With Halloween behind us, our focus now turns to welcoming visitors for the vibrant festive season.
In this month’s issue: Find out how we can promote your winter offers, understand how you can upload your event on the Visit Kent website, read key points for tourism and hospitality from the Budget, get the lowdown on heritage projects and lots more.
How we can help your business
Promote your Winter offers
To support local businesses we have launched a new web page www.visitthanet.co.uk/autumnoffers showcasing promotions and offers across Thanet. If you are running a promotion or offering added-value or money off let us know visitorinformation@thanet.gov.uk and we will include it. We will also drive to the offers page via our socials to widen the reach and spread the word.
Festive Events and Opening Times
We constantly update our festive guide at www.visitthanet.co.uk/christmas to promote local activities, events, food, drink, and shopping.
Don’t forget to let us know what you are doing and we will include it. We also would love you to share the link across your own channels and newsletters to help drive more visitors.
Christmas hours: As well as visitors seeking a coastal escape, we also see many visiting family and friends across the Isle during the festive season, so if your business is open over Christmas, Twixmas, or the New Year, please let our team know at visitorinformation@thanet.gov.uk so we can share with visitors.
Visitor Information Services Winter operating hours
Talking of opening hours, please see below for our own revised opening hours.
- Margate (Droit House): Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm in November and December
- Ramsgate (The Custom House): Monday to Saturday, 11am to 3pm.
- Broadstairs (Promenade Kiosk): Closed until the 2027 season.
Important Change! Upload your events to the NEW Visit Kent website
Visit Kent is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Kent, their role is to promote Kent to domestic and international visitors. They have relaunched their website and have changed how content is uploaded.
Previously as a team we would input the events onto the Visit Thanet website as it was a microsite of Visit Kent, the events and entries would be displayed on both sites. This is now not the case with the new Visit Kent site. They still offer the opportunity for venues to promote events but it’s slightly different.
How it works?
They use a platform called Data Thistle, to find out more and get your event listed, visit their page here. If you click the yellow ‘adding events listings’ link, it will direct users to this page, where they can follow a step-by-step guide to creating events.
All events will go through the Visit Kent approval process before being uploaded
October’s Budget – Key Points for Tourism & Hospitality Businesses
Business rates for small premises:
- The Small Business Rate Relief threshold for retail, hospitality and leisure will rise from £12,000 to £18,000 rateable value. The Treasury says a further 70,000 businesses will pay nothing, and half of all such properties in England will pay no rates.
- Other retail, hospitality and leisure properties get a two-year freeze.
- An extra 20% off for pubs, music venues and social clubs taking effect from April 2027, on top of this year’s 15% relief. The very largest music venues are excluded.
National Living Wage:
- Increased by 3.9%, rising to £13.21 per hour from April 2027. Welcome news for employees, but businesses should plan for increased staffing costs.
Jobs Guarantee & Youth Jobs Grant:
- Jobs Guarantee funding six months of part-time wages for long-term unemployed 18-to-24-year-olds on Universal Credit, supported by the existing £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for eligible hires.
Travel:
- The 5p fuel duty cut and freeze are extended, helping coach operators and supporting domestic travel.
Alcohol Duty:
- £10 million a year in alcohol duty relief for over 2,000 small producers.
Margate Restaurant Week
What an absolute feast, we hope your tables were packed and your kitchens were buzzing!
We loved getting out to explore, tasting our way around town and every single mouthful proved just how vibrant, creative, and delicious our coastal food scene truly is.
Behind the scenes, the Visit Thanet team worked to help bring diners directly to your door! As soon as the event launched, we spotlighted participating venues on our website and promoted it across our social media. As a result saw a huge spike in web traffic that we hope drove enthusiastic foodies straight to your booking systems!
News from Thanet District Council
Oil deposits on Thanet beaches
Members of the public are advised to stay off Thanet’s beaches, after large amounts of oil washed up along the coastline earlier this week.
The clean-up continues following confirmation of the oil pollution incident on Wednesday 11 November which has resulted in the beaches being temporarily closed to the public.
While the incident is ongoing, signs are in place at beaches from Minnis Bay in Birchington to Ramsgate Main Sands, to warn the public to stay off the beaches. Oil deposits can cause skin irritation and should not be touched.
Dog owners are reminded that they must not take their dogs onto the affected beaches until further notice.
The public is also urged to stay away from any deposits of oil. Any sightings of oil deposits should be reported to the council on 01843 577000.
The latest updates are available on the newsroom.
£3.6m Restoration Announced for Margate Museum
One of Margate’s key heritage attractions is set to return, following a newly announced £3.6m restoration scheme for the Grade II Listed Margate Museum and adjoining Old Town Hall.
