Sorry re Devon and Cornwall

[Cryalot2]

Sorry about my reply in an earlier thread .
Re the locals not wanting any tourists.
Its just I feel ready to go mad with the current situation. I understand it is taxing for us all.
At the moment I crave the coast so much that I am ready to end my marriage of 30+years and move ( dh is settled here and self employed)
Weekends are always harder for us as we spent time out at the sea in all weather.
Once again sorry all.

I've no idea what you are on about but good on you for apologising. Personally I hate the coast but love a good forest.
You can still travel to the coast can't you, but just not stay over, unless you are totally miles away.

Did the original thread get deleted?

I get this on both sides. People are craving those elements more that a big Mac! And I understand the people who live there and don't want people to come. A bit more kindness, understanding and tolerance on both sides is my wish for now. And one day, I know, I will be back on the beach I love!

What did you say? If it’s that the ‘locals’ don’t want tourists then you’re not wrong - they’re nothing but rude about them at the best of times never mind now. I am from Devon but live in London now and, whilst I would actually really like to move back, the insular attitude of people there makes me sick.
My social media at the moment is a constant barrage of ‘stay at home, keep out of the south west, we’re closed’ etc from the people I know who live there - interspersed with pictures from the many rural walks they are all taking whilst definitely not staying at home. Obviously I’m bitter and jealous about the walks haha but mostly I wish they’d just shut up.

When people can go on holiday again we will need tourists to be spending their money in this country and not abroad.
Locals need to make sure they don’t alienate tourists so much they don’t come back, eventually they will rely on their income.

And no I have absolutely no plans to go to any where that I can’t too in the near future.

They may not want tourists and I get why just at the moment but tourism supports a huge part of the economy in both Devon and Cornwall so they need it regardless of whether they want it. Government support will not go on forever.

I have no idea about your original comment, it seems most people don’t so I wouldn’t worry!
I have read a lot of threads about Devon and Cornwall, and the gist I got from them is that they accept their community relies upon the tourist industry for the most part, but they don’t want to welcome tourists at the moment because of Covid, which is understandable.
But anyway, you apologised, so well done for that.

My local Lake District Facebook pages are full of vitriol and spite. Now is not the time for tourists but I understand why people love the Lakes and would like to visit.

I really hope the people who rely on tourists to make a living don’t end up biting the hand that feeds them.

@DarkDarkNight, well said.

No idea about the original post. However, I do live in Cornwall. The concern is we have one very over stretched hospitals who cannot cope with influx of tourists most years yet alone doing a pandemic. Tourists could bring the virus down. We have low numbers of covid and I want it to stay that way.

I think tourists forget we aren’t just a. Holiday destination, our whole lives are here where we work and do our normal day to day things.

We put up with our roads being rammed taking us twice as long to get anywhere, our supermarkets being chokka, hideous waits in a&e, having to pay ridiculous prices to park at the beach during the summer, increased in prices of things during the summer, everywhere just being plain busy.

People just need to stay away. We will hopefully and fingers crossed by open next year!

We are a welcoming bunch I think but we have limited healthcare.

As for everyone saying we need the tourism for money. Yes we do but we also need our locals r be safe!

I’ve no idea what you’re apologising for, but I think you’re a very strong person for starting your own thread to do so, OP! You’re a champ.

As a Cornish resident, I think we’ve got the message across now. About four weeks ago, there was a DESPERATE need to shout about it quite a lot, as there were still a lot of people clearly planning on turning up during a pandemic, almost in a kind of spiteful way, if you know what I mean? I think the message has been said now, so no need for anymore messages from the locals.

Equally, those with holidays booked/planning to come really need to accept that they’re not going to be able to come to Cornwall any time soon. Happy to have you all back when it’s over though! My town is depressingly fucking quiet to walk through right now.

One thing I will say though is that I don’t necessarily agree with the mentality of the “warnings” outsiders are giving us about our lives being utterly hopeless without tourism. Me, DH, my family, DH’s family, our entire extended families, all of our close friends... not one of us relies on the tourist trade in Cornwall. Not one! There are other industries and jobs down here, y’know

I'm Cornish and in tourism, getting so sick of all the abuse and stereotyping, of course we need tourists but we are all being very cautious just like the rest of the Country and no I am not rude or awful to tourists I've met and welcomed hundreds and hundreds of people from all over the Country and indeed Europe and the US. I have quite a dilemma as in I want to open my holiday lets of course I do but I'm bound by the same constraints as everyone else so when I have the go ahead I'll work out how to keep myself my family and my potential guests safe.
Really tired of the constant The Cornish don't want us crap as I and many many folks I know have never said that.
Thank you for your gracious apology OP must admit I was thinking of leaving this site because of those who stereotype without even thinking you cannot generalise a whole County

On Facebook there is Turkey, Spain, Portugal saying
'Hope you can come here soon. We are missing you' I appreciate it's the money they miss most but they know where there money comes from and can't wait to welcome us back (despite some of us not being the best behaved whilst there) Meanwhile in Britain, because currently the government is picking up the tab it's all stay away, this is ours, we don't want you.

