JON MATTHEWS
credentials. That is so exciting for Cornwall and the south west to be able to really focus on sustainability.”
Building back greener Jon Matthews, who chairs the Penzance & District Tourism Association, explains the importance of sustainability.
It’s so important that sustainability sits alongside the operating of the businesses
The past year 18 months or so have been a huge challenge for the tourism industry. As a guest house owner and chair of the local tourism association, Jon Matthews, has had to battle through the pandemic and lockdowns and it hasn’t been easy. “I think at the start, because nobody knew what was happening, that’s when people probably had the most concern,” recalls Jon. “Having coming through the seasonal winter period when not having any income, having invested heavily over the winter on room renovations and all that stuff. “And then to get to a point when you’re having to give all the deposits back, that was incredibly tough. But once we got over that period, I think people reinvented themselves a little bit and put a great deal of fantastic measures in place to protect everybody. Income was reduced, but people still took rooms out. And I don’t think people compromised on their environmental
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TALKING TOURISM
Sustainability has become a growing issue in tourism in recent times and it is a subject that Jon feels passionately about, as do many businesses in Penzance, with the town proudly becoming the first plastic-free community in the UK back in 2017. He believes sustainability is a win-win for the holiday provider and the customer and is an issue he has driven forward both in his capacity as guest house owner and chair of the Penzance Tourism Association. He says it is something that guests have now come to expect and is all part of the customer experience. Gone are the days of trays full of small plastic cartons etc. Now local provenance comes into the equation. “Local milk, jam made on the Lizard and locally-grown tomatoes. Last year we were using tomatoes grown for us by my mum. The food mileage was 300 yards! All of that really matters to the majority of the guests.” He says that kind of personal touch can help stand guest houses and B&Bs out from the crowd. “It’s so important that sustainability sits alongside the operating of the businesses,” says Jon. “Guests expect it and I really think there’s no going back. “I stayed in this place last year that had all this plastic in the room, and it just felt so corporate. It’s not what the experience is about now, not what people want. They want the personal touch, that end-to-end experience. And drinking milk from the milk bottle is just fantastic. Even if you decanted it from Lidls, it would taste better!” Jon pays tribute to the help and advice he and the Penzance Tourism Association received from Malcolm Bell and Visit Cornwall during the pandemic. He says the guest houses and B&Bs are a vital part of the local economy. “Accommodation sits right in the middle of the community,” he says. “It is important for the vibrancy of the restaurants and the cafes in the town because although more people come to a place like Penzance during the day, in
SUMMER 2021
