Today we’d like to introduce you to David Warner.
Hi David, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
efore coming to the USA, I was born and lived in England spending a lot of my time living in Cornwall. I moved to Minnesota with my wife (who grew up in Rochester, MN) in 2004. I met my wife while taking two years off to travel and see more of the world; she was doing the same thing for a year. I moved into retail management (my background in the UK) It shocked me how many people I met who had visited the UK knew how beautiful Cornwall was but never got there. I strongly believe without doubt Cornwall is the best part of the UK.
For many years I thought it was a terrible tragedy. how people missed Cornwall out, And how and what could I do to change this.
For several years I thought about putting together my own small tour. Taking things I learnt about hospitality and travel and creating a hybrid travel experience. .
So, with the support of my family, some great advice from really good friends, I took the plunge! Dacey’s Cornish tours was born in 2013 registered as a business in the GSOM (Great State Of Minnesota)
Then the work really began getting people to take the plunge and entrust their vacation with your new company is not a easy thing to achieve.
Surviving those first few years with strategic planned growth was key to the success. Also believing in your product, I really did not question that once I showed you Cornwall you will be forever grateful, I just needed the people to believe that! I also truly believe America is a fantastic place to start a business, so many people are on hand to help and assist with your story. Those who have contributed to Dacey’s Cornish tours’ stability know who they are. May I take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks. Also, the Support from guests, friends even from strangers wanting to see you do well and help anyway they can see small business succeed in the USA has really helped secure our space. Even when I think about bookings from friends of guests who have taken it upon their selves to advocate for your business has been really important,
So, 12 years later here we are I am about to leave for Cornwall having been entrusted by a family to organize and show them their Cornwall adventure. Tours for 2026 are filling and with hope we could possibly be full for by the turn of the year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been many obstacles along the way. The first one that comes to mind was surviving the Pandemic. Travel was shut down, and you just never knew how long we were going to be restricted. When we started touring again in 2022. It felt like Dacey’s was starting again. We had lost all the momentum from pre-2020. Those were very trying times for so many. I do hope we never experience anything like that ever again.
Other challenges Hotels closing contractors not surviving the pandemic working with new ownership, Re-establishing and rebuilding relationships. The constant changes that all business owners face.
The last 12 years have thrown other challenges, for example evolution of marketing understanding how to get the best for your advertising dollar. Who to market too, my guests come from all over the globe.
Sometimes I get frustrated but with many aspects I have learnt so much and challenge myself to do better. I feel fortunate that I surround myself with supportive friends. That’s not to say they do not challenge me, they do. They question me push me and thankfully very rarely do they agree with me at the start. When I have a new idea, it must be good, well thought through, because after a Q & A session with my friends it could very easily be dismissed
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Dacey’s Cornish tours started as a passion project which in turn has turned into a small business. The creation of the company was in some way inspired by the fact I met so many people in the TWIN Cities MN that had visited the UK but never got to go to Cornwall. What made it worse was most of the people I talked to knew of Cornwall and had some idea of how wonderful the area was.
Having lived there for many years I have firsthand experience of its beauty and magic, Dacey’s Cornish tour’s goal is to share that with as many people as possible. Spreading the Cornish magic far and wide.
So, in my position as owner I am responsible for the whole journey. I deal with Marketing, planning the itinerary. Working with the overseas contractors (Hotels & Transport and attractions) ensuring that they are aligned with the same vision as Dacey’s Cornish tours. The guest experience starts as soon as they make that first contact. The personal assistance advice and guidance many of my guests receive is one of the many things that sets us apart from the rest.
What else makes us different from the rest? Having worked in the leisure industry for over 30 years. I have taken everything good I have witnessed and incorporated that into the company ethos. Also, bad practices I have seen have been discarded. What I feel we have is a unique tour. The agenda is yours, not ours. While we offer group transport and an organized itinerary, we also offer flexibility and the opportunity to customize your trip.
Dacey’s Cornish Tours is a unique hybrid travel experience that involves small group transportation (group size 14) but never feels like a package tour. We are not about a “one size fits all” formula. Instead, we’re hands-on when it comes to the logistics of travel but we’re hands-off when you need us to be, allowing each traveller an authentic, personal connection with the place they’ve come to see.
What’s next?
The future I am looking to continue to strengthen the Dacey’s Cornish tours brand. As a small business it is always challenged to compete against those big companies that basically want you to disappear. Dacey’s plans to be around for a long time continuing to offer the very best of small tours and the very best way to see Cornwall with a very unique hybrid tour.
This time of year, my excitement builds as I anticipate my return to Cornwall
Pricing:
- $1895 Per person based on 2 people sharing
- $1895 + $385 solo occupancy
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daceyscornishtours.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daceys_cornish_tours/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daceyscornishtours/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-warner-09911870/
- Twitter: https://x.com/DaceyTours
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeJBdxgYVYw&t=29s
- Other: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.daceyscornishtours.com
