Tourism officials in Cornwall say 80% of the industry could collapse if holidaymakers do not return for July and August.

The loss of the Easter trade has already set the sector back around £300m.

Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell told Sky News this is proving a major test for the county’s tourism businesses.

“Many businesses are at their lowest cash point – they’ve gone through their winter eking out the cash,” he said.

“It’s actually worse than that – many businesses are close to their overdraft limit and of course now not only is no money coming in, you’ve got customers wanting their money back. Many businesses invested heavily during the winter.”

Easter would have seen around 150,000 to 180,000 people visit Cornwall – increasing the county’s population by about a third.

A #comebacklater campaign to ensure holidaymakers stay away from Devon and Cornwall has been running since the lockdown.

But the focus is now turning to the peak summer months.

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