Cornish tourism chief in foul rant at visitors

Outgoing boss launches four-letter word rant at difficult visitors who are disliked by the the locals

The head of Cornwall’s tourism board has condemned the “bloody tourists” who descend on the county only to compare it to other destinations.

Malcolm Bell, the outgoing chief executive of Visit Cornwall, caused dismay after using “f---ing emmets” – an antiquated term meaning “ants” – in an interview. “You have friends, then you have guests, then you have tourists, then you have bloody tourists, then you have f ***ing emmets. You can quote me on that,” he said.

IT MIGHT be expected that the head of Cornwall’s tourism board would want to turn on the charm one last time before leaving his job. But instead of trying to draw visitors to some of Britain’s best beaches, Malcolm Bell criticised the “bloody tourists” who descend on Cornwall only to compare it to other destinations.

Mr Bell, the outgoing chief executive of Visit Cornwall, is under fire for bemoaning “f---ing emmets” – an antiquated term meaning “ants” – during an interview offering his thoughts on the future of the county’s tourism industry.

He said: “In my mind, visitors fall into five unofficial categories. At one level you have friends, then you have guests, then you have tourists, then you have bloody tourists, then you have f ***ing emmets. You can quote me on that.

“The challenge we have is to get the friends, guests and tourists, who get us, then try to convert the bloody tourists, but forget the awkward people.’

“It’s about targeting the right people at the right time of year.”

The word “emmet”, believed to be derived from the Old English word “aemette”, was widely used during the 1960s and 1970s as tourism boomed. Mr Bell was referring to those visiting Cornwall as a second choice. He said: “We made ourselves the place to be but ended up with people who didn’t want to be here. It’s settled down again now.”

Conservative councillor Barry Jordan told The Telegraph: “I hate the words emmet and grockle. They have no place in modern society. We welcome all tourists. Cornwall relies on tourism.”

During the two summers of the pandemic, Cornwall and other coastal towns attracted thousands of visitors unable to go abroad amid Covid restrictions. By early July 2020, the county was braced for an extra 80,000 visitors as businesses opened for the first time since lockdown.

The sudden influx triggered a backlash from locals. A banner displayed over the A30 at Bodmin telling incoming visitors to “F--- off” was criticised by Mr Bell, who condemned it as “offensive and unforgivable”.

Now it appears Mr Bell has changed his tune. He told Cornwall Live. “The pandemic opened us up to things that were quite difficult to cope with. In the 1970s people were in Cornwall because they couldn’t afford a proper holiday and there were a lot of chips on shoulders. We felt that again in those two years..”

David Harris, a Conservative councillor, said Mr Bell’s comments were “a bit aggressive”.

Mr Bell said last night: “I regret that the issue was not correctly communicated. There are very, very few visitors who do not like, love and care about Cornwall and they are the ones that annoy locals. The role of a tourist board must be to target those who will appreciate and join us in a love of Cornwall.”