Tourism industry quietly confident

CORNWALL'S tourism sector is on course for a bumper season after shaking off a washout last year.

- by OLIVIER VERGNAULT

All indicators seem to be on the promising side for the hospitality industry with bookings on the up ahead of the summer months.

Jon Hyatt, chairman of Visit Cornwall, which represents the tourism industry in the county, said a corner had been turned compared with last year's terrible results. Mr Hyatt said visitor numbers in the region had plummeted in 2024 and were down by 10-12%.

He said that last year's poor tourism performance could be explained by the cost-of-living crisis which had dampened visitors' confidence and reduced their spending power. Mr Hyatt said the weather had also not helped as the summer and bank holiday weekends were complete washouts.

He said: "2024 was very tough. We were cautiously optimistic at the beginning of [this] year but Cornwall enjoyed a strong Easter and May half term.

"I think we are heading towards a strong summer. All the indicators are there for a good season."

According to Visit Cornwall's 'domestic sentiment tracker' for May, public perception around the cost-of-living crisis is showing signs of easing. Only 52% now believe 'the worst is still to come', down significantly from the previous month.

The number of people describing themselves as 'cautious' has also dropped from 49% to 46%. The industry is hoping this improved confidence will translate into travel behaviour. Some 78% of UK adults now say they're planning an overnight domestic trip in the next 12 months, up from 76% this time last year.

Some of Cornwall's tourist hotspots are also optimistic after enjoying a surge in visitor numbers at Easter and during the recent May half-term holiday.

Mark Warren, manager of Newquay Business Improvement District (BID), said the resort had seen plenty of visitors so far this year with traders on the high street enjoying strong footfall.