North Essex: weather hasn't been so bad for Colchester tourism

7:50am Saturday 6th September 2008

By Wendy Brading

THE wet summer weather failed to put a dampener on Colchester’s tourism industry.

North Essex has spent most of the summer dodging downpours, but visitors still flocked in to enjoy the borough’s varied attractions.

Part of the success of the summer season has been put down to the Guardians to the King exhibition at Colchester Castle, and to the Fun for Free summer activities initiative.

Karen Turnbull, Colchester Council’s tourism and visitor development officer, said 22,080 people had been to VisitColchester Information Centre during July and August, compared with 19,172 people last year – a rise of 15 per cent.

Telephone inquiries have also risen by 18 per cent over the same period, with staff taking 3,802 calls compared with 3,208 last year.

The number of hits on the website also rose from 39,395 last July to 74,486 this year.

Mrs Turnbull said the Guardians to the King exhibition – which featured 43 ancient Chinese terracotta figures and closes on November 2 – had proved highly popular.

The number of visitors to the Castle Museum rose by 69 per cent year-on-year, from 14,504 last year to 24,502 this year.

Visitors to the Natural History Museum increased by 29 per cent, from 4,200 to 5,437, and children’s activities and Kids Camp figures were up seven per cent on last year – 50,353 people compared with 46,911 last year.

Mrs Turnbull said: “Destinations like Colchester tend to benefit from relatively poor weather as people seek attractions where there is cover from the elements.

“Also, Colchester’s diverse range of attractions means there is something to interest most people whatever the weather.

“However, we also know that highly popular visitor activities like shopping need to be considered, and we know from annual on-street research that Colchester is popular with distinctive destination shopping like Williams and Griffin and the smaller specialist shops.”

Tourism on the Tendring coast is also reported to have benefited from the gloomy weather.

The Gazette reported recently how Park Resorts, which has sites at Clacton, Walton and Mersea, had seen increased bookings.

COLCHESTER Zoo is celebrating improved summer visitor numbers after a dismal start to the year.

The award-winning zoo suffered a poor Easter and spring bank holiday weekend due to bad weather.

Only 400 visitors went to the attraction on Easter Sunday when it snowed – about five per cent of the attendance when the weather is good.

Anthony Tropeano, zoological director of Colchester Zoo, described the bank holiday as a “disaster” – but said a successful summer had boosted the attraction’s development plans for a new tropical house.

Alex Downing, Colchester Zoo development director, said: “There is no reason why the tropical house should not go ahead.

“We have had a good August, especially bearing in mind the economic situation.

“We are slightly down on the year to date but considering the problems we had at Easter, we have caught up a lot.”

The zoo, which attracts about 500,000 visitors a year, is completing work on a new orangutan enclosure and also plans to revamp its amur leopard enclosure later this year.

It has lodged a planning application with Colchester Council for the new tropical house and hopes to start work on it this winter.