Cornwall's tourist board goes into liquidation

Visit Cornwall bosses said the organisation had suffered "insurmountable financial problems"

The official tourist board of Cornwall has entered voluntary liquidation, the organisation has confirmed.

A spokesperson for Visit Cornwall said the decision was due to "insurmountable financial problems".

It comes after a business review and organisational changes instigated by the board in August.

The spokesperson said it had been an "incredibly difficult decision" but was "the only responsible choice" and they "needed to take it before another round of membership payments was due in two months".

Visit Cornwall chairman Jon Hyatt said the board had explored "every avenue possible"

Chairman of the board Jon Hyatt said non-executive voluntary directors had worked "tirelessly, in an extremely challenging environment, to create a long-term sustainable future for Visit Cornwall".

He said the board had explored "every avenue possible".

"We're desperately disappointed to say that today Visit Cornwall is entering into voluntary liquidation," he said.

Mr Hyatt said grants from the government's Shared Prosperity Fund had been "vital" to Visit Cornwall for the past four years.

The fund ends in March 2026 with no signs of a replacement programme, he added.

Along with government money, Visit Cornwall also receives funding through members and partners with the aim of promoting Cornwall as a desirable destination.

Mr Hyatt said there was an opportunity for others to "create a new voice" for the sector.

He said: "We believe that there is potential for a new organisation to be that voice based on membership and business income alone, and not reliant on grant funding.

"While we represent more than 500 members, there are many more businesses that could be members of an organisation like this and a number of potential partnerships to explore.

"That was our goal and the need of the visitor economy and your support for Visit Cornwall gave us the drive to keep working to the last."

'Backbone of economy'

Kevin Georgel, chief executive of St Austell Brewery, said the development was deeply concerning and marked a "critical moment" for the county's visitor economy.

"As one of the region's largest employers and a proud champion of Cornish hospitality, we urgently need to understand what a robust and co-ordinated plan to support the tourism sector looks like moving forward," he said.

"Tourism remains the backbone of Cornwall's economy, supporting thousands of jobs and sustaining so many local businesses.

"The loss of Visit Cornwall comes at a time when the sector is already facing unprecedented challenges - falling visitor numbers, rising costs and the closure of iconic attractions and venues."

A Visit England spokesperson said it was "saddened" to hear the company had entered liquidation.

"This highlights the tough operational situation Local Visitor Economy Partnerships find themselves in, with local public sector funding being crucial to the successful delivery of destination management across England," they said.

"Visit England will continue to discuss future options with key stakeholders in Cornwall to ensure visitor economy businesses receive the support they need to deliver regional growth."

Concerns over visitation

Councillor Sarah Preece, portfolio holder for tourism, localism and planning, thanked Visit Cornwall "for the huge contribution they have made to promoting Cornwall at home and abroad over the years".

"Tourism is at the heart of our economy, supporting jobs and communities, but we know the sector faces real challenges," she said.

"We will now move quickly to bring partners and stakeholders together - to listen, and to work with them - so that we can support the sector and safeguard the future of Cornwall's visitor economy."

Sally Everton from Visit Devon said she was worried about the impact on visitation.

"Visitor numbers could very easily drop now - when you think that the value the visitor economy to Cornwall is over two billion pounds, and it employs over 35,000 people and it's worth 15 to 20% of the overall economy to Cornwall," she said.

"It's huge, so I think I just hope that there's some way that it can be either resurrected or will work in a different format."