According to experts, this is a perfect storm, including a surge in holidaymakers, staff shortages and supplier problems hitting the tourism industry.
Hoteliers and bar owners stated that employees had contracted the coronavirus, others were quarantined after being “pinged”, and there was a recruitment crisis Brexit And there is too little housing.
This means that some hotels are forced to close their rooms-while restaurants, cafes and bars have shortened business hours and restricted menus.
Tourism leader Cornwall It is said that due to international travel restrictions, many people choose to vacation in the UK, so tourists have increased.
The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce stated that the number of visitors to the county during the summer increased by 30,000 compared to previous years.
New data shows Cornwall and Isles of Scilly It now has the highest rate of Covid-19 cases in England.
Nick Hayman, co-owner of Fistral Beach Bar Newquay Indicates that there are problems such as vacations, Covid-19, fewer workers in the EU, and too few housing.
“It was difficult all summer. This is not a Newquay issue, it seems to be a national issue at the moment,” he told PA News Agency.
Mr. Hyman said that changes in the tax law mean that owners who buy homes for rent can make money from vacation rentals and Airbnb instead of renting out to long-term tenants.
“This is a perfect storm because there is more money in it and tax benefits are better,” he said.
“Hospitality It was the first one to be locked and the last one to reopen. Many people were unable to take vacations and were struggling. It’s really hard to find a chef.
“We have reduced coverage, reduced business hours, and have to check how many employees we have every day and manage them accordingly.”
He said that the supplier is working hard to meet the order, so he is reducing the menu.
“Compared with food, you can substitute drinks more easily. It’s just random things that are not available-it’s so weird,” he said.
“Guacamole, nachos, orange juice one week, apple juice and cranberry juice the other week. This is random stuff, it just boils down to distribution.”
Martin Barlow, owner and managing director of the Budock Vean Hotel near Falmouth, said: “We have 10 restaurant employees—about half of the team—have to be isolated at the same time. I once asked seven out of nine chefs. The reason for leaving Covid was more than a week.
“I am the boss and general manager, and we all have to be involved, so I work in shifts to help with pot washing, dinner service, and various other shifts.”
Mr. Barlow said he knew that some hoteliers had problems hiring staff because the rental housing had dried up.
“Having our own employee accommodation is very helpful. For some hotels that rely on renting local accommodation for their employees, this is a big problem. Then they discovered that these accommodations have been converted into vacation rental accommodation,” he added.
Jin Kangqi, chief executive of the Cornish Chamber of Commerce, said that the “epidemic” has severely hit the tourism industry.
“Interestingly, we have five-star hotel owners washing dishes and making beds-trying to keep the show going,” he said.
“Many smaller institutions have to close for a few days a week because they simply don’t have enough people to provide staff for these places seven days a week.
“For business owners, this is very frustrating because the needs are there, but they simply can’t meet them.”
He also blamed Brexit and housing problems for the lack of seasonal workers this summer.
“Traditionally, we usually have thousands of people from EU countries working here, who have been trained in their own countries, and this has been more or less completely cut off,” Mr. Kang Qi said.
“We used to have a lot of people from northern cities spending the summer in places like Newquay. Their problem was that they didn’t have housing because every landlord who owned a rental property converted it into a holiday home.
“Hotels, nursing departments, agricultural or construction workers have no accommodation at all.”
