Economic contribution of tourism in rural areas Challenges and lessons from the community led approach James Turner - Hidden Britain
South East England
South East England 1.8 million people live in rural areas of South East 15% of people of working age are receiving some form of DWP benefit 31% of children live in income deprived households 30% of 16-74 year olds are economically inactive 53% of households more than 10km from principal Job Centre 11% live in social rented housing Source: ACRE/RCAN/OCSI 2010
Impact of Tourism Tourism in the South East: Brings 10 billion per year to the region Brings 199.5 million day visitors each year Brings 23 million staying visitors each year Tourism to rural areas in the South East: Is difficult to quantify Brings 4 million* staying visitors each year Brings 2.3 billion per year in visitor spend Source: Tourism South East
What is Hidden Britain?
What is Hidden Britain? A community focused initiative Helping communities identify and develop their tourism potential Experts in working with rural communities and market towns Working since 2004 Making transition to become a social enterprise
Our Vision & Aims Hidden Britain: leading the way in discovering and developing the hidden tourism potential of communities across Britain Responsible tourism To champion responsible rural tourism Developing Hidden Britain communities To bring individuals, organisations and groups together to form cohesive destinations Developing Relationships To develop and sustain long-term relationships with these destinations
An Example Hassocks, West Sussex In South Downs National Park Main train line but little reason to stop But great access routes onto the Downs Improve access and provide a differentiating point Community cycle hire facility, promoted routes, website, publicity and events
An example Find out more at: www.visithassocks.co.uk
Economic Impact
Hidden Britain Assisted 30 towns, villages or rural areas to sustainably develop tourism Sourced over 600,000 in funds to develop local tourism projects Helped more than 900 rural businesses to improve their performance through joint working and promotion Involved over 150 volunteers in developing tourism Left a legacy of locally owned organisations managing and developing tourism in their own locales
Our Survey Said 86% of businesses rated the work achieved as good or very good 39% said visitor numbers had improved as a direct result 61% didn t know 63% had high confidence in business performance in coming year 7312 additional day visits 1387 additional overnight visits
The Challenges
Challenges Reticence from businesses to disclose numbers Lack of resources to do in-depth research Time poor Difficulty of attributing change to any individual factor Differing systems of measurement Dangers of skewed data Tough to track behaviour in rural areas Not all rural projects have economy as prime driver
An illustration Chilham - Kent Businesses & volunteers needed support to work cohesively Increase visibility & encourage longer stays Put the basics in place Develop a sustainable local management structure Ensure community ownership
An illustration Find out more at: www.enjoychilham.org.uk
An illustration Visitor Survey; face-to-face & online Poor response rate 40 % of visitors said they visited Chilham as a result of group activities Average spend was 73 per person Group goes from strength to strength 35 businesses engaged in a community of 1600. 4 years on Self financing as a de-facto social enterprise
Final thoughts
Criteria for Success Willingness to work together as a group and give volunteer time An individual catalyst/leader who pushes things along External expertise and guidance Availability of funds Clear vision, planning and objectives to sustain momentum Managing conflict and local politics successfully
Lessons Learned Communities have a huge capacity to deliver and manage tourism Providing the right support, guidance and level of assistance is key Low risk, small scale and inexpensive initiatives can effect great change Local knowledge is priceless There is no one-size fits all answer
www.hiddenbritainse.org.uk @hiddenbritain