Following instances of antisocial behavior, such as persons urinating off the side of the boats, a Norfolk Broads boating firm has banned tourists from ingesting alcohol on its fleet, as captioned by Entrepreneurng report.
According to Mary Sparrow, the director of Hippersons Boatyard, a small percentage of visitors would come to the Broads solely to drink on the water all day, which would result in workers being mistreated and drunk visitors damaging boats. She stated that she anticipated the issue would be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the local companies’ association, Visit the Broads.
The Telegraph quoted Sparrow as saying, “We started to observe a minority of our customers packing up the day boats with crates of alcohol and other stuff, and it was causing problems.
“A few years ago, there was some boat damage, which meant it was harming our income. Some visitors were returning drunk and being rude to the workers, which was unfair to our personnel because they would be expelled from a pub if they acted that way there.”
She said that the alcohol prohibition, which was implemented last year, had been a success and had not discouraged customers from using the business: “We worried that we may lose all of our clients, but we haven’t. Many individuals think the rule is a terrific idea and are very happy about it.
The Broads Authority, which is legally responsible for the waterways, stated that it supported a responsible attitude to drinking and that it was up to individual boating businesses to set their own rules. From the report, it was seen by the head of operations, Rob Rogers, that “we always tell people to balance their alcohol intake.” Wear a life jacket at all times, and limit your alcohol intake.
A Norfolk Broads bylaw states that “a person shall not navigate a vessel while under the influence of drink or drugs to such an extent as to be incapable of taking proper control of the vessel,” despite national laws prohibiting recreational boat users from operating on the water while intoxicated.
The tourists were “really over-refreshed” by the time they returned to the boats, according to Sparrow, who noted that this had happened on several occasions when they spent the entire day drinking on the boats or at neighboring bars.
Conclusion
The raucous behavior of their customers, she claimed, had been the subject of complaints from other boaters, and it could damage the business’s reputation. Because that’s not what we wanted for people, we made the decision that we had to change the situation. We want visitors to the Broads to have a wonderful time, return, and be safe.
Source: The Guardian
