Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management

This topic paper focuses on visitor management on the Coast and summarises tourism in Dorset and outlines some possible future trends and their implications; The Dorset coast and its maritime waters are arguably Dorset's most important single tourism asset and one of the principal attractions for visitors to Dorset with the top visitor motivations for visiting the area were ‘seaside, beaches and coast’ (http://www.visitdorset.com/xsdbimgs/State%20of%20Tourism%20Report%202010.pdf. Tourism, however, is also a source of many of the pressures on the coastal environment and communities. An increase in visitors at any location along the Dorset Coast (whether one already under pressure from high visitor numbers or a perceived ‘tranquil’ zone) can potentially impact negatively on local landscape and infrastructure. How to build the tourism economy, whilst sustaining the coastal environment, represents a huge and continuing challenge.

this influx of visitors to ensure that the World Heritage Site designation was given to a management of visitors is done effectively. large part of the Dorset coast in 2001. The is now a well known brand and is The coastal landscapes and small towns and a visitor attractor in its own right. Anecdotal villages represent a series of visitor attractions. evidence suggests an increase in overseas , in the west of the county, is famous visitors since World Heritage Site designation in for its connection with Jane Austen, Mary 2001. Anning and the Cobb and, together with , is the main centre for fossil Ports and harbours are important to visitors collecting along the Jurassic Coast. with Harbour bringing visitors from attracts visitors for recreational purposes, in abroad into the county as well as providing an particular angling and at 17 miles long, is one of The Dorset coast is approximately 285 Km attractive centre for yachting, watersports and the world’s finest barrier beaches. The Isle of (including Poole harbour) in length and has two boat trips. Local harbours such as Christchurch, Portland and are also popular larger conurbation areas, numerous towns and Weymouth and West Bay harbour are places visitor attractions. Hengistbury Head in the far some smaller more rural communities. There where a huge range of activities take place and east of the county attracts in the region of are many publicly accessible beaches with attract a great deal of visitors. 780,000 people annually. A new visitor centre multiple owners and a National Trail running its at Country Park, is now length. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Sailing a world class 'Gateway Centre' for the park and events is attracting and will continue to attract a for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage. The marine environment, with its diverse large number of visitors to the Dorset area, underwater wildlife, clean waters and particularly to Weymouth and Portland. Over 1 million people walk some of the South underwater archaeology attracts many to the Transport, safety and infrastructure measures West Coast Path National Trail between Poole area for diving and other recreational pursuits have all been taken into account to deal with and Lyme Regis each year, with the most walked such as diving, kite surfing and sailing. section of the entire 630 mile route being the

