THE tech sector in Bournemouth still has “tremendous” growth potential, even though talk about its prospects has “all gone a bit quiet”, a leading figure in the sector has said.

Bournemouth and the surrounding area were said to have the fastest-growing digital economy in the UK according to the 2015 Tech Nation report.

This year’s Tech Nation report names Bournemouth 27th among the nation’s tech “hubs”, with £2m of investment in the sector in 2020, whereas third place Bristol boasted £270m.

Tom Quay, chief executive of Westbourne-based Passenger – which specialises in apps and websites for public transport – said the attractiveness of the area and the growing reliance on digital technology both boded well for the sector’s future.

“As we start to emerge from the grip of the pandemic, Bournemouth has an opportunity to propel its tech community into the fore,” he said.

“The town was once hailed as a hotspot for new technology start-ups, with a rapidly growing digital sector and thriving meetup community. Media were continually reporting about Bournemouth’s rich prospects in the sector, with research showing evidence of its success above other areas of the UK. Yet it has all gone a bit quiet over the past couple of years, particularly with the impact of Covid on many businesses.”

He said the 2021 Tech Nation report still showed “promising signs of growth”.

“Despite the lack of activity and recent figures, I don’t believe that Bournemouth’s digital tech business potential has been lost. For one thing, the appeal of large, urban city living has been subsiding since lockdown began,” he added.

“We’ve seen various news stories about how people are craving an ‘escape to the country’, as Covid forced them to stay confined to their homes. Rightmove recently reported that Dorset is now one of the top 10 most popular searched for locations on the site, so our county is already on people’s wish lists for relocation.

“Let us also not forget that there’s now more of a reliance than ever before on digital solutions. People have had to adapt to remote working, find new ways to interact with friends and family, and be more wary of health and safety measures in public. Technology has played a significant part in aiding all these lifestyle changes.

“At Passenger, we’ve seen how beneficial such technological solutions have been through the success of myTrip – an app designed to help smaller UK bus operators support social distancing and boost customer confidence as they return to travel. Since launching in October 2020, the app now has over 28,500 users across the country.

“Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s largest transport operating groups, has also adopted Passenger’s technology with the launch of 17 apps as it prepares for growth in its services, post-pandemic.

“Many Bournemouth-based businesses are also taking technology to the next level with life-changing solutions. Digital therapeutics brand My mHealth has created pioneering innovations in the health tech space, including a large-scale roll-out of an NHS-approved diabetes app to serve 100,000 people across Kent. Another example is health and life insurer Vitality, which recently launched a new car insurance proposition in partnership with Covéa Insurance. The scheme, VitalityCar, incentivises and rewards good driving, as well as motorists making greener choices - helping promote positive behaviour change and appealing to changing customer needs.”

Westbourne-based Passenger recently relaunched its tech meetup sponsorship programme, which offers regular funding for tech meet-ups on the south coast.

“I’m proud our business is expanding, and attribute this not only to our innovative products and highly dedicated team, but also our willingness to collaborate with our tech community. Our team have always gone above and beyond to actively make the community what it is; from launching Bournemouth’s open device lab in 2013, to hosting re:develop, an annual developer conference and supporting regular meetups and events, such as MobileDorset and HackSoton. As a result of our growth, we’re actively recruiting for new roles across different departments, including product managers and software engineers to help us accelerate the UK’s journey towards sustainable mobility,” he added.

“Taking all the above into account, I believe Bournemouth still has a tremendous amount of growth potential in the tech sector. I’m excited to see a wealth of new talent join the industry and take advantage of the opportunities as they unfold in the coming year.”