I wonder if they'll be surprised when the government says we can't give you any more - they have no money and many Brits (not all but I suspect a significant number) say 'Tough' - you didn't care when we needed a break.

I have always felt more welcome in foreign tourist resorts (particularly Turkey) than in British ones - it's not just the weather.

Like I say on all these threads.
Whilst there's all this regional division, our UK wide airports continue to operate with no border restrictions whatsoever. Unlike most other countries worldwide.
Hundreds of thousands have arrived at our airports over the last couple of months. Then headed off to wherever in the UK they're going to. No checks. No quarantine.

I think tourists forget we aren’t just a. Holiday destination, our whole lives are here where we work and do our normal day to day things.
I agree with you. It's just a shame some people (including perhaps the government) don't remember the same applies to another major tourist destination - London. Just as seaside resorts aren't just tourist spots, London is not just a major travel/commuter hub. Normal people live there too and deserved the same protection other places are asking for. That's the government's fault though. It's not the fault of people from Cornwall or other beauty spots.

I'm in Cornwall, and currently it's the worst of all worlds - the second homers are here, causing congestion, dropping litter, making it impossible to social distance on cliff walks etc, but at the same time local businesses, including my own, still aren't able to profit from them!

We fully intend to come to Cornwall as usual, we go every year.
I don't honestly think Cornish people can fully expect to keep their coast to themselves and every other year want tourists to descend on them.

Myself, DH and DS1 have already had the virus, so there's no risk from us. (We had our antibody tests though 2 days ago). DS wasn't well for 3ish weeks, but DH and I had few symptoms - I lost my sense of taste and had a bit of a sore throat, but nothing major.

tourism supports a huge part of the economy in both Devon and Cornwall so they need it regardless of whether they want it. Government support will not go on forever.

They've supported a shut down of the productive economy, they've bullied and alienated tourists, and they've voted away the substantial amounts they received from the European Development Fund! Let's hope that trade agreement with Burkina Faso includes a sweet, sweet deal on pasties

Ive been really put off going to certain tourist destinations actually.

Everyone is a tourist somewhere, Im sure people from devon and cornwall go to other touristy locations.

Its all very well to say 'its busy on our coastal walks' but its busy in lots of places.

I come from a coastal area that had massive decline, in recent years we have had a lot more people down from london and lots of regeneration. And honestly its so much better, yes its annoying with extra traffic and things but theres so much more to do now, better shops. Everything is massively improved.

I think touristy places dont realise how much tourism actually brings to the area.

The lifeboat down here on the Lizard had to go out yesterday to rescue an idiot clinging to the side of his overturned kayak with no lifejacket on turned out he'd driven miles and miles from Leicester to do a spot of kayaking Consequently the RNLI volunteers and the coastguard helicopter and the police etc etc were all called out, this is what is really annoying someone coming here acting like a prize dickhead and others have to risk their lives to save his sorry arse

www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/kayaker-plucked-sea-during-major-4138411

My parents are in Devon and make a living from tourists. They are DESPERATE for this to be over to they can earn a living again, and have a visit from their grandchildren - but they also want to stay alive to see 2021 so don't want people coming in significant numbers until the infection risk is much lower. They have one small hospital for a very large geographical area and not enough ICU beds. Don't take it personally.

What did you say op? Do you want to visit there or do you live there?

Exactly of course we want it to be over and yes we do realise how much tourism brings in

One of the most interesting things I found was that this area had one of the highest R rates in the regionals map published yesterday.

That's without all these city folk they've been blaming visiting for 7 weeks.

The truth is there has been some very public opinion about this. Fuelled by the media. The whole GR things was ridiculous. I very much doubt the opinion of the whole region is reflected by a story that media have taken, run with and kept fuelling with stories every time 1 person in those counties has an opinion.
The truth is also that hospital infrastructure in the area is poor for numbers of people and also travelling distance is greater than cities and larger towns. Added to transport infrastructure generally being sing,e roads they can't afford to have those roads blocked by cars.

I think the whole SW thing is 50/50 but has been made out to be a bigger thing than it really is.

Who's blaming city folks? We're not! Yes the Media are!

Now that the R rate is much lower in London than other parts of the country, I would be interested to know if people are still travelling to London from areas that don’t want the reverse traffic.

(I completely 100% understand the not wanting the tourists in tourist areas and I will stay well away to avoid overwhelming local infrastructure.)