When we think of tourism, we think of the holidays we’ve experienced ourselves. We think of the time with our families, the memories we made, the beautiful weather and wonderful food. But there is so much more to tourism than just the holiday itself, so let’s take a look at why that is.

Employment and diversity

Tourism businesses are a huge part of our community, particularly if you live in an area that relies on the visitor economy - such as Cornwall, Devon or the Lake District. They provide employment throughout our communities, and allow a diverse range of people to visit our counties. They create a ripple effect that generates income for those businesses who benefit from the influx of visitors. They bring people with a wealth of expertise and knowledge in their field into our county, attracting top talent in their field.

Supporting other local businesses

Tourism businesses, particularly in a place such as Cornwall, can support rural economies that may be losing income from shrinking industries. They help introduce performing talent, arts and events to new audiences. They promote collaborations and partnerships between other local businesses and work to raise the profile of those local partners - whether this is through events programming, stocking products in their gift shop or using local produce in their kitchens.

Picture Credit: Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Listening to our communities

It is important that we are all mindful of the balance that tourism needs to bring in a local community - a key audience for all tourism businesses should always be the local community and the impact that you have on them. While local people may benefit from tourism through employment, they may also have strong feelings about visitor behaviours and numbers, and it is always an important role for a tourism business to ensure they listen to those voices.

Our health and wellbeing

In recent weeks, more people have come to realise the benefits to their mental health and wellbeing in slowing down, enjoying outdoor space, spending time together as families and eating well. Our tourism and hospitality businesses contribute towards this in so many ways. They provide access to beautiful outdoor spaces, gardens and parklands, they introduce us to arts, culture and heritage on many levels and they teach us about local produce and how to cook and enjoy it - these are just a few examples. Walking the South West Coast Path is another.

In a country where not everyone has access to lots of outdoor space, our tourism and hospitality businesses play a major part in supporting our nation’s health and wellbeing.

Making memories

While tourism and hospitality are not just about the holiday, those shared experiences are vital to people. Those days of discoveries can create years of memories, and those emotions about the experiences live on in people for a long time after the tan has faded. They will build loyalty and return visits in your target audience, but most importantly they will weave a thread through people’s lives and stay with them for a long time. We see so many generations of families returning to the same holiday spots, visiting the same attractions or eating at the same place that their parents brought them to, and their parents before then.

—

If you’d like to continue this conversation,, and see how you can tell your businesses story in a way that communicates why you’re important to your audience, we’d love to help. Get in touch through our Contact Form.

**Cornwall’s Visitor Economy**

**4.8m staying visitors and 14.7m day visitors**
**£2.9bn of business turnover**
**Supporting 54,000 jobs**
**21% of all employment in Cornwall is tourism related**
**92% of our visitors are UK based, of which 27% are based in the South West**
**The top five locations account for approximately 34% of staying visitors; Newquay, St Ives, Padstow, Looe and Falmouth**
**(Visit Cornwall, 2019)**

Why tourism is about much more than holidays