TOURISM NEWS
INTERNATIONAL PUSH
Travel trade experts from around the world visited a selection of the UK’s top tourism destinations in March in a major push by VisitBritain to boost international visitor numbers. Those from the USA headed to Cornwall for a three-day educational trip, taking in a selection of the best that we have to offer. The publicity around the G7 in St Ives last year is thought
GET ON ’YER BIKE!
A luxury Cornish hotel has teamed up with an electric bike rental which enables guests to explore the beauty of the county on two wheels. The Headland has joined forces with Penzance-based Ebike Cornwall to give visitors a different and eco-friendly way of seeing what Cornwall has to offer.
to have been pivotal in the choice of destination, which was driven by the operators themselves. The event was organised by VisitBritain, in conjunction with destination management companies such as Cornwall DMC and reinforced VisitBritain’s latest £10m marketing campaign, ‘Welcome to Another Side of Britain’.
Veryan Palmer, director of the five-star hotel in Newquay, said: “We’re thrilled to take receipt of the e-bikes because our beautiful county is also a very hilly one, so it will enable guests to cover many more miles when they are out and about exploring the stunning scenery. “The bikes also provide fantastic wellbeing opportunities for our staff and they are an important element of our agenda for sustainability and climate protection.” Ebike Cornwall will supply, maintain and insure the bikes for use by hotel staff and guests over the age of 14. It provides a full package of helmets, locks, panniers and pre-planned routes and itineraries from the hotel.
TOURISM FORTNIGHT SUCCESS
Businesses operating in the tourism and hospitality industry in Cornwall were provided with expert advice and information covering a range of key opportunities and threats to the sector during this year’s Visit Cornwall’s Tourism Fortnight. A total of 171 businesses took part in the four free to attend events that covered subjects including business operations, digital marketing, future markets, growth opportunities and sustainable and responsible tourism. Humphry Walwyn from Visit England presented the latest data that pointed to another busy year with UK tourists again looking to the south west with the region being overwhelmingly the most desirable destination. Cornwall still holds a special place in the hearts of those from the Midlands, London and the south east, with those
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TALKING TOURISM
areas providing a large proportion of the visitors enjoy breaks in the far south west. Visit Britain’s Devki Patel highlighted that the international visitor market to the UK was finally remerging in force after Coronavirus curtail overseas travel. Flight bookings have increased and remained strong even after the conflict in Ukraine began. However, forecasts show that it might take until 2025 for numbers to return to pre-covid levels. Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said: “The tourism and hospitality sector in Cornwall has had two years of highs and lows and the year ahead is likely to be much the same. Thanks to funding from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub, we were pleased to be stage these events to help businesses to take advantage of the opportunities and negotiate the challenges ahead.”
SPRING 2022