Closed since 2024 due to structural issues, the Market Place landmark will undergo vital repairs, heating and electrical upgrades, and full accessibility improvements including new lifts and ramps, backed by funding from Thanet District Council, Historic England, and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
Once reopened, visitors will again be able to explore 5000 years of coastal history, from intact Victorian police cells and the courtroom to JMW Turner, RNLI, and Mods and Rockers archives, while new commercial and community spaces in the Old Town Hall will help secure the museum’s long-term future. Main contractor procurement begins in early 2027, and anyone interested in volunteering to pack or audit the collection can email museums@thanet.gov.uk
Exciting news for Ramsgate’s heritage
St George’s Church has successfully secured grant funding from the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund. As the town centre’s civic church and a Grade I Listed landmark from 1827, St George’s requires vital restoration to safeguard its sandstone structure.
This funding supports the first phase of an ambitious £4.5 million scheme designed to open the building for wider community use. Aligning with “Project 200” leading up to the church’s 200th anniversary in 2027, the initial phase will deliver urgent structural repairs and enhanced step-free access. The broader vision will turn St George’s into a vibrant destination for local heritage and culture, serving as a catalyst for town centre regeneration.
Festive Teenage Market
The Festive Teenage Market takes place at Margate Digital Campus in Margate on Saturday 21 November, between 10am and 4pm. A collaborative space for young people to try something new, meet other young creatives, build confidence and gain valuable experience. On sale will be hand-crafted gifts and live performances from talented, local young musicians.
Your News
Dreamland’s 2025 Economic & Community Impact
An independent report was commissioned by Dreamland, a summary of results below highlight its role in driving growth across Margate and the wider Kent region during 2025.
- Footfall: The attraction recorded approximately 413,000 visits, including nearly 283,000 free-entry park visits and 130,000 visits to 50 ticketed live events and concerts. About one-third of total visitors came from outside Kent & Medway.
- Economic Value: Dreamland generated £25.7 million in spending in 2025, adding £12.3 million to Margate’s economy, most of which is spending by visitors in local shops, restaurants and hotels.
- Local Business Support & Jobs: Dreamland’s operations supported 280 gross full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs for local people, 55 are direct employees of Dreamland. In 2025 Dreamland spent £1 million with businesses located in Margate and partnered with independent local vendors for its food and beverage service.
- Community & Charitable Value: They contributed over £74,000 in charitable and in-kind support, hosting key local community events. Collaborating with local schools and colleges and offering work experience placements for East Kent College students.
Taste of Kent Award winners
Congratulations to Speciality Breads, a local Margate business recognised at the recent Taste of Kent Awards:
- Gold Kent Food & Drink Innovation Award
Gold Kent Food & Drink Superstar Award: Daniel Jackson, Production Manager
Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs in Britain 2026
Well done to Margate’s The Wellington, who came in at number 50 on the list. Cheers!
Two AA Rosettes for Ramsgate Restaurant
Fantastic news for family-run seafood restaurant Marco-Pierre’s Kitchen, in Ramsgate. The team have been recognised by the AA as being “among the best in their region” and awarded Two AA Rosettes.
Margate Restaurant Week Call Out For February
Following the fantastic success of the bonus November edition of Margate Restaurant Week, and to plan for future editions including the upcoming week in February, there is an opportunity to assist in the planning arrangements for this growing, grass roots movement. If you are a Margate eatery interested in assisting, email margaterestaurantweek@gmail.com to find out more.
Other News
Kent Film Office – Kent Attractions
Ever hosted a film crew at your business, or wondering if your venue could be the next star location?
The Kent Film Office is running a short survey to get the inside scoop on how screen tourism impacts local businesses across Kent, and to figure out which types of productions deliver the biggest boost to our local economy.
They’ll be matching up your feedback with their own filming data to help shape future strategy, including:
- Knowing exactly which types of productions to pitch to or accept for filming in Kent.
- Identifying high-value productions worth offering location fee discounts to, thanks to the film tourism pounds they bring in
Have your say by taking the survey here! Individual responses remain strictly confidential and will only be shared as part of a county-wide summary.
Monthly Seaside CEO Event
The final Seaside CEO session of 2026 features Gary Smith, CEO of MDCV UK, which operates Europe’s largest vineyard right here in Kent.
Attendees will learn about his approach to retail, wholesale, exports, and hear how he helped develop the Silverhand Estate into a key regional tourism destination expected to welcome 15,000 visitors this year.
Event details: Thursday 26 November, 5pm to 7pm at the Royal Temple Yacht Club, Ramsgate. Tickets are £5 per person and can be purchased via Eventbrite
Museums + Heritage Awards 2027 entries open
Submissions are now open for the annual Museums + Heritage Awards celebrating excellence across museums, galleries, and cultural visitor attractions nationwide.
Applications opened on Monday 2 November and close in January. Categories include:
- UK Exhibition of the Year: Temporary or Touring
- Outstanding Contribution to the Museums and Heritage Sector
- Best Collections and Collecting Project
To review entry guidelines, explore all the categories, or register for updates, please visit the Museums + Heritage Awards website
