Plans to boost tourism criticised as unrealistic

A proposal suggests extending the tourist season in Cornwall

Government plans to increase tourism in the UK have been criticised as "completely unrealistic" by a leading travel writer.

During a visit to Falmouth in Cornwall, Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant said he wanted 50 million more overseas visitors to the UK by 2030.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent, said the plan was "completely impossible" without reversing "damaging" post-Brexit travel rules.

He said taking away the ability for EU citizens to travel using national ID cards instead of passports had reduced tourism, adding some people thought "we won't bother".

Mr Calder said plans to encourage more British people to holiday in the UK were likely to fail because UK holidays were "just too expensive".

It would "almost certainly" be cheaper for a family from Manchester to fly to Spain than to catch the train to Cornwall, he said.

Sir Chris had said he knew things were still "really tough" for people working in the tourism sector and more needed to be done to highlight what areas like Cornwall could offer domestic tourists.

The Labour MP said Covid had impacted the industry greatly but he remained confident visitor numbers could return to pre-pandemic levels.

"I want many more British people to say 'what's the point of Spain - we've got this'," he said.

Simon Calder said post-Brexit travel rules was having an impact on visitor numbers

Mr Calder said it was "absolutely crucial" to get international visitors, as it was the "closest any area could get to free money", because of the money tourists spent locally.

He gave a proposal to extend the tourist season in Cornwall a cautious backing.

"Cornwall's problem isn't attracting people in July and August it's attracting them in November," he said.

"The minister was talking up the idea of being in Falmouth on a winter's day watching the storms... that might work."

The issue would be persuading people, Mr Calder said.

"Unfortunately, a lot of people in November would slightly rather be in Spain than in lovely Cornwall," he said.