Brixham Legacy Project

A £1.2m fund to help boost tourism and repair “reputational damage” after a cryptosporidium outbreak in south Devon has been described as “desperately important”. Of the £1.2m pledged by SWW, about £250,000 is also due to be spent on a legacy project in Brixham, which is being spearheaded by Brixham Chamber of Commerce.

South West Water (SWW) has pledged the money as part of a Destination Marketing Recovery Fund following the water parasite outbreak in May that saw about 100 confirmed cases of the diarrhoea-type illness in and around Brixham.

Business leaders said the incident caused 3,500 pieces of negative coverage across the world, as well as tens of millions of pounds worth of lost bookings.

“The headlines were appalling,” said Chris Hart, chairman of the English Riviera BID Company.

He said: “We were able to demonstrate to SWW that there were around 3,500 pieces of negative coverage about Brixham and the wider Devon area, not just here but across the world.

“Our research showed that around £34m of bookings were lost at the time of the outbreak, with an estimate £6m in future bookings also lost.”

Much of the money would be spent on a national TV advertising campaign, with one advert already in production, he said.

He added: “The aim now is to use the funding to repair the reputational damage that has been caused, and to present Brixham and the English Riviera in a really positive light, showing off the great area this is.”

Business in the area said they were confident the latest funding would help address the situation.

“It’s going to open up channels of marketing we currently can’t afford, such as television advertising,” said Alex Foley, who runs the Guardhouse Café at Berry Head.

“It will allow us to reach many more potential customers and show how great the area is.”

“This is desperately important,” said Linda Lowe, who owns Brookside Guesthouse in Brixham.

She said: “The only way we can get our reputation back in the public eye is to get the marketing out quickly… a massive advertising campaign showing just how beautiful it is here.”

South West Water said: “It’s important to us that we do what we can to support local businesses and the community in Brixham.”

It added: “The fund will help promote tourism in Brixham and the surrounding area in partnership with the English Riviera BID.”

Original story by Kirk England, BBC South West environment and tourism correspondent on BBC News