The closure of two hugely popular Cornish tourist destinations in the space of a couple of hours has left locals in shock amid concerns about the state of the county’s holiday industry.
Dairyland Farm Park, near Newquay, has been welcoming visitors for almost five decades, but shut its doors for the final time last weekend.
Citing persistent financial struggles, the attraction shared its difficulties in trying to recover from the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic against the backdrop of rising operating costs.
Described by General manager Keith Thompson as a ‘massive loss for Cornwall’, Dairyland’s closure was bookended by the immediate shutting of Flambards Theme Park in Helston.
Similarly, Flambards had been open for 48 years and cited a steady decline in visitors over the recent holiday periods, making trading untenable.
The closure of two such prominent tourist attractions follows the worrying news that this past year saw Cornwall endure its worst summer visitor numbers for a decade, according to the South West Business Council (SWBC).
In decades gone by, a trip to England’s sunny southwest was seen as one the premier staycation options available to holiday-goers.
However, businesses in Cornwall have been struggling for some time as its tourism industry slowly dwindles.
There were a multitude of reasons for this according to the SWBC’s chairman, Tim Jones, who told the BBC earlier this summer that 17 per cent of bars and restaurants had shut down in the area.
Issues impacting visitor numbers ranged from increased operating costs resulting in the need to cut staffing and in turn cap tourists at some attractions, while others pinpointed the lack of adequate public transport infrastructure as a major stumbling block.
Journeys can take many hours from urban centres such as London and Manchester, with many transfers required to reach some of Cornwall’s most picturesque locations without your own car.
In an age of cut-price flights to the likes of Spain, Italy and Greece, Cornish businesses have claimed that many potential domestic tourists are put off from the start due to the complexity and pricing of travel when compared with foreign sun trips.
Described as a ‘vital’ part of the area’s economy, Sally Everton of Visit Devon expressed her wish for both tourists and the governments support in backing the Cornish tourism industry during what continues to be a difficult trading period.
Travel expert Zak Ali, commercial leader for Together Travel, has recently voiced his concerns over tourist’s ‘abandoning’ of Cornwall’s seaside towns.
Speaking to the Express last month, Ali bemoaned the dire situation facing travel agents in the area, who could potentially be facing the prospect of mass redundancies.
With uncertainty in the housing market, Ali says that travel agents are finding it difficult to keep properties open and available on the rental market.
Adding to agents woes in securing tourist accommodation for short-term lets is the fact that as of April next year, second homes in the area are set to be slapped with a 100 per cent hike in council tax.
With Cornwall’s tourism industry worth roughly £2 billion annually, or 15 per cent of the local economy, Mr Ali said there will be wider implications for the local economy should the tourism industry continue to struggle.
‘We’ve seen it in the summer we’ve just had already, the destination has not been as strong as it has been historically.
‘The tourism industry will see a negative impact. I think it will be detrimental to the overall income generated on the back of tourism,’ Mr Ali concluded.