How to feel like you’re on holiday abroad without being on holiday abroad? For decades, the answer has been ‘go to Cornwall’.
With its California-esque surf beaches, Mediterranean-style gardens and delicious (jam first, please) cream teas, Cornwall, last stop before the Atlantic, has long been our staycation shining star – even if the traffic means it can actually be quicker to jet to Europe.
Attractions such as the Eden Project, cliff-edge theatre The Minack, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pendennis Castle plus a myriad of beautiful beaches – from Kynance Cove to Fistral Beach, and gorgeous pubs have seen the Cornish tourist industry rake in £2.1 billion annually, accounting for 20 per cent of the local economy.
The news this week though, that the south-west region’s tourist board, Visit Cornwall, has folded, is the latest in a series of setbacks, including a slump in visitor figures and the second-home scandal that has engulfed tourist towns such as St Ives, Port Isaac and Padstow.
The official tourist board of Cornwall said this week that it had entered voluntary liquidation, due to ‘insurmountable financial problems’ and will lay off six employees tasked with promoting the region both to the UK and globally.
In the summer, Visit Cornwall’s board underwent a business review before the decision was taken this week ‘before another round of membership payments was due in two months’.
Chief executive of Cornwall’s biggest brewery, St Austell Brewery, said the announcement was ‘deeply concerning and marks a critical moment for Cornwall’s visitor economy’.
The region’s tourist beaches, including the golden sands of Newquay, Perranporth and Watergate Bay, have been routinely packed for decades in the height of the summer, but crowds have been thinner on the ground in recent years.
Visitor figures to Cornwall slumped by 10 to 12 per cent in 2024, and this week Visit Cornwall, which promotes the region to the UK and the rest of the world, announced it went bust (Pictured: The Sloop Inn, St Ives)
Visitor numbers were down by around 10 to 12 per cent in 2024, with the cost-of-living crisis and dreary British weather blamed for the slump – but tourism officials say they’re hopeful that 2025 will see the region’s figures more buoyant again.
Has an image problem played its part in a cooling off of the nation’s love affair with a Cornish holiday?
It’s easy to think that the second-homes scandal has made tourists consider alternative places to spend their week in the sun.
St Ives, one of the most popular beachside towns, and home to art attractions, including Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum, has seen quaint fishermen’s cottages, on its cobbled, hilly streets, snapped up by second-homers, who have often rented them out as Airbnbs.
Those in the community believe this has priced out locals and some of the more ‘traditional’ tourists.
Jess Astle, who works in a beachfront shop, told the Daily Mail last month: ‘A lot of people now stay outside of St Ives and are day trippers because the price of Airbnbs has shot up.
‘St Ives is outpricing itself with the cost of accommodation and even the price of a meal is outrageous.’
Travel writer Laura Millar says she’s surprised by Visit Cornwall’s demise: ‘Cornwall has become a victim of its own success over the years, thanks to shows like Poldark – with thousands stampeding there every summer – but the tourist board going bust is unexpected and hopefully it’ll become a going concern again soon.
Second homes being snapped up in popular tourist destinations, including St Ives (pictured), Port Isaac and Padstow have outpriced locals – and sparked protests against overtourism
‘The locals have had enough, and I can’t say I blame them, but be careful what you wish for when it comes to overtourism.
‘If visitors don’t come at all, they don’t have the income.
‘Cornwall is also expensive, and Britain generally feels more expensive to holiday in than some parts of Europe or even further afield.’
‘”Go off-season” is always my travel mantra, and it applies here – wrap up in a woolly jumper and you’ll have a great time.
‘I’m very fond of Port Isaac in winter, a cosy meal with a roaring fire – what could be more British than that?’
Head of Lonely Planet UK, Tom Hall urges visitors not to give up on pointing their compass south-west, but to employ some lateral thinking to get the best out of it.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s really important to recognise that Cornwall’s popular with good reason. It’s natural beauty; it has some of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, coastline in the UK and in a lot of Europe.
‘There’s a fantastic food scene and some great culture. If you take those three things, you’ve got the three reasons that anyone goes anywhere on holiday, and they’re all there.’
Don’t give up on visiting Cornwall though, urges Lonely Planet’s UK head Tom Hall, who says the region still has plenty to offer if you go in shoulder season. Pictured: Lamorna Cove in Cornwall
Major attractions such as the Eden Project and St Michaels Mount (pictured) are open year round
He added: ‘At Lonely Planet, we’ve seen a huge amount of interest in travelling in shoulder season, or off-season.
‘We’ve got better weather for longer, so May half-term is a great time to go if you’re travelling with family. And if you’re not traveling with family, you have far more flexibility in terms of when you actually are there.’
The travel expert says thinking of shoulder season in one day, so getting up early to avoid crowds, or going later in the afternoon can also ensure you have a better experience, and using the train instead of going to war with the traffic also makes for a less stressful break.
Where does Hall recommend to visit, beyond the Cornwall’s biggest tourist towns?
‘My personal favourite is the area around the Roseland Peninsula in West Cornwall. The biggest town is Falmouth, which is a brilliant base and a really lively town with a great art scene.
‘From there, you can take ferries out to all these lovely places, such as St Anthony Head. And from villages like St Just, there are some great walks; you can go over to Flushing and explore around, to Mylor.
‘And towards the end of Cornwall, I absolutely love villages like Lamorna that you can get to very easily from Penzance, and Sennen Cove – they have this end-of-the-world feeling to them.’