Carbis Bay, Cornwall, seems an unlikely place to hold the world’s most important annual political conference. Be that as it may, world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will convene this week in the southwestern tip of England for the G7 Summit (June 11-13), which is destined to deliver its share of attention-grabbing political headlines. But VisitBritain hopes that the event will also provide an unprecedented platform to inspire travellers to visit Britain, not least Canadians.
Visit Britain notes that Canada is an important inbound visitor market for the UK, worth a record £734 million ($1.258 billion) to the economy in 2019, and the Summit gives the national tourism agency the chance to promote ‘Destination Britain’ and drive future bookings.
“Canada is an incredibly important inbound visitor market for the UK and the Summit is a valuable chance to promote our culture and heritage, our fabulous tourism products and new experiences that are unique to Britain, and ready and waiting for when visitors can return,” says VisitBritain Chief Executive Sally Balcombe.
“We know there is pent-up demand for travel and our connections with Canada run deep. We are working closely with travel trade and partners in Canada to promote the very best of Destination Britain to drive future trips, and as well as highlighting messages of reassurance and welcome, as part of the G7 Summit and beyond.
“As restrictions are eased, we will be competing hard for international visitors who contribute billions to our economy.”
And with an ambition to be seen as “the world’s meeting place,” the Summit also demonstrates Britain’s ability to host business events of the highest calibre, Balcombe says.
VisitBritain is also using the Summit to promote major events next year in Britain, which are set to be significant global tourism draws, such as the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and Festival UK 2022.
As for Cornwall, the bucolic English county – said to be the legendary home of King Arthur – stands out for its sandy beaches (over 300 of them), seaside villages and resorts, wild moorland and towering cliffs, and hiking, cycling, surfing and exploring opportunities, not to majestic St. Michael’s Mount (banner photo), an iconic UNESCO world heritage site that welcomes three million visitors a year in normal times.
“As the world’s media turns its attention to the G7 Summit we’ve got a fantastic opportunity to highlight our outstanding tourism offer, and the amazing experiences that visitors – including prime ministers – can only have in Britain,” observes Balcombe.
To that end, VisitBritain’s Canadian office has come up with a custom program for Canada’s very own prime minister – just in case Justin Trudeau was to have a chance to meet up with the family and stay on for a few days of R&R after the Summit. Here is the tourist board’s:
Top tips for Trudeau
Accommodation: World leaders will be staying at the Carbis Bay Hotel, Carbis Bay near St. Ives, awarded AA Eco Hotel Award for 2019 for its commitment to sustainability. A luxury resort that welcomes families, it has an award-winning spa and fine dining serving Cornish gourmet food. For a luxury eco hotel just for grown-ups, there is Scarlet, its spa offering a range of treatments, including hot tubs infused with Cornish seaweed.
Outdoor family fun: Trudeau and his family can often be spotted on hiking trails in Canada, so what’s a better way to explore the beauty of England’s Southwest than to go for a walk along the newly opened English Coast Path, which gives superb coastal views through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. A new series of Treasure Trails around the Cornish coastline will keep children entertained as they crack clues along the way. It’s always surfs up in Cornwall, attracting surfers and kite surfers from around the world, and Trudeau could try a lesson offered by Extreme Academy to get the adrenalin pumping. Cornwall has 12 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty from the dramatic cliffs of the North Coast to the beautifully bleak hills of Bodmin Moor.
Glorious gardens: Trudeau and his family will be wowed when visiting the Eden Project located on the Southeast coast of Cornwall. A huge rejuvenation project, it was created out of a depleted clay pit, and the huge crater is now a thriving garden featuring massive Biomes housing the world’s largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, contemporary gardens, and exhibitions. For another garden paradise, the PM and his family would enjoy exploring the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, an estate left to decay after WWI, but rediscovered and reawakened in 1990. Today its 80 hectares are considered one of the most romantic and mysterious gardens in England.
