How to fix the Eden Project – and Cornwall

Telegraph

01-06-2025

From days out with the family to music concerts, the Eden Project has served as a hub of fond memories for Telegraph readers.
However, on Tuesday, Greg Dickinson reported on how the Eden Project, Cornwall's flagship tourist attraction, is fighting for survival 25 years after first opening its doors.
In January 2025, the Eden Project culled a fifth of its workforce due to declining visitor numbers and rising costs.
With the horticultural project facing its biggest challenges to date, readers have outlined the changes they think are needed in order to keep its doors open. Many also highlighted how Cornwall has struggled with wider tourism issues since the pandemic.
From reducing entry fees to ending the war on holidaymakers, here's your manifesto on how to fix tourism to the Eden Project and Cornwall.
'Reduce the entry price'
General tickets to the Eden Project cost £38 when purchased online, increasing to £42 when bought on the door. These tickets grant a visitor access for an entire year, but readers still feel that the price does not justify the experience.
While reader Simon Roberts believes that the project is 'a brilliant concept perfectly executed,' he believes that the cost is 'a big outlay'.
He says: 'I appreciate that you can visit as many times as you want for a year, but it's off-putting and the reality is that most will visit during their holidays and won't be back in the area for some time.
'Reduce the entrance prices to get people in and then try and upsell optional food, gifts and items to people once there.'
Chris Jeans, who holidays in Cornwall every year, asserts: 'Not enough consideration is given to non-locals.'
Instead, Mr Jeans suggests offering 'a 10 per cent reduction in price for each subsequent visit'.
'That way, even after many visits and therefore a low admission, the Eden Project would still make money out of a visit through its shops, restaurants and enthusiastic regulars.'
Likewise, Stephen Jakeman doesn't view year-long tickets as 'much use when you live over 100 miles away'. Mr Jakeman calls upon the project to 'have the bottle to drop prices considerably for a day visit'.
Andrew Brown argues that the project is not 'value for money'.
He says: 'Drop the entrance fee while increasing the plants available to purchase but from a separate on-site location, prioritising the main location for more creative sales opportunities.'
'Make the site worth coming back to see again'
Reader Catherine Guild recently visited the project for the second time after first going around five years ago and felt dejected when seeing 'nothing had changed'.
She believes the slashing of the project's workforce in January has affected its appearance and could deter others from revisiting.
'It looked unkempt, which annoyed me given the amount of cash they took for the experience,' she shares.
Another repeat visitor is Helen Brown who went as a child over 20 years ago and again as an adult in 2021. Despite the vast amount of time between visits, Ms. Brown shares her shock to see some of the material from her first visit still on display.
She says: 'A lot of the information boards outside were original and sun-bleached. There was a lot of inside space that had no exhibits and was empty. Apart from the biomes, there is nothing to see there.'
In offering a solution, Ms. Brown suggests the project should 'look at how they can maximise their estate and make more of the site worth coming back to see again'.
In a similar vein, one-time visitor Ann Stokell says that while she admires the original idea for the project, she feels that 'there is no investment and planning for the future'.
'During Covid, the Cornish ripped off people terribly'
Meanwhile, other readers discuss what they deem to be the poor treatment of visitors to Cornwall.
The post-pandemic influx of holidaymakers and second homers pushed up prices for residents, fomenting resentment.
Reader George Williams lives in Devon and believes that the rising costs of hotels in Devon and Cornwall during and after Covid may have deterred tourists from returning to the area.
He says: 'Our local pub was charging over £250 a night for a room and they wonder why people who visited did not come back?'
He adds: 'The Cornish ripped off people terribly when they could not go abroad. They now know it is much cheaper to go abroad and much quicker if you live in London.'
Dominic Evans, a regular visitor to Cornwall, supports this belief by stating that if 'accommodation was more reasonable, money would be available for attractions,' such as the Eden Project.
Reader Richard Watson urges 'the Cornish powers that be' to call for an end to their 'war' on holiday let and second-home owners, thereby encouraging people to visit the area.
'Cornwall is seriously out of the way for most in the UK'
Other readers explained that tempting tourists back to the area – and the project – could prove difficult purely based on its location and poor accessibility.
Due to Cornwall being 'seriously out of the way for most in the UK,' one reader renders the concept of an annual pass to the Eden Project as useless.
He says: 'I disagree with this broad viewpoint of the annual pass meaning you can come in as many times as you want for the rest of the year. Realistically the chance of coming in many times is nonsensical.'
Another reader, Peter Wakeman, suggests that 'poor' road links into Cornwall could also be another reason people are deterred from visiting the area.
He argues that journeys are turned into 'marathon treks for the relatively short distances involved' and that this is an issue which affects much of the West Country.
Reader David Lee believes that Britain should 'put customers first for once by improving the country's infrastructure in order to prevent the country from grinding to a standstill'.