It is not just a Vacation Issue…..

The Coast or Countryside, no matter our taste in holiday locations, it does seem to be causing concerns.

I mentioned in this mornings post, that many destinations are getting rather crowded….. indeed overcrowded.  Covid has of course been one reason for increased number of visitors descending, on not just the famous ‘hot spots’, but even those not on the mass tourist trails. Travel restrictions, risks and increase costs, made many would be overseas travellers remain here in the UK.

Locals complain of their villages and towns becoming overcrowded and their lives, everyday lives, made near impossible.  Even locations that depend upon the tourist trade for the local economy are complaining which on the surface seems strange.  But the reality is that the Covid increase in visitor numbers is only  small part of the issue… and issue that has been increasingly difficult to control for a good number of years now.

The real issue is a mix of two key factors.  Work opportunities  have changed, Jobs gone and those left more on the lower pay scales.  People move away to get better paid jobs.  Others move for another equally important reason, and that is, that they can no longer afford to buy or rent local accommodation.

Second Homes were the first reason for this later situation.  The desire for a ‘Place in the County’ became both affordable and fashionable for those more wealthy.   Properties in the hot spots were purchased, properties that would stand empty for much of the time.  Communities of local people became smaller.

That was the start……  then the thought became a business…..  Why have the property standing empty, we can let it out as a Holiday Let when we don’t use it!  There have of course always been places to rent for holidays, but suddenly this became a broader based business opportunity.  Others recognised this business opportunity and properties started to be purchased just as Holiday Properties.  Demand for properties increased and so property prices rapidly increased.  Whilst this made matters worse for the locals, and in particular the younger families, taking the new ‘market prices’ out of their reach…. conversely those outsiders who could afford to  buy, found that lower interest rates made the business model of Holiday lets an attractive proposition.  The cycle continues.

That said, it isn’t a case of one size fits all situations.  Take the Cottages in the pic above.  These are old Slate Workers cottages on the Isle of Luing. These and many other were built to attract and accommodate the large number of workers for the Island Quarries.  But that was back a couple of centuries ago.  Eventually the Slate Quarries closed down, workers left and cottage became empty.  Many are occupied by locals working in agriculture and fishing. Some are indeed second homes.  But others are indeed Holiday Lets. Now the conundrum….. if these were not now Holiday Lets, would they still be attractive and maintained cottages on this Scottish Island?

As beautiful as a location like Luing and many other Scottish Islands are, they are not the Cornish Fishing Villages or indeed  a village in the Yorkshire Dales  or Cotswolds…. the more remote Scottish locations make them more exclusive and specialised.

So the business model of Holiday Lets increases, add in the Airbnb’s factor and the community populations decrease and visitor numbers increase in disproportion to the available space….. and nobody wins apart from the owners of the new business properties. The cycle continues.  Property prices rise and so do holiday rental costs.

Holiday Cottages can and do help some communities.  But in so many places they do appear to have a negative impact. In may locations that are neither prosperous or industrial based, the population base declines, particularly with younger folk and the community life disappears.

These are Tourist destinations, so need to attract visitors, so the locals should be pleased, its helping their economy!  Sadly no.  Workers are need for the Tourists  based services, but as local numbers have declined, seasonal workers are employed from outside the area,  They too need accommodation, of course its cost has also increased, making recruitment for service jobs even harder.

The cycle continues.  Communities get smaller. Pressure on Local Government Services increases out of proportion to the areas population. Winter comes and villages are empty….. eventually the very soul,  that makes these location so attractive may well vanish…. as far as many locals are concerned it has already gone.

Covid didn’t help but it is by no means the only reason for the decline.

Holiday Lets can be a benefit to some locations…. but perhaps a cap on numbers, and dare I say, a Tourist Tax , would help restore the balance in those areas of over demand that’s suffocating local communities

Just a few thoughts….. Thanks for reading.

Please Remember ….

Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other

1st July

(C) David Oakes 2023