We don't have to wait 90 years to benefit from the lessons the South West has learned expensively from yesterday's eclipse. As I write, the day after, the morning is sunny with only a few puffy low clouds and a little thin wispy stuff against the bright blue sky. It is such a pity the days weren't reversed.

I think it was always going to be all down to the short-term weather forecast; millions of people would have tried to come if they thought they would be able to see totality.

Those who tried to get them to make a fortnight out of two minute's really were pushing their luck, especially since a month in Spain could be had for less money.

The lesson for the South West is that tourism is never going to make us rich.

The weather, fashion and potential visitors having enough money to spend on holidays are all too uncertain. We need to concentrate on those industries which give us an advantage over other places and for which there are large widely dispersed markets to spread the risk of prospective customers not being able to pay for what we can offer.

Thus, we should exploit our local natural resources and the handed-down skills, traditions and aptitudes of local people.

That means fishing, farming, marine farming, engineering and mineral extraction, with all the added value, sciences, back-up, transport and marketing that go with them.

We should also try to provide more of our daily needs locally. Then, if we don't have to import food to feed visitors who might not come, we could sell on the still fresh produce, if they don't. Tourism should be Devon and Cornwall's income cream, not our bread-and-butter.

TONY MASKELL

Devon