Visitor Economy

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are one of the UK’s strongest tourism assets. With miles of coastline and 27% of the region being designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty over 4 million overnight visits happen every year, along with 14 million day trips. This success creates a large number of regional jobs and £2 billion of visitor spend annually.

Overall, the visitor economy makes up 15% of the Cornish economy and the mean average salary is £16,177, with salaries for different occupations within the sector showing significant variation. Catering, bar and restaurant managers earn the highest salaries.

Within the visitor economy, the largest proportion of staff are cleaners, followed by those who work with food, either as kitchen and catering assistants or chefs, and then receptionists, waiting staff and bar staff.

Within Cornwall, the demand is highest for chefs and kitchen/catering assistants. There is an ongoing concern within the sector about the domestic skills shortage, driven by both the immigration changes as a result of Brexit and the pandemic.