Kent is open for the half term holidays and family fun – that is the message coming loud and clear from the tourism champions at Visit Kent as the Met Office predicts the weather is likely to continue unsettled but far less severe.
The tourism team is regularly posting details of all the latest special offers, holiday news and activities at www.visitkent.co.uk alongside great places to stay and suggestions for a good day out for visitors and residents to enjoy.
It is not only the county’s many indoor attractions that are looking forward to welcoming visitors over the coming days. The outdoor enthusiasts at GoApe, at Leeds Castle and Bedgebury, reckon taking on challenges in different weather conditions is all part of the fun.
And the karting enthusiasts at Buckmore Park, Chatham, easily take a drop or two of rain in their stride – they’ve even put wet weather pictures on their website because too many people assume they are a fairweather attraction.
Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive at Visit Kent, said: “The weather has been really bad but while some small areas of the county have suffered a lot from flooding, other parts are relatively unaffected.
“Fortunately Kent has so many different types of attractions on offer from castles and cathedrals to art galleries, shopping centres, theatres and historic experiences that there is always plenty of choice to suit all tastes close by whatever the weather.
“Anyone looking for inspiration of where to go and what to do just needs to log on to www.visitkent.co.uk to discover all the activities on offer.”
Meanwhile, Visit Kent is working with government and leading tourism bodies to canvass support for visitor attractions and businesses adversely affected by the extreme winds and storms that have been battering the county.
“The winter is far from over and I really hope that the Met Office forecast for less severe weather as we move into March proves accurate,” said Mrs Matthews-Marsh.
“Compared to the south west, the south east has, so far, escaped relatively lightly.
“However, there are some of our visitor business that have been severely affected by flooding; the high winds have brought down longstanding trees in some of our historic gardens and key nature reserves; and some of our coastline has been changed forever as a result of cliff falls.
“It will be some time before we know the full impact that the rains and winds have had on our showcase gardens, our coast, our countryside and our businesses.
“We are keeping in close touch with the government and Kent’s many and diverse visitor business to ensure that they will benefit from the short and longer term support being made available.”