Visit Cornwall has revealed 13 per cent of visitors to the county cited Poldark as the key, or one of the key, reasons for coming to the region.
BBC One drama Poldark has spawned a new tourism industry in Cornwall, with local businesses selling everything from tours to tea towels.
As fans begin the countdown to the fifth and final series of the show, tourism officials have hailed Poldark as ‘a huge boost for Cornwall’s economy’.
Scenic shots of Cornwall have helped propel the county into the international limelight, with tourists travelling from all over the world.
Meanwhile Poldark tour companies have begun popping up across the county, offering visits to some of the now-famous locations in the show.
Places tourists are keen to see include Charlestown (Truro harbour in the series), Bodmin Moor and Levant and Botallack mines, along with stunning beaches from Holywell Bay to Kynance Cove.
Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said: ‘Although this is the last series, we know the impact will last for a decade or more going forward. Before this latest adaptation, we were getting some Poldark fans from the original shows in the 1970s right up until 2014. So long live Poldark and we will be promoting Poldark for many years to come.’
John Marshall, from Polson, set up Poldark Tours four years ago during the first series of the programme. Last year nearly 90 tours were largely made up of people from America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK – in that order.