Business leaders have hailed the efforts of visitor guides, who welcomed locals and tourists to Lowestoft throughout the summer.
Lowestoft Vision - the Business Improvement District (BID) for the town, managed by Suffolk Chamber - recruited two Discover Lowestoft visitor guides to welcome tourists to town for six days a week over the summer.
Codie Brooks and Sibel Zekai - both students at East Coast College - offered friendly and informed sources of information for visitors and locals.
Appointed to assist with this year’s ‘staycation’ boom, and funded by East Suffolk Council, Codie and Sibel helped to meet and greet visitors, as they encouraged them to make the most of all that Lowestoft has to offer.
Highlights during the summer included showing off the Banksy ‘spraycation’ artwork that appeared in the high street in August, and assisting families to find Freddie the Fish and friends as part of the popular summer tourist trail.
The guides also welcomed passengers from the visiting MS Island Sky cruise ship in July - the first to visit Lowestoft’s port - as they gave the passengers tourist guides from Lowestoft Vision and Lowestoft pocket guides supplied by East Suffolk Council.
The visitor guides also helped people to find Sparrows Nest, Ness Point and the beach, while showcasing a wide range of amenities on offer as well as shops, bars and restaurants in the town centre.
A delighted Danny Steel, chairman of Lowestoft Vision, said: “We were so pleased to be able to provide the guides to help with this summer’s staycation tourist boom and to show off all that’s wonderful about our town.
"This could not have been done without the support of our local BID businesses and the generous funding from East Suffolk Council.
“Codie and Sibel have now returned to their studies at East Coast College, and I am pleased to report that following on from her experience Sibel has also been offered no less than three positions of part time employment to complement her studies.
"There couldn’t be a more fitting legacy to our first year of summer guides”.
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