Westcountry holiday businesses are pinning their hopes on a late summer boost to business after a mixed year so far.
Turbulent weather, the Olympic Games and the recession have brought difficulties as well as opportunities for the Westcountry tourism industry.
Broadly, hotels, restaurants, caravan parks and attractions in Devon and Cornwall report bookings up on this time last year – even though the early part of the season was mixed.
Now they hope an improvement in the weather might squeeze a few more tourism pounds into the coffers with a surge of late bookings.
Indoor attractions say they've benefited from constant drizzle while outdoor venues have struggled, and while some cashed in on the Olympics others said the Games sparked a drop in trade.
Classic Cottages has around 700 self-catering properties on its books across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.
Simon Tregoning, chairman of the Helston-based company, said despite the bad weather it was likely that bookings would even out and be on a par with last year.
He said: "We're definitely seeing much more of a trend for late bookings this summer and when people know there's a good weather weekend coming up it spurs them on to book a last-minute break."
Bosses at the Mill End Hotel on Dartmoor, near Chagford, Devon, said that following a hectic May and June, a slight drop-off in demand followed during the Olympics.
Managing director Mike Coombes said: "The good news is that we are now seeing plenty of last-minute bookings coming in for the remainder
of the summer. Hopefully
the UK showcase-opportunity presented by the Olympics will now start to bring dividends in terms of further growth in inbound tourism."
John Mappin, owner of the Camelot Hotel in Tintagel, said this year was the "best ever" with bookings up 30% on last year.
He said: "We advertised ourselves in the Olympic village and had the families of two Australian swimmers staying here.
"Through the Olympics the world has seen how brilliant the whole country is and I think we'll see increased bookings from overseas visitors from September – we've also re-branded our restaurant and are bookings are up 20 per cent."
Verity Westcott, restaurant supervisor at Mannings
Restaurant, Truro, said good weather can influence trade.
She said: "Lunchtimes can be quiet if the sun is out and everyone is down at the beach. But by 8pm the restaurant is full."
Some restaurant owners said national events coupled with the recession had caused problems.
One restaurateur from West Cornwall, who asked not to be named, said: "The Jubilee hit us pretty hard because people stayed away that weekend having street parties. And the Olympics hasn't helped because customers are staying in glued to their televisions. Bookings are definitely down on this time last year."
The micro-pigs at Pennywell Farm near Buckfastleigh in Devon have kept visitor numbers up 12 per cent on last year, according to owner Chris Murray.
He said: "We had a couple travel all the way down from Stoke-on-Trent yesterday just to see the pigs. Money is tight at the moment for lots of people, but they still want to enjoy themselves.
"I think tourists are becoming more discerning about what they spend their money on."
For the past 50 years Lance Trenchard and his family have run Beachside Holiday Park at St Ives Bay, West Cornwall, offering camping, chalets, lodges and space for touring vans for up to 200 families.
Mr Trenchard said: "Bookings are up on last year, which is good. But of course the weather has hit everyone hard. We were mad busy over the Jubilee celebrations but then we had that bout of bad weather which put the kibosh on everything."
The Monkey Tree Holiday Park and campsite, Rejerrah, Newquay, is a popular home-from-home for tourists. Laura Walker, who works at the site, said: "We have noted an increase in bookings during 2012 with most of our static fleet having been booked up further in advance, meaning that we have not had to make last-minute price reductions."
For Brian Anderson, managing director at Dairy World near Newquay, the attraction has held its own this season, with numbers up 1.67% on last year.
He said: "We've got a lot of indoor attractions and with the bad weather would have expected to be 20-30% up. The Olympics has obviously played a part, but also the recession in general."
He said in May and June trade was good because of the "toddler market", adding: "Parents with toddlers usually take advantage of the lower rates after the school holidays, so hopefully business will pick up in the autumn."
