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Bude 2026 Business and Tourist Tax Survey

Bude Area Tourist Board would like to understand how businesses experienced the 2026 summer season and how the visitor economy is affecting businesses across Bude and the wider area.

We are particularly interested in business performance, visitor behaviour, the unusually hot summer, weather forecasts, staffing and recruitment, and the importance of Bude’s visitors to businesses both within and outside the immediate area.

The Government has also announced plans to give strategic authorities in England powers to introduce a Tourist Tax on paid overnight visitor accommodation. If introduced locally, such a levy could affect not only accommodation providers, but also the wider range of businesses that benefit from visitor spending, including shops, restaurants, cafés, attractions, activity providers, transport businesses and local suppliers.

We therefore want to hear from all businesses in Bude and the wider area, whether or not they operate directly within the tourism sector.

The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Your responses will help identify priorities for future tourism activity, marketing, infrastructure and business support, and will also help inform our understanding of local views on any future visitor levy.

One fully completed survey submission will be selected at random to receive a free 2027 VisitBude Membership Package, worth up to £500. To be eligible for the prize, all sections of the survey must be completed.

2026 Business Survey

About Your Business.

What type of business do you operate?
How long has your business been operating?
Are you VAT registered?

Business Location and Importance of Bude Visitors

Where is your business located?
If your business is outside Bude or the wider Bude area, approximately what proportion of your customers are people staying in or visiting Bude?
How important are visitors to Bude to the overall success of your business?
Approximately what proportion of your annual business is generated directly or indirectly by visitors to Bude?

Summer 2026 Business Performance

Overall, how would you rate the 2026 summer season for your business?
Compared with last summer, did customers appear to spend:
Compared with summer 2025, how did your business perform overall?
Compared with last summer, how did your customer or visitor numbers change?
What do you think were the main factors affecting your business performance this summer? Select up to three.

Visitor Behaviour

Did you notice any of the following visitor trends this summer? Select all that apply.
Compared with previous summers, were visitors more or less price-conscious?
Did customers appear to book or make decisions later than in previous years?

Impact of the Hot Summer

Overall, what impact did the hot weather have on your business?
How did the hot weather affect customer numbers?
How did the hot weather affect customer spending?
Did the hot weather change the times of day when your business was busiest?
What changes in visitor behaviour did you notice during particularly hot weather? Select all that apply.
Did the hot weather create operational challenges for your business? Select all that apply.
How well equipped was your business to cope with prolonged periods of hot weather?

Weather Forecasts and Weather Apps

How accurately do you think weather apps and forecast summaries represented the weather actually experienced in Bude this summer?
Did you notice occasions when the main weather icon or summary gave a different impression from the weather experienced for most of the day?
For example, did you notice days where a rain or shower icon was shown even though most of the day was dry or sunny?
Did customers mention weather forecasts or weather apps when discussing their decision to visit, cancel, postpone or change their plans?
Did weather forecasts or weather-app information appear to affect your business this summer?
If there was a negative impact, what did you notice? Select all that apply.
How significant do you think weather forecasts and weather-app presentation are to Bude's visitor economy?

Staffing and Recruitment

Approximately how many people did your business employ for Spring 2026?
Approximately how many people did your business employ for Summer 2026?
Approximately how many people will your business employ for Autumn 2026?
Approximately how many people will your business employ for Winter 2026?
If you experienced recruitment difficulties, what were the main reasons? Select all that apply.
Were particular roles especially difficult to recruit for?
Did staffing shortages affect your business?
If yes, how did staffing shortages affect the business? Select all that apply.

Staff Retention and Workforce

How would you describe staff retention during the summer season?
Did you experience staff leaving during the summer season?
If you experienced retention problems, what were the main reasons? Select all that apply.
Which age groups were represented in your summer workforce? Select all that apply.
Which age group made up the largest proportion of your summer workforce?
How reliant is your business on students or young people for summer staffing?
Compared with previous years, was recruiting staff this summer easier or harder?

Accommodation Businesses

Compared with summer 2025, how did your occupancy perform in summer 2026?
Were your 2026 average daily/weekly rates higher or lower than 2025?
Compared with previous years, did guests tend to book:
Did you notice a change in the average length of stay?