Cornwall’s artistic side: As a former drama teacher, Trudeau might enjoy taking in a performance at the open-air Minack Theatre, constructed on a rocky granite outcrop jutting in the sea. Located at Porthcurno, the season normally runs from May to September with a selection of outdoor performances. Continuing on with a cultural adventure, it’s time to check out St. Ives, a seaside town known for its local art scene.
Fresh food: Cornwall is definitely on the map for dedicated foodies. Top chefs such as Rick Stein and Paul Ainsworth (who make Padstow a must-visit hotspot) and Nathan Outlaw (with two locations in Port Isaac) deliver the finest in fresh seafood and local Cornish produce. Since Trudeau is known to enjoy Asian cuisine, dinner at Kahuna Restaurant in Newquay is recommended. For more traditional fare, there are fresh-from-the-sea fish & chips, Fal Oysters, Cornish Sardines, decadent Cornish Cream Teas and Cornish pasties.
Tropical Cornwall: After a couple of days of intense meetings, where better to relax and recharge than the Isles of Scilly, billed as Cornwall’s own tropical islands. Just 45 km off the coast of Land’s End, the grouping of 140 islands (only five are inhabited) provide the perfect escape of crystal-clear waters and idyllic beaches. Easily accessible by ferry or a 15-minute flight, the islands have been visited by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Dame Judi Dench, who holidays on Tresco. St. Mary’s is the largest island (population 1,800). Its capital Hugh Town offers plenty of character and charm with shops, cafés, galleries, restaurants and pubs. Along with St. Mary’s, the islands of Bryher, Tresco, St. Martins and St. Agnes round up the top five islands, each offering something different for visitors.
Legendary Cornwall: Theatre and storytelling go hand in hand, and Cornwall’s Tintagel Castle is inextricably linked with the legend of King Arthur. Situated along the dramatic and windswept coastline, the castle was built half on the mainland and half on a jagged headland projecting into the Cornish sea and is joined by the new Tintagel Bridge. Visitors can get there by boat or by land causeway (when the tide) is right to St. Michael’s Mount, just offshore at Marzion, which tells tales of Archangel Michael and a Giant Killer named Jack.
Of course, Cornwall is a gateway to the rest of Britain (or the other way around) and VisitBritain suggests some other endeavours beyond the county’s borders for the Trudeau clan:
Treasure hunting: The family could make like explorers and head east to the Jurassic Coast, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a popular spot for fossil hunting. The Jurassic Coast begins in Devon and continues for 152 km to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset. The rock cliffs at Charmouth and Lyme Regis contain thousands of fossils of animals that swam in the Jurassic seas. The famous Weymouth Bay pliosaur is on exhibition at the Dorset County Museum.
Canadian connections: Next door in East Devon, there’s a little bit of Canada in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Canadian flag flutters above Ontario-owned Wolford Chapel, which is the burial place of John Graves Simcoe, Toronto’s founder and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (Ontario). In Kent, Quebec House in Westerham is the childhood home of General James Wolfe, who won the Battle of Quebec on the Plains of Abraham but lost his life doing so. The churchyard of All Saints Church in Orpington is the resting place for 90 Canadian soldiers who died in the town during World War I. Memorabilia from the war can be seen at The Battle of Britain Museum in Folkstone.
Elementary, my dear Trudeau: The Prime Minister is a Sherlock fan, so it makes sense that on his visit to England he’d want to do a little sleuthing about the famous detective. He can start first by going next door into Devon and traipsing about Dartmoor National Park featured in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” From there, it’s a journey to London to the Sherlock Holmes Museum located at 221B Baker Street, one of the world’s most famous addresses. The Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour of London covers literary and filming location sites featured in the books and real sites that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. More Sherlock sites include New Scotland Yard, Irene Adler’s House at 44 Eaton Square, Belgravia, and the Sherlock Holmes Pub.
Travel trade
In a bid to “showcase everything the county” Visit Cornwall has launched a new dedicated travel trade portal packed full of useful resources, including free-to-use imagery, newly commissioned video footage, sample itineraries, fascinating facts linking Cornwall to the G7 member countries, including Canada, and “everything a visitor needs to know.”