Cornwall may be known for its surfing and blue waters, but in the small town of Bude, a different attraction reigns supreme. Good-humoured locals have bumped a plastic supermarket tunnel up the TripAdvisor rankings, bonding over the shared joke and even fundraising off the hype. We explore the insights behind the phenomenon, and discover how it’s led to a celebration of Bude’s community spirit.
A 70 metre Perspex tunnel linking a Sainsbury’s store to its nearest car park is now Bude’shighest-rated attraction on TripAdvisor. The original posting was just intended to be funny, but quickly took on a life of its own. "Walk from the Sainsbury's car park to Crooklets Road completely undercover, whilst maintaining your view to the spectacular surroundings of Bude," reads the tunnel’s TripAdvisor profile. "Nowhere else in Bude can you walk this far undercover in a continuous straight line." The post has gained more than 170 reviews and become a shared in-joke for local netizens.
Bude is home to just over 13,000 people, and the unexpected popularity of the tunnel has given them something to bond over. The town’s fun-loving residents have been fanning the online hype, adding their own comments praising its ‘handcrafted Cornish Perspex’, and comparing it to famous sights like the Taj Mahal or the Sphinx. They have also been capitalizing on the stream of visitors by fundraising for other local attractions – postcards of the tunnel are currently being sold at 50p to raise money for the Bude Sea Pool, a charity-run natural amenity that is the pride of the town.
Joke listings on TripAdvisor are nothing new – fake restaurant The Shed at Dulwich famously manipulated the site’s online review system to briefly become the most popular restaurant in London. Still, the Bude tunnel post isn’t just funny: it has had the unexpected side effect of bringing the local community closer together. Even the anonymous poster was chuffed at the local reaction,telling the BBC: "It’s been a great talking point in the town and one that seems to have brought everyone together. It’s great that as well as being a bit of fun, it will rise a little bit of money for one of the town’s real attractions.” Indeed, the popularity of the Bude tunnel and theBuckingham Facebook group are testament to how the internet is becoming a natural extension of the increasingly strong community spirit in Britain’s small towns.
Helen Jambunathan is an behavioural analyst for Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. Currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she holds a Masters degree from the University of Cambridge and has over five years of experience researching the specialty coffee industry. Outside of work, she is a die-hard tennis fan, wearer of many rings, and reader of many things.
