Concerns About Tourists/2nd Home Owners Visiting At Easter

[EternalOptimist7]

I am lucky enough to live in Cornwall. Things are getting better ( actually we have had some of the lowest Covid death figures in the country) but I do worry that the floodgates will open in the next school holidays. It’s such a difficult situation because Cornwall is a poor county & gets a lot of income from tourism & we have to think of the economy. But equally, loads of people coming down on holiday could set things back. Second home owners are a whole different ballgame. I am aware that feelings are running high. Just wondering what people’s thoughts are, whether you are local or not.

Yes, filthy dirty bastards dripping in Covid coming down in their Covid covered cars to spread Covid around all the locals then fuck back off again.

How very dare they.

I do understand your concerns. Of course, Cornish people may also decide to visit their families and friends in other areas of the UK. Realistically all you can do is stick to the rules to keep yourselves and your families a safe as you can.

Once people are allowed to stay overnight somewhere, they will do so. Cornwall last year was unbelievably busy. I suspect it will be the same this year.

We are in a much better place than last year. By the summer, every adult should have been offered at least 1 vaccine.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of very measured posts on here! I think there's been a fairly visceral reaction to plague-ridden city folk taking their germs to the countryside, and horror at photos of crowded beaches etc, but actually from a covid risk perspective the data shows otherwise.

I am desperate for a bit of clean open space. It is unpleasant living somewhere without outside space and with only overused crowded dirty parks accessible just now. (You could ask "why live in London, then?" - accident of birth, about which I am ambivalent, much like many of those who live in second home hotspots.)

• When I can, I will go to somewhere which doesn't immediately hate me as much as Cornwall does.
• Sadly, those most struggling with this - without gardens and without nicer parks - are generally those who can't afford a holiday anyway, much less a second home.

This summer is going to be awful for these “us and them” standoffs

Dreading it, tbh. Just really fucking sick of it.

@missbridgerton

Yes, filthy dirty bastards dripping in Covid coming down in their Covid covered cars to spread Covid around all the locals then fuck back off again.

How very dare they.

Yes absolutely.

I'm lucky enough to live in London and I certainly hope we don't get overrun with outsiders and non-locals visiting us with their filthy germs and spreading them all over our beautiful town. Some of us were born here you know. It's a local town for local people.

I shall be heading home to Cornwall at Easter. My elderly mum lives alone and my siblings live abroad. I'll be bringing some food with me and my mum will have some food in. She lives in a tourist area, but down a relatively isolated lane. DH and DD will also be coming. It's the only week we can have off without paying nursery fees (£250).

I grew up in a tourist area, and visiting it is me visiting my home and family.

Tourism made my rural upbringing vibrant and diverse with international visitors, and means a huge amount to the local economy.

I find the "cowering" attitude a bit off somehow - I obviously totally understand that it's a different way off life, but there was no dangerous spike in Cornwall last year, nor the Lakes. It seems... churlish, perhaps? to be nimbyish about visitors.

This is one country, made up of many different professions and communities with different covid risks. It seems utterly daft to artificially preserve protection from covid for some areas - especially if they're areas dependent on people coming and spending.

As someone living in London with a second home on the east coast, I see it from both sides, although maybe not in the way you think. Can’t wait to get to our other place and walk by the sea, also not looking forward to hoardes descending on London from all round the country and maybe beyond.

Reality is the data shows it doesn’t really have as much of an impact as people think. The economies need it too. My neighbours by the sea run a local restaurant and I know the business is on its last legs, their personal finances shredded and the stress immense. It’s most likely the same for every local business.

There may be a third wave coming but vaccinations are in progress, and the income from visitors might keep livelihoods going during that time.

Those prophesied 'spikes' didn't eventuate, did they?

You can only cry wolf so often.

I'd like to go and spend time and money somewhere in a few months but I don't want to be treated as a human biohazard. ☹️

Bournemouth here. Last year so many people crammed onto the beach the police called a major incident. Looking forward to that again.....

I have to say, not because im particularly worried about COVID, but because its PITA in general

I'm dreading it..as we had very low cases, then heaps of people appeared at xmas, got a massive spike and we're finally at a low level.

Due a baby in may at treliske and I'm so scared. I wish boris would hold it off for one more month.

I know theres been some people sneaking in but im genuinely afraid of opening the floodgates. I'm really anxious of the crowds now as it is without the danger to my baby

You're welcome here. Enough Wight to go around. 👍

The stay at home order ends 29 March as far as I can tell so the police can’t stop people travelling, that’s what I made of it anyway.

I live in a village that has been slowly losing its highstreet for years. It hugely relies on tourists and visitors yet the fb is full of people moaning about people coming to the village to start/ finish walks. When they come they visit the bakery, butchers, independent coffee shops. The village just doesn’t have enough locals that could afford to shop every day in some of the shops on our high street but we want them to survive.
You can’t complain about the death of high street whilst wanting to keep everything for yourself.

It's like most other things in life - some people behave badly and it affects everyone else. I live in a tourist area - and I am also a tourist myself when I go on holiday. But when I visit other places I don't patronise the people who live there all year round by announcing that it is only because of my money that they have places to shop and eat. We have some great restaurants and shops here - and it is the local support they have that keep them open all year round. I avoid them in the summer months because of some of the visitors to the area and the way they speak to the waiters and waitresses - as if they are Lords of the Manor doing the local populace a favour.

When I visit other areas I don't park where I damn well please - blocking narrow lanes with my car and preventing emergency services from getting through. I don't climb mountains wearing flip flops. I don't throw my litter on the beach. When I am allowed to travel to stay overnight elsewhere I will wear my mask in the shops and I will keep my distance outside. I hope visitors to my local area will do the same. I know that most will, but from the experience of last summer, I also suspect that some will not.

I live in Cornwall in a touristy area. Resigned to it being busy for a couple of weeks around Easter. We’ll just stay at home and wait for everyone to go home again. It’s a PITA but worth tolerating it to live here all year round.

My views were the same pre covid. Covid has just added a layer onto existing tensions caused by over tourism. Tourists themselves aren’t a problem, they’re a good thing in many ways, but the volume has gone beyond comfortable capacity in recent years.

Thats nice. Why choose to live in a touristy area if you hate tourists so much? well I didn’t choose it for the tourists obviously. It’s our home just like your home would still be your home if thousands of people wanted to come to the area. Summers are always difficult here but this year is likely to be harder. We don’t have the infrastructure for the numbers that are expected. I have vulnerable family who will be mostly housebound because of the crowds and traffic. I suppose I could lie and say I was looking forward to the influx but the reality is rather different.

The figures didn't spike last August did they?

We visit Cornwall at least once a year usually. Haven't booked at all to go there this year.

I live in Cornwall and yes it is expected to be busy this summer. We will just have to not go to the usual tourist spots but businesses need the income and local people with no jobs need the work. I have no patience with second home owners though who shop at their local supermarkets before they come down and don't support the local economy but so long as they keep to the restrictions they won't bother me.

I'm in Cornwall too, hello I feel much the same, remembering last summer and how I was essentially trapped in my house most of the time as everywhere was packed to the rafters and it was the busiest it's ever been. Fingers crossed it's not that bad again, but I am worried - especially if they continue to ban foreign travel. Everyone will just come here instead.

What like the spike that didn't happen last summer? I'm looking forward to crossing over from Devon for my week in Cornwall in August. We're off to a quiet bit of Cornwall so I'm not too worried. We're late risers and always hit the beach as the first sitting are heading home. It was no worse last year down here then any other year.

And this is why I'd like to go abroad this summer. Some of the attitudes on here are appalling.