Bude Infrastructure and Local Challenges

What were the biggest challenges affecting your business this summer? Select up to three.
Did the hot weather highlight any issues with Bude's visitor infrastructure? Select all that apply.
Did the Bude Park & Ride service benefit your business?
Which actions would most help strengthen Bude's visitor economy? Select up to three.

Looking Ahead

How confident are you about trading over the next 12 months?

Proposed Overnight Visitor Levy (“Tourist Tax”)

The Government has announced plans to give strategic authorities in England powers to introduce a levy on paid overnight visitor accommodation.

If introduced locally, such a levy could affect not only accommodation providers, but also other businesses that benefit from visitor spending, including shops, restaurants, cafés, attractions, activity providers, transport businesses and local suppliers.

We need to understand the views of all businesses in Bude and the wider area.

Awareness and Overall View

Prior to the recent government announcement, how aware were you of proposals for a Tourist Tax?
In principle, would you support or oppose the introduction of a Tourist Tax in Cornwall?

Potential Impact on Visitors and Businesses

If a Tourist Tax were introduced in Cornwall, what impact do you think it would have on the number of overnight visitors?
What impact do you think a Tourist Tax would have on the amount visitors spend with other local businesses during their stay?
What impact do you think a Tourist Tax would have on your own business?
Which potential impacts of a Tourist Tax concern you, if any? Select all that apply.

Potential Benefits

Which potential benefits of a Tourist Tax do you see, if any? Select all that apply.

Competition with Other Destinations

If Cornwall introduced a Tourist Tax but neighbouring counties did not, or if neighbouring counties introduced a lower levy, how concerned would you be that visitors might choose those destinations instead?

How Should the Money Be Spent?

How important would it be to you that money raised through a Tourist Tax in Cornwall was spent directly on supporting tourism and the visitor economy?
If a Tourist Tax were introduced and money was raised from visitors staying in the Bude area, where do you think that money should primarily be spent?
How important is it that money raised from visitors staying in Bude is visibly reinvested in Bude and the surrounding area?
If a Tourist Tax were introduced, would you support our request that Cornwall Council allocate a proportion of the revenue raised to help fund our destination management, visitor information and tourism promotion in Bude?
How important would it be for local tourist board / associations and hospitality businesses to have formal representation in decisions about how Tourist Tax revenue is spent?

Economic Impact Assessment

Before a Tourist Tax is introduced in Cornwall, do you think there should be a detailed independent assessment of its likely economic impact on the visitor economy and wider local businesses?
If an assessment were undertaken, which impacts do you think should be considered? Select all that apply.

Would Reinvestment Change Your View?

Would your view of a Tourist Tax change if all or most of the money raised was demonstrably reinvested in Cornwall’s visitor economy?
Would your view of a Tourist Tax change if all or most of the money raised was demonstrably reinvested in Bude’s visitor economy?
If a Tourist Tax were introduced, which statement comes closest to your view?

Exemptions and Cornwall Residents

If a Tourist Tax were introduced in Cornwall, should permanent Cornwall residents have to pay the levy when staying overnight in paid accommodation elsewhere within Cornwall?

Fairness, Registration and Enforcement

Would you have concerns that some accommodation providers might not collect or pay the Tourist Tax, for example where accommodation is operated informally, casually or outside normal registration and reporting systems?
What concerns, if any, would this raise for you? Select all that apply.
How important would it be to you that a Tourist Tax was applied and enforced consistently across all eligible accommodation providers?
Do you think accommodation providers should be required to register before a visitor levy is introduced, so that all eligible businesses can be identified and treated consistently?

Tourist Tax and Maximum Charge

If a Tourist Tax based on a % of the cost were introduced in Cornwall, what do you think would be an appropriate rate?
Which approach do you think would be fairest?

Final Comments

Bude Tourism & Community Champion

Your Details

Thank you for taking the time to complete the Bude Summer Season 2026 Business Survey.

Your feedback will help Bude Area Tourist Board build a clearer picture of the local visitor economy, understand the challenges facing businesses, identify opportunities for future tourism activity and recognise those making an exceptional contribution to the Bude area.

All information will be treated in confidence.