Coronavirus: 'Hospitality workers are humans too'

Beth Richards said she was called an idiot by a guest complaining about earlier check in times

Holidaymakers are being urged to observe the coronavirus restrictions as one "defeated receptionist" has spoken out about being verbally abused.

Beth Richards from Cornwall has written an open letter appealing to tourists to be nicer to staff.

She said some tourists were ignoring and challenging the rules put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Visit Cornwall tourism board said there was "no excuse" for poor behaviour as the rules helped to protect everyone.

Malcolm Bell said tourism was a vital part of Cornwall's economy

Its CEO Malcolm Bell said there had been "more incidents" of abuse compared to previous years, but it was still not the majority.

Twenty-two-year-old Ms Richards who works in a holiday park said visitors had been taking their frustrations out on staff and after a "particularly nasty" exchange on Thursday, that left her "in tears".

She said she was inspired to write the open letter because "I was fed up of seeing everyone being treated like [this]".

The receptionist said she had guests complaining about earlier check-in times and been called an "idiot" and "stupid" at work.

'Doing our best'

Working at the Cornish holiday park, she said it was absurd that she frequently heard people say they had come to Cornwall to "get away from Covid".

"But they [tourists] need to remember that hospitality workers are humans too and that we're not in control of Covid - and we're just doing our best to keep them safe."

Beth Richards said she did not look forward to work as much as she used to

The Facebook post which has been shared more than 2,800 times, helped her to realise she was "not alone" after hearing stories from other people working in the industry, she added.

She emphasised the message was not directed at all tourists and hoped many continued to enjoy holidays in Cornwall.