“We’ve got to look at other ways of encouraging visitors to come to Devon”, Ms Everton said.
“For us, that’s looking at emerging travel trends, including wellness, the outdoors and nature.
“Our messaging is that we have a natural geographical playground, with wonderful beaches, fantastic moorland and a magnificent coast path to explore, so we’re very well placed to target those markets”.
Ms Everton added businesses were still concerned about increases in business rates, wages and other operational costs.