Sport and leisure clubs are joining forces with hotels to benefit from well-positioned customers.

Eastern Daily Press: The Boathouse next to Ormesby Broad.Picture: James BassThe Boathouse next to Ormesby Broad.Picture: James Bass (Image: Archant Norfolk © 2014)

At a tourism and leisure forum organised by Larking Gowen, Natwest commercial manager Ian Monaghan said the partnerships were tackling declining spend at standalone clubs, which include spas, golf clubs and even night clubs.

He said: 'The club market is currently quite difficult, unless they are blended into a hotel complex.

'We are told that people aren't spending as much money as they used to in those areas - where clubs used to have a following that would stay and spend money, it does not appear to the be the case now.

'It makes much more sense for owners to, so to speak, team up.'

About 60 people attended yesterday's forum, which was held at The Boathouse in Ormesby St Margaret, to hear about risk and reward in tourism and advice on business planning for 2017.

Mr Monaghan, who talked visitors through applying for funding, said the hotel sector was looking particularly positive.

'There are plenty of challenges – the continued advance of firms like Premier Inn, consumer demand for low cost and transparency, growth inside the M25 and more regional hotel brands,' he said.

'However, the good news is that employment has been growing twice as fast as other sectors - though in that comes the [national] living wage, so it is a balancing act.'

Earlier in the event, Rachele Kelsall, head of community development at Hugh J Boswell, spoke about the risks of flouting health and safety violations, citing last year's tragedy at Alton Towers theme park.

In April, Larking Gowen published its 10th Tourism Business Survey, which has become a respected annual analysis of the industry.

The 2017 survey will be launched early next year.

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