New tourism for old? Policy developments in Cornwall and Devon

This paper will examine current tourism policies in Cornwall and Devon. Although long established, the tourist industry is in need of restructuring in order to compete in an increasingly discerning and heterogeneous market. Beginning with an overview of the current role and characteristics of tourism in the two counties, this paper will analyze aspects of European, national, regional and local policy. It will be shown that the restructuring of tourism within Cornwall and Devon has resulted in a shift in institutional control over tourist space which is in part a response to a wider context of changes in the nature of commodification and consumption. In conclusion it will be argued that the analysis of tourism policies and strategies cannot be simply reduced to the function of economic imperatives, but needs to be analyzed by conceptualizing such developments as a complex multi-dimensional set of socio-cultural relations and flows.