Half-term rush for Cornwall’s great outdoors

West Country, Cumbria and the Cotswolds see record October bookings despite Covid restrictions

CORNWALL is urging holidaymakers to visit during October’s half-term school holiday after recording no surge in Covid cases with the summer influx.

Malcolm Bell, of Visit Cornwall, said the rule of six had meant larger groups had cancelled and that there was still “a lot of nervousness” about future restrictions and a potential “circuit breaker”.

However, he insisted the county was “most certainly open for business” and encouraged families to consider the West Country where they could spend plenty of time outdoors and where, crucially, the water was still warm.

He said: “We were the first to tell people not to come in March but we have had two million visitors over the summer and no identifiable increase in infection rates from tourism.

“It’s quite remarkable really – being outdoors is a very safe place to be so we are saying come and enjoy it. It’s going to be a long winter, so come down and just understand that you have to book for restaurants and attractions.

“You can still have a great holiday and if you want to be safe, just stay outdoors. The sea is warmer in October than it is in May.”

Mr Bell said the website was tracking 50 per cent more traffic than this time last year, with bookings coming in for next summer. “People who missed out on a holiday this year are getting in early,” he said. And tourism chiefs in the

Lake District were also urging families to visit, noting that they, too, had seen no obvious increase in infection rates over the summer.

Gill Haigh, of Visit Cumbria, said: “October is one of our most popular times and it’s now one of the last big opportunities for businesses to try to recoup some of the losses from the spring.

“Our research suggests that confidence levels are high – it’s an open landscape and people feel well supported and looked after. Back in March, we had no idea how things would pan out but a lot of money, time and skill has gone into making the relevant adjustments and, anecdotally, [it seems] people are feeling positive.”

October bookings appeared strong among smaller groups, with families who missed out on foreign holidays looking for a change of scene.

A spokesman for cottages.com said the forthcoming half term was more popular than ever, with bookings up 35 per cent on last year.

“The rule of six and local restrictions are, as you would expect, resulting in higher than usual cancellations from larger groups but the overall picture remains largely positive,” he said.

Nigel Stengard- Green, founder of Luxury Cotswold Rentals, said they had double their usual number of October rentals.

But Alistair Handyside, chairman of the Professional Association of SelfCaterers, claimed that 46 per cent of self catering bookings for October had been cancelled and that “businesses were being hammered”. Many of those affected were thought to be the bigger properties, usually booked by larger family groups or multiple families.