Happy New Year From Cornwall Discovered

Happy New Year from Cornwall Discovered

As most people would agree, 2021 has been another challenging year.

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As the pandemic continued and various restrictions were still in play, it became apparent early in the year that the Covid-era was here to stay for much longer than we had all hoped. For Cornwall, the year of the 'staycation' brought about a whole new set of challenges that perhaps we, as a county, were not at all ready for. Record numbers of visitors flocked to Cornwall this summer and although a very welcome challenge for many businesses that had struggled to stay afloat in 2020, at times (and probably more often than not!) the county struggled to cope with the sheer volume.

At Cornwall Discovered, there were many times throughout the summer that the staycation boom reminded us why we hold the sustainable concept of ‘slow travel’ so dear to our hearts. Slow Travel, a new approach to travelling, focusses on connecting with the local people, taking time to genuinely experience the local culture, enjoying the local food and music and most importantly in our book - ensuring that the journey has enriched both the traveller and at the same time has benefited the community and its people. In 2021, sometimes this was hard to achieve.

With our learnings from running tours and events in such an ever changing environment as the summer of 2021, we are certainly looking forward to continuing our responsible and sustainable travel mission next year in what might, dare we say it, feel like more normal times! Sustainable travel

So, with that in mind, here are our ‘New Year’s Resolutions’!

A little word from Katie

‘I have long said that in many ways, I prefer Cornwall in the winter. Before I officially split my life between Cornwall and Oxford, Cornwall had always been my favourite holiday destination – but somehow I always ended up coming in the winter months. There was something about long strolls on the beach in winter hats and coats, hot chocolates from a beach hut, and a glass of wine next to an open fire in a quiet Cornish country pub that always appealed to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty of spring and summer in Cornwall but in my opinion, there is a real magic and sense of wanderlust in the winter. Therefore my New Year’s Resolution is simple – to promote Cornwall as an all-year-round destination as part of our newly launched #cornwall365 marketing campaign. Cornwall gets saturated in the summer months, and we are proud to state that we already actively avoid the hotspots in July and August as part of our sustainability mission. With our groups in 2022 coming as early as the first week of March, we hope that in the coming years Cornwall can be as popular in the winter as it is in the summer.’

A little word from Zoe

‘Since Katie and I started Cornwall Discovered we have often used the line, or something to the effect of, ‘Cornwall has so much more to offer than just beaches and ice cream.’ And we mean it. Whether it be watching a live performance at the spectacular ocean-facing Minack Theatre, admiring the sculptures in the Barbara Hepworth museum or learning about English winemaking in any of the county’s impressive wineries, Cornwall offers the culture vulture a range of different experiences. That’s why I was so excited and delighted when in the aftermath of the G7 summit, Cornwall announced its bid for the UK City of Culture 2025.

I would just love Cornwall to be the official UK City of Culture 2025, and inspired by this, my New Year’s Resolution is also simple – to create more cultural tours and work with more cultural and arts groups. We are thrilled to be working with a small group of archaeologists in May and will be launching our new cultural escorted tour range next month – so we very much hope that in the next couple of years we see more people coming to Cornwall for enriching, educational holidays as well as the beach.

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So now, at the end of 2021, all that is left for us to say, is we wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022 and hope to welcome you on one our exciting and enriching tours sometime in the not to distant future.

Happy New Year!

From Co-Founders Katie & Zoe.

You can find more information about our 2022 tours here

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