‘Vapid influencers love it – but we don’t want them here’: Cornwall locals reveal they can’t stand Instagram and TikTokker tourists because they bring ‘the wrong people’ to the county

Cornwall is one of the staycation capitals of the UK with tourists flocking to its quaint seaside towns and packing out its beautiful beaches.

But while locals appreciate the customers of holidaymakers – not everyone is welcome.

Influencers have been slammed by Cornish residents after a slew of posts featuring local beauty spots on Instagram and TiKTok.  

They say the stampeding crowds of TikTokers looking for the perfect selfie are ruining  sites loved by communities and turning them into ‘no-go areas’. 

Influencers have been slammed by Cornish residents after a slew of posts featuring local beauty spots on Instagram and TiKTok

Despite disgruntled Cornish residents hitting out at social media users, social media’s influence on getaways shows little sign of abating, as new figures suggest video sharing site TikTok is the ‘go-to platform for travel inspiration’

One influencer account even labelled Cornwall as the Bali of the UK in a recent post 

Cornwall has long been a treasured spot for Brits looking for a serene holiday break by the beach without the need of having to spend big to go abroad

One local also highlighted the damage done to spots of natural beauty, such as Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor, in neighbouring Devon, because of increased numbers of people flocking to the area. 

Speaking to Cornwall Live, they fumed: ‘Online influencers and vapid ‘bucket listers’ have caused some of our most special, sensitive and unspoilt places to become no-go areas. 

‘People don’t seem to get it that with huge audiences reachable online, such recommendations can quickly lead to areas becoming overwhelmed with unimaginative bandwagon-jumping types who have it ‘on their list’. 

‘Take Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor, now requesting that people don’t walk in it due to the incredible damage done by hordes in the past several years who have seen online influencers describe it as some kind of real life Fangorn Forest. 

‘Locals who sensitively and quietly respected that place for years have had it taken from them due to the insensitivities of others’. 

This was a sentiment echoed by another local, who blamed ‘internet vermin’ for increased tourist numbers to the area. 

They said: ‘It’s the same with every nice part of UK, these internet vermin encourage way too many people to visit.’

A further comment read: ‘[An influencer] calls the smoothies in one place and sausage rolls in another ”insane”.

‘My idea of insane is these so-called influencers’ ”bucket lists”. Attracting exactly the wrong people to the county’. 

The wishes of upset locals for tourists to stay away come after visitors have been previously been shamed online for driving their cars on to Cornish beaches and leaving them there – with one even spotted submerged in the sea.

Instagram influencer Jessica Skye poses on a coastal rock face in Cornwall

Almost half of adults, or 47 per cent, are now turning to the website to plan their holidays

Locals set-up a Facebook group called ‘Utterly Preposterous Parking in Cornwall’.

People in the Cornish seaside town of St Ives say it has been turned into a ‘theme park’ after being swamped by tourists and Airbnb rentals.

And three people were seen holding up a crude banner on a bridge over the A30 at Bodmin in Cornwall, telling drivers: ‘Turn around and f*** off.’

At the same time, tourists arriving in Dawlish in neighbouring Devon were greeted by a man dressed as the Grim Reaper with a sign saying: ‘Welcome holidaymakers.’

Despite disgruntled Cornish residents hitting out at social media users, social media’s influence on getaways shows little sign of abating, as new figures suggest video sharing site TikTok is the ‘go-to platform for travel inspiration’.

Almost half of adults, or 47 per cent, are now turning to the website to plan their holidays – with 39 per cent spending an extra four to seven hours each week doing so compared to two years ago, according to research by Tourism Australia. 

Their survey of 2,000 Britons found 46 per cent say they trust TikTok recommendations more than other holiday review websites.

Meanwhile, 57 per cent told of being more likely to visit a place after seeing it on TikTok.