Locals in some of Cornwall's most popular towns have made a major U-turn and are now begging for tourists to return after previously describing them as "ants", while accusing them of taking over their communities. In places like St Ives, where nearly one in six properties is a holiday home, locals have become increasingly vocal about reclaiming the space they grew up in.

"You have friends, then you have guests, then you have tourists, then you have bloody tourists, then you have f****** emmets," the head of now-defunct tourist organisation, Visit Cornwall, Malcolm Bell, told Cornwall Live in 2022. The term "emmets", Cornish slang for tourists, has even appeared on road signs across the region, despite tourism generating a massive £2billion annually for the local economy.

Given that frosty welcome, it is no surprise, therefore, that tourism was down by 12% in 2024, before rising slightly last year.

High costs, crowded beaches and traffic jams have led potential visitors to think twice about making the journey southwest. However, things have only worsened for Cornwall's hospitality sector, which is grappling with the fallout from rising business rates. Labour's increase in the national living wage to £12.71 an hour has added to the burden.

Local residents have begun to push back against the "anti-tourist" trope, acknowledging that the county's survival depends on the very people they once asked to leave. Local resident Ella Erijota told the Daily Mail: "You always see people complaining about the tourists, but it's important to us.

"I've noticed a massive decline in the amount of visitors this summer and it's concerning. Cornwall relies on tourism and needs it to survive."

In a dramatic move, Cornwall's official tourist board entered voluntary liquidation last autumn, citing "insurmountable financial problems".

Last month, trendy Falmouth restaurant Hevva!, which boasted top chef Will Johnson, announced it was closing its doors just weeks after being listed in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Meanwhile, Trebetherick's luxury hotel, St Moritz Hotel and Cowshed Spa, owned by brothers Hugh and Steve Ridgway since 2004, has reduced its staff numbers from 95 to 83, despite the biggest summer staycation since the pandemic, sparked by fears over jet fuel supplies.

"The Government has priced people out of the market. We can't afford to employ people," Hugh said. "No one is more eager than me that people should be earning a decent living on the minimum wage but we can only do that when the economy allows us to do it."

He also sent the "tiny minority talking about overtourism" a warning that they "should be very, very careful about what they wish for" as the hospitality industry makes up 20% of the local economy.