€2,8m investment to boost off-season tourism and improve cycling path in Mount’s Bay

The Mount’s Bay (Penzance and Marazion) area is set to benefit from a €2.8m investment to improve the coast path, support local businesses and encourage a sustainable year-round visitor economy.

It is part of EXPERIENCE – a €23.3m project involving six areas of the Channel region (Cornwall, Brittany, Pas-de-Calais, Compiègne, Norfolk and Kent). Cornwall’s funding will support activities which focus on out-of-season visitor experiences (October to March) and sustainable cultural tourism, connecting visitors with the distinct historical, geographical and cultural assets of the local Penzance area.

EXPERIENCE will bring the cultural and tourism sectors together to encourage a sustainable year-round visitor economy. Due to run until June 2023, the project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg France (Channel) England Programme. Of the €16.1m ERDF committed to the total project, €1.9m is allocated to Cornwall Council, which is investing a further €0.9m.

With sustainability at its heart, the project will look to improve connectivity and encourage more sustainable modes of transport. The coastal path between Marazion and Penzance will be upgraded to improve the resilience of the popular multi-use trail and work is set to begin in the autumn to resurface the path, improve accessibility and provide safer routes through the car parks on the route. There are also plans to develop an art and cultural experience along the path which embraces the unique assets of the area.

The project will offer training and support to businesses in the Penzance pilot area looking to create cycling and cultural experiences for visitors which link to the local area, its history and culture. Any local business interested in finding out more can keep up to date with the project by signing up for the EXPERIENCE newsletter.

And as Penzance gears up to take centre stage for the first leg of the Tour of Britain in September 2021, EXPERIENCE aims to help local businesses adapt and respond to the increased popularity of cycle tourism.

Councillor Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council Portfolio Holder for Culture, Economy and Planning, said: “This is another significant step in the realisation of the Bay-to-Bay multi-use trail proposal, the regeneration of the Marazion and Penzance area, and our commitment to promoting new types of tourism. It will help to get people walking and cycling more, and support our ambitions to cut Cornwall’s carbon emissions as part of our climate change action plan.”

“The project will help fund improvements to the route, making it more accessible to tourists and residents alike. Now is such an important time to support the visitor economy. We want people to see Cornwall as an ideal destination all year round.”

More information

• The EXPERIENCE project is a €23.3m project, promoting off-season tourism and encouraging spend with local businesses across six areas in the Channel region (Cornwall, Brittany, Pas-de-Calais, Compiègne, Norfolk and Kent).
• Led by Norfolk County Council, EXPERIENCE involves 14 project partners in both France and the UK.
• The project area will increase visitor value by 5% in the off-season and aims to attract 24 million new visitors spending €147m by 2023.
• EXPERIENCE is a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg VA France (Channel) England Programme 2014-2020.
• The project will share its learning and successful approaches openly so that regions elsewhere will be able to replicate, bringing long term benefits across the France (Channel) England area and beyond even after the lifetime of the project.