Butlin’s Bognor Regis generates £90m sales per year with 350,000 guests and day visitors, and 1300 team members – the biggest single employer in the area.
Over the past two years, Butlin’s has invested almost £50m in its Bognor Regis site to maintain and enhance its guest experience.
John Hendry-Pickup said: "It was a privilege to welcome the Culture Secretary to Butlin’s so he could see first-hand the measures we have put in place.
"Butlin’s has passed on savings from the recent VAT cut to our guests and we are also participating in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. This has saved our guests money, boosted our ability to maintain employment and helped bring visitors to the area who will then spend with other businesses in the local economy. These government schemes have been a welcome boost as the recovery progresses."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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