Sick of some Cornish people bleating on as though they are the worlds only tourist destination

[Endlesssummer2022]

Just read the article below and found a few gems such as these:

’ have you ever wondered where the local people live? Or have you noticed that many of your holiday neighbours are recognisable in the narrow lanes of the pretty fishing villages because they are the same people you live near in London?’

and…

‘Despite what you may have read, we Cornish do welcome visitors and are happy to share our love of our land with you. But it might help if you do a bit of research – Cornwall is fiercely independent and has a proud and unique history and heritage…* *And try not to be rude to local people. If you’ve been asked to not drink from a glass bottle on the beach, there is a reason for that. Don’t forget to tip waiting staff. ‘

What patronising bollocks. So Londoner’s (as those are apparently the only people who visit Cornwall) are so untraveled and boorish we need to be told not to be rude to people, pay tips, not to smash glass bottles in sand, that we’ve bought all of their houses, that it’s ‘their’ land and we’re the ones who are rude?

I’d already decided I wouldn’t go back there after how some of them carried on during Covid but this article has pissed me off. Why would anyone go there when they can go to equally lovely places in the UK/World and not be treated with contempt?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/29/welcome-to-cornwall-please-dont-ruin-it-for-us-local-people

Yep, so we'll have x hundred thousand tourists who've been stuck on the motorway for hours, in wonderful sunshine, getting increasingly stressed, and now expect everyone they meet to treat them like royalty.

Wonderful.

Well yes, that’s what the countryside is like.

The point at hand was traffic not public transport.

Was parked properly at a junction this morning, to my right saw a bus parked to discharge passengers a black car behind bus leaned on his horn and swerved round the bus. Then headed towards me, no indicator, hard left turn I saw the VW badge and thought 💩 he's going to hit me. He straightened up leaned on his horn and glared at me. Tempers are frayed. We've so many road works, traffic lights,, diversions at the moment. It's slowing people down and they're fed up.

Have they widened the roads through villages in N Wales. In Cornwall they haven’t and it’s impossible getting the SUV down some of them. We scraped the top box last year.

Well you know the answer to that don't you?

Top boxes don’t generally stick out further than the car they are on . Did you put a Thule on a pushbike or something?

They're about to completely shut the Llandudno Junction Flyover too.

There's a new Caernarfon bypass so that the Cheshire Set don't have to encounter any Cofis on their way to their perfectly legitimate businesses tax-dodging second homes in Abersoch.

I know, am dreading it 🙈

The cottage we regularly stay in on Skye is about 10 miles away from the nearest shop/pub but it takes about 25 minutes to get there because the roads are narrow and twisty and you spend time waiting in passing places for the car you spotted in the distance coming towards you to pass.

It's a bit like this in Devon as well despite tourism being their main income. Some use derogatory terms for tourists. Where we went they block plans for a large grocery store failing to see that the town needed employment.

I get they want to protect their town but you can do both. Many places embrace tourist because it keeps other things going.

I live in another tourist hotspot and it makes me want to cry the photos of the beaches after bank holiday weekends of chairs, bbq fires, drink bottles, cardboard packaging, nappies and other.. er.. human waste… you name it. So people do need to be told how to behave on holiday as it only happens so badly when the main roads are blocked by tourist traffic. This is why locals dislike tourists; not to mention incomers buying second homes and pricing locals out.

Tourism is not the main income in Devon, tourism doesn't keep other things going, it actively prevents many things from working

It's this naivety, where tourists think they're doing locals a favour, and locals should all be grateful, that really grates

To be fair, @Daftasabroom , they are contributing to the local economy, so must be helping? Otherwise why are there all these tourist boards and adverts to stay in various locations? People want your £££ and there's nothing wrong with that.

It does keep our area going in the winter. Like squirrels you store up the summer income money to see you through the winter because we tend to get a different type of visitors in the winter. Many retired and walkers rather than families

I wonder why the moaning is unique to Cornwall. Lots of other places are rammed with tourists: Inverness, Isle of Skye etc. They don't winge the way the Cornish do. Having been to the Highlands, I felt very welcome. The locals appreciate how much their local economy depends on tourism. Contrast that to Cornwall, where the locals are downright unpleasant.

Both are picturesque, rural places. Arguably, I would say the Highlands is more beautiful. I won't go again to Cornwall for this reason. It's cheaper to go abroad too, given how overpriced it is.

Yes absolutely!

Why do you think they contribute significantly to the local economy? Most of the AirBnbs are owned by people upcountry, most do their shopping in the supermarket, most of the campsites, car parks, holiday parks, pubs etc are either owned by a few very wealthy local land owners or large operators. One of the big holiday parks round here is owned by a Canadian investment trust. Jobs are seasonal and low paid.

There are 500 whole house AirBnbs in our parish of a little under 2000 permanent residents. There are probably 200 to 300 second homes. AirBnbs and holiday let's are usually registered as businesses to avoid council tax, yet the local services have to be there.

The local infrastructure, roads, schools, sewage, telephone networks, health care etc is sized for census data and the permanent residents, it completely breaks during peak season.

Well, that argument has been cited on here time and time again, @Daftasabroom . So - if tourism is so detrimental, damaging even, to areas then why encourage it? Why have a tourist board? Why advertise holidays in Cornwall?
Believe me, I'm never going to go to Cornwall after reading this thread, but some people are obviously doing well out of it and encouraging it.
The money must be going somewhere, and I've seen figures of many £millions being added to the local economy.

There are 500 whole house AirBnbs in our parish of a little under 2000 permanent residents. There are probably 200 to 300 second homes. AirBnbs and holiday let's are usually registered as businesses to avoid council tax, yet the local services have to be there.

Businesses don't pay council tax but they do pay business rates, which are usually higher.

Totally agree. We used to visit every other year but have no desire to go back after their stance on Covid. If my money wasn't good enough then, it won't be now.

Lots of people make a very good living from the tourism inustry, indeed even the cornish pound contributes to it when they go on holiday

Cornwall has 17 of the most deprived wards in the country. No matter what you think locals do not massively benefit from tourism.

Not for holiday let's that don't have business planning.

A very select few make a very good living from tourism, for most it's pretty crap.