Cornwall's economy

[madzone]

The tourist board would say that wouldn't they?

Beat me to it

 

[madzone]

More comments about tourism:

Who the fuck are Celtia?

I posted a link to the Cornwall bisness conference on the other thread. There were people at that event talking about viable alternatives to tourism and how tourism is a double edged sword for Cornwall. Did you read any of the papers?

 

[madzone]

An over emphasis on tourism which is a VERY fickle income is not good in the long term for the Cornish economy. It could be 24 % one year and 10% the next.
Suitably research is available in spades, mainly by a Prof Gripaias (spelling).
The current high level of petrol prices has severely depressed the tourist industry this year, with tourism bosses appearing on local TV nearly in tears.
Developing other employment to tourism, (which mainly employs temporary labour from outside of the county) is a matter of urgency.

And the foot and mouth crisis made a dent also. It is a fickle trade. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs their bumps felt.

 

[editor]

b) We've been here before with your views about tourism conflicting with my own.

Seeing as you irrationally "hate" all tourists, there isn't much hope of you ever achieving the tourist-free Cornwall that you appear to want.

But I'd be delighted to hear your ideas on what might replace one of Cornwall's biggest industries in the absence of the tourism cash and employment.

Oh, and be sure to reply to my post in that other thread.

 

[madzone]

It might be good for the economy but it isnt necessarily good for the people of cornwall. It does provide plenty of jobs but they are umm shit. The majority is seasonal and poorly payed usually minimum wage. Although it boasts the economy other than wages a small amount of the income generated seems to benefit the cornish the majority seems to be spent on further tourism.

Exactly. And it's one of the reasons that we have some of the highest house prices but some of the lowest wages in the country. It's not enough to be paid £4 an hour for selling ice cream, we have to be grateful as well

 

[madzone]

Seeing as you irrationally "hate" all tourists, there isn't much hope of you ever achieving the tourist-free Cornwall that you appear to want.

But I'd be delighted to hear your ideas on what might replace one of Cornwall's biggest industries in the absence of the tourism cash and employment.

My irrational hatred of all tourists? Do you take all bait as easily?

Have you read the opening post?

 

[editor]

My irrational hatred of all tourists? Do you take all bait as easily?

Have you read the opening post?

Have you apologised for suggesting that I'm a liar yet or would you prefer to be posting elsewhere?

 

[madzone]

Have you apologised for suggesting that I'm a liar yet or would you prefer to be posting elsewhere?

Have you looked at the thread?

 

[editor]

I gave up looking after you refused to apologise so many times.
I'll accept your apology, but if you try that shit again, you're out of here.

Oh, and I'm also going to remove my deeply personal content that I had to post up to prove to you that I wasn't lying.

 

[madzone]

I gave up looking after you refused to apologise so many times.
I'll accept your apology, but if you try that shit again, you're out of here.

Oh, and I'm also going to remove my deeply personal content that I had to post up to prove to you that I wasn't lying.

You don't watch supernanny do you?

 

[editor]

You don't watch supernanny do you?

Any chance of you growing up?

 

[madzone]

Any chance of you growing up?

Oh I doubt it

It was a serious point actually. You said to me that unless my next post was an apology you'd ban me for a week, yet you didn't even check to see whether I had. I'm sure it's just you being a ncie guy but you threaten to ban people a lot and then don't do it. I think people find it confusing.

 

[editor]

I'm sure it's just you being a ncie guy but you threaten to ban people a lot and then don't do it. I think people find it confusing.

Don't worry. The next time you suggest I'm a liar without a shred of evidence to support your claim, you'll be banned.

 

[kea]

madz - rather off-topic but related to the previous thread - did you see this in the independent over the weekend? -

http://travel.independent.co.uk/news_and_advice/article309813.ece

 

[madzone]

Don't worry. The next time you suggest I'm a liar without a shred of evidence to support your claim, you'll be banned.

