‘Attract right crowd’

LAST year’s tourism season was a return to normality after the crazy post lockdown staycation boom of 2021, but challenges lie ahead.

When the world eased out of the worst of pandemic restraint in 2021, the South West was top of the list for lockdowners desperate for a change of scene.

While overseas travel was largely off limits, the region’s beaches and tourist attractions were the next best choice for many.

But at peak times, parts of the region creaked under the weight of bookings that were up by around 136 per cent on previous years.

That level of demand is unsustainable for a region that doesn’t have the transport infrastructure, healthcare or housing stock to meet demand.

In fact, the pressure put on Cornwall in particular has been deemed so acute that leading holiday guide Fodor’s Travel has put the county on its ‘no list’, fearing that the essential character of the place is being lost to tourism. According to the magazine Cornwall falls into the second category on its ‘no list’ citing over-tourism and a strain on resources.

Many who live there would also add that the infrastructure can’t cope with a population that doubles or trebles in size during the high season.

It is an issue that tourism bosses have been grappling with for years. Malcolm Bell, the outgoing boss of Visit Cornwall, who retired at the end of 2022, said in one outspoken interview that it had to forget the ‘emmets’ who don’t appreciate the county.

He said: “In my mind, visitors fall into five unofficial categories - at one level you have friends, then you have guests, then you have tourists, then you have bloody tourists, then you have emmets. The challenge we have is to get the friends, guests and tourists, who get us. Then try and convert the bloody tourists, but forget the awkward people who are ‘why haven’t you got this?’, ‘why haven’t you got that?’ It’s about targeting the right people at the right time of year.”

Mr Bell, 67, made the commentwhich he knew he’d get in trouble forwhile talking about the two summers of the pandemic, when Cornwall was swamped by tourists, many of whom were there begrudgingly because they couldn’t go abroad.

“Last year, in particular, should be a salutary note, like burning your fingers as a kid you learn not to do that again.”

And while demand has settled, he said that in 2022, providers did up the prices on the back of the previous year.

But no-one will stand for being ripped off.

“There have been too many people thinking they could get too much money like the two years before. It did give us a reputation for being too expensive, which is ridiculous. Value for quality is one thing, but ripping people off is a completely different thing.

“Sensible businesses - and there are plenty of them - didn’t overegg it. You nurture a customer for life, you don’t rip them off and expect them to come back.”

The key to future success is sustainable tourism, spreading the load across the quieter months with a focus on heritage and attractions to support yearround jobs and communities.

It is a message that tourism businesses across the West are heeding.

Rural destinations like Exmoor take advantage of its relative isolation by promoting the experience of truly getting away from it all. In October it is hosting a two week Exmoor Dark Skies Festivalwhere stargazers come to look up to skies with the light pollution that can blight our towns and cities.

The Forest of Dean meanwhile seeks to attract both ‘wellness’ tourists seeking a peaceful countryside break and adventure junkies after more high octane pursuits.

Across the West one of the biggest draws remains the exceptional food the region produces.

From farmshops and artisan producers in the countryside to buzzy restaurants in Bristol, Bath and Cheltenham, this region has a plethora of reasons to visit.

The region’s festivals also attract hundreds of thousands of tourists and two of the biggest returned with a vengeance in 2022.

The first Cheltenham Festival with fans since the pandemic attracted bumper crowds last March, bringing an estimated £100 million to Cheltenham’s economy.

Such was its popularity that organisers have capped the capacity this year to improve the racegoers’ experience.

And the first Glastonbury Festival for three years was a huge success last June - bringing much-needed revenue to mid-Somerset and the West’s wider creative economy.

Tickets for this year’s event sold out in a matter of minutes and Sir Elton John is among the big names who’ll star on the Pyramid Stage this summer.