Tourism and regional development in rural coastal regions

The example of Cornwall

13.-21.07.2019

Rural peripheral regions in Europe and beyond have been severely affected by the structural and sectoral changes that have led to unemployment and a decline in income for local people and communities. Cornwall, for example, has been severely affected by the decline in fishing and mining. However, Cornwall has successfully developed various forms of tourism in recent decades which have significantly increased employment and income.

This fieldwork placement investigated how a diverse tourism sector has developed in Cornwall, using the town of Newquay as an example, and what new challenges this has brought. The research questions included:

• How did the structural changes and economic decline in Cornwall take place and to what extent does this still influence the tourism sector today?
• What strategies (private and public sector) have been developed and how have these been implemented? Which stakeholders were involved and what role did they play?
• How has the perception of the region changed (e.g. in the media) over the last decades and how has this influenced tourism (and vice versa)?
• What downsides has the rise of the tourism sector brought with it (gentrification, cultural conflicts)?
• What new and alternative forms of tourism (sustainable tourism, lifestyle, weekend homes) have developed and how do they influence the development of the region?

The thematic focus was on developments in the night-time economy, the impact of digitalization and the platform economy in the hotel booking sector, the effects of an impending Brexit and the implementation of sustainability standards in tourism.