That's more like it

 

[madzone]

madz - rather off-topic but related to the previous thread - did you see this in the independent over the weekend? -

http://travel.independent.co.uk/news_and_advice/article309813.ece

That's an interesting article. There's so many 'takes' on the issue that I don't know what to think. It does feel as if Ryanair are throwing a strop but it's also short sighted of the CCC to think there would be no repercussions.

I looked on Ryanairs website the day the news came out and the fare which had been 99p the previous day had gone up to £39.99.

 

[editor]

I looked on Ryanairs website the day the news came out and the fare which had been 99p the previous day had gone up to £39.99.

I wonder what the cost to the environment would work out with a 99p air fare?

I would have thought you'd be against cheap air fares to be honest as they're only likely to encourage yet more tourists on short breaks.

 

[madzone]

I would have thought you'd be against cheap air fares to be honest as they're only likely to encourage yet more tourists on short breaks.

No they're not because Newquay airport is situated in a place that makes it less convenient for tourists. It's much more conveneint for tourists to come by car - even the train is more convenient for 'non locals'

And the plane will still be full whether it's 99p or £39.99 so the cost to the environment is the same either way

I started this thread to highlight business opportunities that many poeple may not be aware of, not to talk about travel ot tourism. Maybe we could continue this discussion on the appropriate thread?

 

[tobyjug]

I would have thought you'd be against cheap air fares to be honest as they're only likely to encourage yet more tourists on short breaks.

In fact, (and this has been discussed at length in the local media in the last week or so), most of the passengers in and out of Newquay are not tourists.
Cornwall needs Newquay airport for business and trade to develop..
Cornwall also needs the main road in and out dualled and with no height restrictions.
The rail links need upgrading badly, for instance there is no rail terminal to the third deepest natural harbour in the World, Falmouth.
With petrol prices expected to go through the £1 a litre barrier this week, alternatives to tourism are now a matter of extreme urgency.
Tourism is at it limit due to the pressure it puts on infrastructure and local resources. (Water supply, waste disposal, local hospitals ect).

 

[editor]

No they're not because Newquay airport is situated in a place that makes it less convenient for tourists. It's much more conveneint for tourists to come by car - even the train is more convenient for 'non locals'

Strange then that Ryanair's own spokeswoman declared that the flights would be "fantastic news for tourism" when the service was doubled in 2003.

But to get back on topic, let's hear your ideas for credible business opportunities in Cornwall.

 

[madzone]

But to get back on topic, let's hear your ideas for credible business opportunities in Cornwall.

Read the original post

 

[nightowl]

There are nearly as many visitors over the Christmas period as there are in the height of Summer. It is getting necessary to book up well in advance for the Christmas season.

it isn't tourists i'm talking about. while i was there i was talking to a prominent local official about the housing situation and he told me that a large number of people attending the event were second home owners down for christmas. he also made one or two remarks about he was beginning to appreciate how people in some areas had turned to direct action when they see their communities being destroyed because local people are priced out of them. before anyone gets on my back, i'm not condoning that it's just what he said

 

[tobyjug]

Strange then that Ryanair's own spokeswoman declared that the flights would be "fantastic news for tourism" when the service was doubled in 2003.

.

Well she would say that wouldn't she. A hell of a lot of people commute from Cornwall to London to work.
It is bit of pointless exercise flying into Newquay for the purposes of tourism.
(I would rather cut off my testicles with a rusty serrated knife than have a holiday in Newquay).
With a university now in Cornwall and the peninsula medical school up and running many businesses will decide Cornwall is the place to be.

 

[editor]

The rail links need upgrading badly, for instance there is no rail terminal to the third deepest natural harbour in the World, Falmouth.

I agree. Although there's two stations in the town - Falmouth Town and Falmouth Docks - it's bonkers that the freight terminal was removed.

But, there again, we live in times when the Royal Mail trains were recently taken off the rail and onto the road recently because it was more 'economic'.

