Cornwall visitor attractions prepare to reopen on 4 July

Many of Cornwall’s top tourist attractions will be opening their doors again next week and welcoming back visitors, providing a much-needed boost to the county’s tourism economy.

Following the Government’s announcement supporting the reopening of tourism and visitor attractions from 4 July, the general public will be able to visit many of our best visitor attractions and enjoy a safe and special day out with their family.

While a small number of attractions with large outdoor spaces – such as Eden Project, National Trust properties, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Trebah Garden – have been able to offer opportunities to visit in recent weeks, next week will herald a more widespread return to business for the majority of our tourist attractions.

Attractions across Cornwall have been working hard to ensure they can reopen safely, with the health of their visitors and their employees of paramount importance. The visitor experience may be somewhat different to that which people are used to, but you can still be sure of a warm and friendly welcome at all of our organisations.

The message is strong in Cornwall – think, plan and book ahead. The majority of our visitor attractions require customers to book their tickets in advance, often with a timed entry to ensure that sites do not become overcrowded.

Safety measures have been put in place at every attraction we work with – so you will see socially distanced queueing systems, one way paths, increased handwashing and cleaning, opportunities for hand sanitisation, contactless payment and changes to food and beverage offers, all designed to keep everyone on site as safe as possible.

Jonathan Bray, chair of the Board of Directors at Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions, said: “It’s about being safer together – the attractions are playing their part to make sure they keep everyone safe. We’d encourage our visitors to support that too.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming back visitors to our attractions. We are encouraging people to make sure they plan ahead and book in advance – it’s vital that attractions manage their visitor numbers.

“There’s still a chance to get out and make some amazing memories together this summer and we can’t wait to see everyone enjoying our spaces.”

The Cornish visitor attraction industry continues to face challenges, with hopes that the summer season will allow businesses to recoup lost income from three months of enforced closure. While most attractions are opening this summer, some businesses cannot make it economically viable to open until later in the year, with some planning to reopen in Spring 2021.

Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions, alongside our industry partners Visit Cornwall and Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, will continue to lend our voice to lobbying calls for continued financial support for the tourism industry and an extension of the employee furloughing scheme throughout the winter.

Jonathan continued: “While we are excited to welcome back visitors, there is no escaping the fact that 2020 will continue to present challenges in the tourism sector. At CATA, we will be speaking regularly with colleagues across the industry and presenting our views on the impact to our organisations. We’ll be working with those colleagues to lobby government for continued support.”

Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions, a regional industry group set up in 1974 to act as a voice for the Cornish visitor attraction industry, works with almost 40 of the county’s best visitor attractions. Providing support, peer networking, quality assurance and a promotional platform for the attractions, the Association has become an important tool for many of our local businesses.