Cornwall beaches great for people avoiding crowds, says tourism chief – but you’ll have to pre-book hols
BEACHES in Cornwall won't face similar overcrowding issues seen in Bournemouth, thanks to more choice and better restrictions, the head of tourism has said.
Visit Cornwall's Malcom Bell made the comments after tens of thousands flocked to Bournemouth beach yesterday, flouting the current rules.
Not only was rubbish left strewn across the beach, but roads were left gridlocked, resulting in emergency services struggling to reach reported incidents.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council said it had no choice but to declare a major incident and condemned the "irresponsible" behaviour of crowds, some of whom got involved in fights.
However, Mr Bell said that Cornwall won't face similar problems.
He : "We are in a fortunate position due to our location, with the number of beaches we’ve got and with the right information we should avoid the Brighton, Southend and Bournemouth problem, which is sheer volume and lack of beaches."
He added that they had additional messaging including asking people to shop local and avoid the busier, bigger supermarkets, as well as warning travellers to have a "plan B" beach if the one they head to is busy.
However, a last-minute holiday to Cornwall won't be happening any time soon, with cafes, restaurants and hotels likely needing to be pre-booked.
Mr Bell previously told Sun Online Travel: "The bulk of popular attractions will be doing timed ticketing and all restaurants will be doing reservations.
"We need to also avoid people turning up and queuing at places, so for takeaway food like fish and chips, people will need to order their food online and then wait to be told when to collect it.
"So people will have to think ahead and book before they go on holiday."
Beaches across the UK may face going back into lockdown if Brits continue to flout the rules.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “The PM and the government scientific and medical advisers have stressed the great importance of the public continuing to adhere to social distancing advice.
“If the rules don’t continue to be followed and the virus starts to spread exponentially again, we will look at having to reverse some of the easements we’ve put in place.”
Roads to Camber Sands were forced to close due to long queues of traffic.
A new app is being considered to allow beach-goers find quieter beaches and avoid the crowds.
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Bournemouth beach is thought to be considering the new technology.
Visit Britain Acting CEO told the BBC: "Bournemouth is looking at an app that tells people which beaches are less crowded and signposts people to go there.
"That's the sort of innovation we need to see, and real destination management."