 

[editor]

Read the original post

Are you developing some kind of parrot syndrome or something?

I've read your original post (where you bang on about people shoving "small minded bigotry up your arses") and am waiting for you to list what other credible business opportunities you feel would improve Cornwall's economy and reduce its reliance on tourism.

Simply listing current initiatives peppered with random abuse isn't really looking forward.

 

[madzone]

Well she would say that wouldn't she. A hell of a lot of people commute from Cornwall to London to work.
It is bit of pointless exercise flying into Newquay for the purposes of tourism.
(I would rather cut off my testicles with a rusty serrated knife than have a holiday in Newquay).
With a university now in Cornwall and the peninsula medical school up and running many businesses will decide Cornwall is the place to be.

What he said

 

[tobyjug]

it isn't tourists i'm talking about. while i was there i was talking to a prominent local official about the housing situation and he told me that a large number of people attending the event were second home owners down for christmas.

Whilst second home ownership is a problem in Cornwall, it is not a problem uniformly throughout the county.
Where I live has hardly any second homes, the next village along the coast, Cadgwith is predominantly second homes. (Many of those homes down in the cove are to be honest far to expensive to maintain for locals to live in even if they were given to them.)

 

[tw1ggy5]

Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised by the jobs that are in the West Briton every week.

I take it your not looking for anything in IT. For all the training possibilities that are coming available you still have to leave the county to actually make any use of them. Truro job centre seems to have the same outlook, having had four different people now ask if Id leave the county to be able to find something.

 

[madzone]

I take it your not looking for anything in IT. For all the training possibilities that are coming available you still have to leave the county to actually make any use of them. Truro job centre seems to have the same outlook, having had four different people now ask if Id leave the county to be able to find something.

No, I'm not in IT. I was talking broadly though in that there is a wide variety of jobs slowly becoming available in different sectors. I agree that we need to encourage IT businesses to invest in Cornwall. We have a history of communications based business and I remember about 15 years ago there was a buzz about Cornwall being the place to be for advances in IT, don't think it came to anything for some reason. I think it's short of the county fo foucs on somehting as tenuous as tourism when there are possibilities for expansion in some far more stable sectors such as Marine technologies, medicine and IT.

 

[djbombscare]

One of the advantages of Cornwall rellying on tourism business as its main source of money coming in though is that Cornwall is relatively unique. It fits a criteria of something diferent and unusual. yes there are other places similar but all the time theres a Land Ends or a lizard peninsula theres always at least one reason for people to come. Im not suggesting that those are the only thing it offers Im just giving an example.

If however Cornwall wants to compete in other corporate sectors it then has to compete globally. And that at the moment I dont think it can do. Not in it current state. For instance could it compete cost wise with data processing or call centre work that is being shipped out from the UK to Bangalore. I would suggest that no it cant.

Cornwall is at the far end of the country. Two roads in and out and lets face it they're shite in the summer. Its no use having it as distribution link unless that link is for shippingr ound cornwall iself. Cos its got that extra 2/300 miles to go before it gets anywhere and then you are solely reliant on the transport links. Because of this Distribution logistical possible nightmare you aint gonna be the main choice for production. Not when distribution is integral to the business and you need to ship stuff out fast and costs are an issue.

If you look at a fair few of goods that are produced there, a lot of it is made for the Cornish market. The surfing industry I think being a good example of this.

Cornwall is a green and pleasant land ideally suited for farming. Some of the land is harsh and its so diverse it would be a pity to spoil it with fuck off great office blocks and shite.

So theres quite a lot of factors that stop it becoming the a centre of commerce that some would like it to be. Which I think is both a good and bad thing. But just as e-commerce improves and brings Cornwall up to speeed with a global market it also bring it in line with global competition and I just dont think at present that it compete there and its going to have a trciky time of it. Thats why I think one of the major industries is basically Toursim as here its competition is either limited or non existant and that is probably the reason that so much effort and money is ploughed into it.