A survey looking at the impact of a music festival on local businesses has revealed a "mixed picture," organisers said.
The Boardmasters surf and music event has become one of the country's biggest festivals with a cumulative 158,000 surf and music fans attending the in and around Newquay, Cornwall, over five days in August.
The Newquay Business Improvement District group said it welcomed the first feedback from businesses after launching its Beyond Boardmasters campaign.
It said some businesses reported growth of more than 20% during the week, while others reported lesser increases, and others recorded falls of varying amounts, some of more than 20%.
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The Beyond Boardmasters initiative was set up to change perceptions of Newquay during the week of the festival and was designed to attract visitors and locals to shops, restaurants and bars in future years.
Newquay BID said the survey highlighted "an important distinction" between footfall and actual spending and while there were "considerably more people in the town" it did not always translate into additional customers or sales.
BID manager Mark Warren said: "The feedback is very mixed, and I think it is important that we are completely honest about that.
"The whole point of asking businesses for their views is so that we can understand what worked, what didn't and where we need to improve."
Newquay BID said there had been an impact on evening economy and some businesses reported "substantial reductions" in evening customers, with the feedback suggesting activity was concentrated around particular daytime events and the main festival site at Watergate Bay.
It added looking forward it wanted to ensure it created reasons for visitors to stay in the town for longer and engage with the wider hospitality and night-time economy.
The survey also showed more families and visitors visited the town and traffic flow was the "best they had experienced".
The BID said: "Despite these improvements, national and local media often perpetuate outdated perceptions, advising people to avoid Newquay during Boardmasters week.
"This can discourage visitors and harm the town's wider tourism economy, even though this year demonstrated that the town centre was easy to access, with quieter shops, restaurants, and beaches offering a better experience for visitors."
Warren added: "You cannot change a perception that has developed over many years with one campaign over one week.
"This is the beginning of something that we want to build year on year."
He said: "This is about looking beyond Boardmasters and showing people that Newquay is a great place to be throughout August – not somewhere to avoid for one particular week."
Newquay BID said it would take suggestions from respondents and continue working with Newquay businesses, Boardmasters and other partners to ensure that future years deliver an increasingly positive experience for visitors, residents and the wider business community.
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Boardmasters Survey Shows Mixed Impact on Businesses