MAKING sure her grandmother is settled in the passenger seat, Kerrie Goodwin checks her toddler is content in the back of the car.
The family trio are about to set off to a nearby beach but as they drive away from their bungalow in Tintagel, Cornwall, Kerrie, 43, feels a familiar sense of dread.
That’s because it’s only 10am and the roads are already gridlocked meaning Kerrie calls the day trip off – and their plans are ruined.
Her frustration is down to the sheer number of tourists and ‘holiday hooligans’ who Kerrie says flock to the area for their summer breaks and overrun this idyllic part of the country.
And it isn’t only the traffic that’s disconcerting – Kerrie, who was raised in Wadebridge and whose nan lives in the pretty Tintagel – says visitors vomit in the streets, leave bodily excrement in gardens and run riot.
Tourist zombies even poo and wee in the front garden. They leave rubbish everywhere. It’s a nightmare…Many tourists treat us like we are stupid because they bring holiday cash.
Kerrie Goodwin
She says: “I was born and bred in Cornwall, it’s a paradise. But in summer it’s overrun with too many tourists, traffic jams, and holiday hooligans. Unruly holiday makers take over and holiday season is a hell zone.
“People park wherever they like. Stag and hen groups vomit in the high street and stagger around drunk. Tourist zombies even poo and wee in the front garden and they leave rubbish everywhere. It’s a nightmare.
“Some arrive and think that because they come from London or out of the county, they can do what they like. They’re inconsiderate and rude – many holiday makers think locals are stupid. They park where they want. They do what they want. They treat us like idiots.”
According to business advisor Kerrie, who is mum to 22-month-old Riley-Coyote and now lives in Wales, Friday and Saturday nights often become ‘no-go zones’ in the village and town centres.
She says the spot is riddled with visitors who have no consideration for the locals who live there and the smaller villages can’t cope with the influx.
“People need to have fun on holiday,” she explains. “I don’t begrudge that. But many people turn in to holiday makers from hell.
“They park campervans wherever they like for free. Private camping sites overflow. The noise from all night parties is terrible.
“Some tourists get so drunk they vomit in the streets. It’s noisy and rowdy and locals can’t get anything done. Many tourists treat us like we are stupid because they bring holiday cash.
“I spend most of the summer with my grandmother. She needs me to do the shopping and battle the crowds because it becomes impossible for her when tourist season hits.”
“All I want is for visitors to remember people who live in the area and to be respectful.
Kerrie
While Kerrie accepts that tourism is essential to help British seaside towns and places of natural beauty thrive, she says the influx is made worse by those who are cashing in on their second homes in the area.
“People rent them out for more than £2k a week in the high season. But many get turned into sites for pop up raves,” she says.
“Huge groups flock there. They fill them with their friends, and it causes major problems.
“Villages and towns simply don’t have enough facilities like toilets, parking and police to meet the demand.
“Tourism is important to regional economies – it’s critical to so many businesses. All I want is for visitors to remember people who live in the area and to be respectful.”
Staycations or holidaying in your home country, not overseas, have become increasingly popular in the United Kingdom.
In 2023 the number of Brits taking a domestic summer holiday or staycation increased by more than half compared to the previous year.
A staggering 56% planned or took a UK-based holiday in 2023.
Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform, reports that we took a total of 42.1 million staycations.
Chief Executive of Visit Cornwall, Malcolm Bell, is calling for a national registration scheme for any type of holiday accommodation.
He says: “If you rent out a space for someone else to sleep in for a holiday then people should be registered. It ensures everyone meets proper standards for holiday accommodation.
“It’s about balance. It’s making sure people can visit Cornwall and enjoy it. It’s about hearing everyone’s concerns.
“Most holidaymakers are relatively well-behaved. I ask people who are critical of tourists how they behave when they go on their holidays.
“If people are worried about tourists then write to your MP about a tourist levy and a national registration of accommodation. Then we’d have the help to keep as many people happy as possible.”
Kerrie says she regularly has to clean up after the holidaymakers who treat her nan’s garden as a toilet.
“I don’t understand why people think it’s ok to use other people’s gardens as a toilet,” she adds.
“Stepping on poo or vomit is disgusting. It happens regularly during summer.
Local nature spots often become overrun and that causes traffic jams, pollution and wrecks the natural habitat.
Kerrie
Kerrie also says so-called influencers are also causing chaos with their ‘glam squads’ and thrill seeking to get the perfect selfie, even if it means putting their lives in danger.
“Influencer tourists stop traffic while they primp and pose,” she says.
“They ignore the ‘stay off the grass’ signs or worse still the signs designed to keep people safe!
I love the fact that more people are converting vans and buses to live in. The problem is in summer the seaside is where people spend the warmer months.
Kerrie
“Lifeguards and coastguards have to spend money rescuing people who don’t think while getting the perfect selfie.
“I love the fact that more people are converting vans and buses to live in. The problem is in summer the seaside is where people spend the warmer months.”
“I have seen unofficial campsites spring up. There is no electricity, water or toilets and it becomes a mess with overflowing garbage that’s uncollected.
“Local nature spots often become overrun and that causes traffic jams, pollution and wrecks the natural habitat.”
More than four million people visit Cornwall for a holiday every year, according to a local committee report.
The county’s tourism chief has warned holidaymakers that he could “certainly envision” a levy on tourists being rolled out. Also known as a tourist tax, the move would see visitors charged a fee to stay in a certain area.
Kerrie agrees action is needed: “Something needs to be done. I think there should be a tourist levy. I don’t hate tourists, I go on holidays as well, but the difference is I am always respectful and follow the rules,” she argues.
