Locals in a pretty seaside town are voicing concern that their quaint coastal gem could be "destroyed" by holidaygoers.
With its charming coastal walks, quirky independent shops, and famed oysters, Whitstable on Kent's North Coast has long been cherished as a holiday spot, drawing tourists and delighting residents alike.
Previously celebrated as one of the quickest-growing seaside spots, the resort has clung to its local charm, balancing growth with community satisfaction. But cracks are beginning to show as residents grow wary of an encroaching tourism boom the kinds that the likes of Cornwall know all too well.
Comparisons are being drawn as Whitstable looks at Cornwall's ongoing tussle with overtourism and fears a similar fate looms ahead. Cornwall is a titan in UK tourism circles, a hotspot attracting millions of visitors annually, fuelling a colossal industry worth around £2.5 billion.
Jon Crwys-Williams, who operates Nomad Pizza in Whitstable, offers an insightful perspective born from experience. Having relocated his family from the Cornish village of St Agnes to Whitstable, he's personally witnessed both regions swell with visitors.
Today, he raises the alarm over a pressing issue that threatens Whitstable with the same overtourism discord the rise of second homes.
Jon passionately spoke out about the threat of second homes to coastal communities like Whitstable, urging immediate government action to curb their "largely detrimental" impacts.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, he warned: "Second homes can get to a point where they have an adverse effect on the community. There's no question that we don't want to live in a place like Cornwall where there's a 10 percent occupancy rate out of season.
"And there are places on the coast which are like that - 10, 15, 20 percent occupancy, 80 percent of the time they're not there. It destroys and kills a community.
"The legislation on second homes is poor and I think there needs to be tighter regulation by the government and local governments. It's started to happen in Cornwall and I think it needs to happen here."
He suggested the implementation of sustainability plans and community action plans to ensure that homes are allocated to local residents who will occupy them year-round.
Adding further, Jon stated: "It needs to be taken on board by local governments and councils, and possibly a local MP representing it as well."
Highlighting the broader crisis, Jon pointed to the serious risks facing struggling UK seaside resorts beyond Cornwall, with the prevalence of second homes threatening "the survival of the community".
He concluded: "Second homes are not a positive thing ... [They] can be largely detrimental to a community and you have to look at North Norfolk, Cornwall, Devon, and Yorkshire even ... In lots of places in the UK [they] can be very detrimental to the local community and the survival of the community.
"You can say, 'Let's embrace second homes' but what you end up doing is destroying a local community that then doesn't become attractive for people to come down to at all because it's lost what made it attractive, which is this strong essense we have in Whitstable, being a local community."
However, tourism in Whitstable is a complicated issue as not every local shares the same views as Jon. Joanna Lucille Phaur lives in Whitstable and owns an Airbnb in Margate, and welcomes tourists as they drive local economies.
She said: "Tourist towns have to suck it up really. It's what makes our money."
"There's been a lot of protests against mass tourism this summer ... [But] if you speak to anyone in any cafe or any restaurant ... They know that they would have no business without tourists. I don't know who these people who are angry about it are, but clearly they don't have jobs."
