We don't want to be just another county' - Corny tourism ploy sees Cornwall secede from England
Cornwall might be out on a limb geographically but it is now out on a limb politically too after Visit Cornwall hit upon a novel wheeze to bolster the regions status as a tourism mecca – by banning all references to the nation of which it is a constituent part.
The Ostrich-like policy sees staff at the agency banned from allowing the word ‘England’ or ‘county’ to pass their lips, whilst the offending name is to be expunged from all promotional literature in a process of redactment.
In their place Visit Cornwall boss Malcolm Bell favours the words ‘region’ and ‘duchy’ but denies any nationalist sympathies.
The move is intended to inflate the stature of Cornwall by implying that it is somehow different to other regions, giving it equivalent clout to the likes of Scotland, Wales and the country which shall not be named.
Bell said: “This was not done as a political gesture. Every county in England is fighting against all the others to encourage tourists to stay, and so we want to stand out from the crowd. We don't want to be 'just another county'. We have a wonderful brand here, and so this was about promoting Cornwall as something unique.
"We conducted research in 2011 which showed 75 per cent of tourists in Cornwall were aware that there is a Cornish language, and many thought that it was a good thing. It is part of our identity, and few regions in England can say they have that.
"So we want to maximise our potential by making the most of how special Cornwall is."
At the time of writing The Drum is awaiting additional comment from Visit Cornwall.