Newquay traders see mixed picture from Beyond Boardmasters campaign
BID manager says traffic is much improved but work is still needed to change perceptions
Traders in Newquay have described a mixed picture of trade during Boardmasters this year, as the town's Beyond Boardmasters campaign gets under way.
Mark Warren, manager of Newquay Business Improvement District (BID), said feedback from businesses had been inconsistent, with some seeing strong growth and others a noticeable drop in trade.
He said the campaign was designed to change a long-standing narrative that people should avoid Newquay during festival week.
Mr Warren said the BID had been working with Boardmasters for four years to better understand the event's impact on the town.
He said Boardmasters had previously highlighted the amount of money brought into Cornwall during the festival, but that this did not match what businesses were telling him.
Mr Warren said,: "When you speak to the businesses, the business is like, well, actually we're down in August and it's the worst week of August for us, which was the original conversations."
He said local press coverage in the weeks before the festival had reinforced a message telling people to avoid Newquay, which he said was not a fair reflection of the town.
"I think it had really built up to a narrative of do not go to Newquay during Boardmasters," Mr Warren said.
"And that wasn't fair, really, because Newquay wasn't that bad even then during the Boardmasters time."
Mr Warren said the BID initially worked with Boardmasters to offer discounts to festival-goers, encouraging them into the town, and supported efforts to improve the event's original site at Fistral.
However, he said this had limited effect, as festival-goers were generally young and had little spare cash to spend in the town.
He said the BID had since shifted its focus away from festival-goers and towards residents, tourists and day visitors instead.
Mr Warren said: "Let's talk to our general public, our tourists, our locals, and go, just because Boardmasters is on, think beyond Boardmasters and come in and enjoy what we have to offer."
Mr Warren said poor traffic management had previously been one of the biggest deterrents for visitors during Boardmasters week, with roads at a standstill in and out of Newquay.
He said this had improved significantly after organisers reworked their traffic plans over the past two years.
Mr Warren said: "Within the last two years they've redone their traffic management plans and it has been extremely good. Some of the comments from this year are best they've ever seen."
He added that new hourly train services on the Mid Cornwall Metro line, up from a two-hourly timetable, had also made travelling into Newquay easier.
As part of Beyond Boardmasters, Newquay hosted additional events during festival week, including an activation at Killacourt.
Mr Warren said the aim was to drive more footfall into the town centre and give people a reason to visit beyond the festival itself.
He said some businesses had reported record figures this year, and that others who normally saw large drops in trade during Boardmasters week had only seen a slight fall.
"It's becoming almost normal that people might come into Newquay during Boardmasters," he said. "So that's really positive."
He said not everyone agreed with the approach.
"There are still people that are against it, have massive issues with it," Mr Warren said.
"We probably will never please everybody, but we need to stop telling people to stay away and tell people to come."
Mr Warren said the campaign was also part of a wider effort to change outdated perceptions of Newquay generally, not just during Boardmasters.
"People still to this day look at Newquay as the original Magaluf of the UK," he said.
"Those days are long gone."
He said the town now attracted more families, couples and local visitors, and had invested in areas such as its bars and restaurants.
Mr Warren said: "We have cocktail bars, award winning cocktail bars, award winning restaurants. There's still nightlife, but it's just not the stags and hens."
He said this shift would also support businesses through the quieter autumn and winter months, pointing to events such as the "Spooky Newquay" event held during the October half term, along with Christmas events and monthly markets.
Mr Warren said: "Slowly and steadily we're changing into this new all year round environment, rather than just coming in July and August and then it's all gone back to sleep again. That's really not the case anymore."