I was heartened to see predicted total visitor spend of £100-million over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, which “kicked off with a bang,” as late bookings for day-trippers and overnight stays poured in after an initial spell of good weather.

Although the twists and turns of Cornish meteorology can always put a last-minute dampener on things, these bookings come as a relief after what has been an underwhelming couple of years since the post-pandemic boost.

Great news which also supports my objective of making the tourism industry work for St Austell and Newquay all year round, come rain or shine. That includes maximising spend per visitor so we’re less dependent on pure numbers, providing careers not just jobs, identifying the infrastructure so locals and holidaymakers alike feel less of a strain, and tackling some of the wider structural challenges around the cost of holidaying in Cornwall whilst maintaining a quality, motivated workforce. 

I am inviting SME tourism businesses to join me at my first tourism summit on June 6 in Newquay – where together, we can thrash out how we make tourism a thriving industry 24/365, and channel all the pride we have for the town into building ‘Brand Newquay’.

For more details on the event and register, visit: tourisminnewquay2025.eventbrite.co.uk

No matter the challenges, we must never forget that Newquay is a jewel in the crown of Cornwall – voted as one of the nation’s favourite seaside towns, and with its very own airport and direct rail links – so let’s keep the momentum going.

For me, this mission is personal: During my election campaign I made three pledges to constituents in St Austell and Newquay – one of which was to revitalise our towns – and that has to include a strategy to support tourism.

First, I plan to help rework the tourism model so that national and local governments better support tourism businesses.

Next, I want to focus on delivering more formal holiday accommodation which, to breathe life back into the town and gets cash circulating in the local economy.

Finally, the tourism sector makes up a vital piece of the business and social ecosystem in St Austell and Newquay and to make it truly sustainable I support the delivery of appropriate infrastructure. I continue to work to deliver the new surgery Newquay desperately needs, and support government in funding thousands of extra nursery places - like at Pondhu School in St Austell, and ensure the delivery of rail upgrades. I am also working to ensure we get the right kind of homes, in the right place, at the right price, for local people with the appropriate infrastructure in place.  

This government has real plans for sustainable growth – aiming to grow visitor numbers in the UK to 50 million by 2030, establishing a new Visitor Economy Advisory Council to work with industry on tourism and design and deliver a new growth strategy, which we plan to publish later this year.

Through all of this, Newquay’s tourism industry will be able to weather any storms thrown at it.