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Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management one mile between and Coastal Visitor Accommodation . The Countryside and Public Rights of Way There is a variety of accommodation available Serviced accommodation represents the Act (2000) and the new Marine and Coastal within the county, ranging from holiday parks , mainstay of accommodation in the conurbations Access Act (2009) provide a legislative basis for 1-5 star hotels, self catering cottages to farm (Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth). The lack further improvements to coastal access stays. of growth in the residential market has restricted investment, and a proportion of Several private estates in the area contain Over the past 30 years there has been a marked serviced accommodation in some of the county's nationally recognised geomorphological features change in the requirement for the different smaller resorts is in need of improvement. The formed as a result of natural processes acting on accommodation types. In the early 1960s increased expectations of tourists means a large the geology. These include the Encombe estate approximately 20% of visitors stayed in self majority consider en-suite accommodation as at and the Weld Estate at Lulworth, catering accommodation, whist the remaining standard and not as a luxury. famous for Durdle Door and - it is 80% stayed in serviced accommodation (hotels, estimated that over 500,000 people visit B & Bs and guest houses). There is a growing awareness of issues of Lulworth Cove annually. In 2010 self catering accommodation represents sustainability and the concept of ‘green’ tourism some 70% of tourist accommodation. The has become much more mainstream since 2000. The National Trust own and manage over 17 accommodation range, however, is not divided Visitors, particularly the European market have kilometres of the Dorset coastline, including evenly throughout the county and some areas high levels of environmental awareness and Estate, Ringstead Beach, West are much more dependent on one form of expect the same of their destination. 25 holiday Bexington, Studland Bay and Corfe Castle & accommodation than another. Holiday parks parks in Dorset have achieved the David Bellamy village and deal with many thousands of visitors represent a large proportion of the conservation standards and 44 other to these areas per year. accommodation in rural Dorset. For example, in accommodation providers hold the Green , 80% of the accommodation is Tourism Business Scheme award. In addition The county has over 120 built visitor attractions within holiday parks. businesses can become a Jurassic Coast Quality covering a range of interests including historical Partner who support the conservation of the properties, wildlife attractions, museums and The trends in the market have led to many of Jurassic Coast World Heritage. exhibitions, gardens and country parks. These these sites investing in ancillary leisure facilities, attractions have a particular value in providing in order to meet increasing expectations of Visitor categories wet weather alternatives to outdoor activities. quality within the family holiday market. As a Two main categories of visitors can be identified They also include local amenities such as retail result standards have probably increased at a – these can then be divided into four types of centres, leisure complexes such as Tower Park greater rate than hotels with on many sites hire trip: (Poole) and local sports facilities. caravans are replaced every three to four years. And more care is taken witrh the environment  Day Visitors - those who visit Dorset and There are many Visitor Centres as well as within the park such as an increase in tree return to their home, on the same day. Tourism Information Centres along the coast planting or caravans chosen that merge better Many visit on the spur of the moment as a into the countryside. result of good weather, or to undertake a

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Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management recreational activity or visit a built or o Special Interest (Day or had the first decline in visitor numbers to the UK natural attraction. Statistics show that overnight visitors) - Includes from abroad since 2001 and a decline of 2.7% although many day visitors are local both recreational users who from 20071. residents others are happy to travel from as travel to the coast to undertake far away as London, the Midlands and other a specific sport as well as those Domestic trip taking in 2008 also declined by parts of the South West. who visit the area for its almost 5% since 20071. geological, historical, literary or In 2009 the UK still was in recession, causing a  Overnight Visitors - spend at least one night wildlife interest. rise in demand for domestic holiday trips during in paid accommodation within the county. the year as people took holidays closer to home. They include educational and business trips o Local Resident-Visitors (Day The UK took 42.3 million domestic holidays in as well as holidays in the region. On average visitors) Dorset residents do not 2009; this was greater than the number of 20% of all visitors to the Dorset coast stay often consider themselves as holidays abroad for the first time in five years2. overnight and their average level of 'tourists' whilst in Dorset, spending is over twice that of day visitors. although many utilise the coast New tourism trends emerging since the and its facilities in a similar way recession include: o Business Trips (Day or overnight to those visiting from out of the  Increased competition from foreign holidays visitors) Business trips are county. and a decline in long UK family holidays; mainly confined to the eastern  An increase in second, or third, short UK conurbation as Bournemouth Trends of Tourism in Dorset: trips; has a wide range of conference Coastal tourism in Dorset has developed in the  An increase in day trips, which does not use facilities, including the same way as many other coastal regions; resorts local accommodation; Bournemouth International developed in the wake of the Georgian and  A growth in interest in niche markets for Centre (BIC) which is the venue Victorian fashion for sea bathing. There was special interest holidays, including an for some of the UK's major steady growth through the 50s, 60s and early industry focus on how to generate business conferences. 70s partly as a result of the increasing use of rail outside the main season; and road travel, resulting in more British families  Increase in overseas visitors; o Educational Visits (Day or taking an annual holiday by the sea. In the late  Growth in business tourism. overnight visitors) Outdoor 70s and early 80s, competition from foreign education on the Dorset coast package holidays led the decline of the British Dorset's tourism industry is a highly diverse attracts in the region of 250,000 seaside holiday. The advent of the recession in range of small and medium sized businesses, student visits each year. In the late 80s and early 90s affected UK tourism supported by many co-ordinating initiatives. addition many foreign students further. Tourism has to adapt continually to changes in attend language schools in the visitor market, and improve its product and Bournemouth. The latest economic recession has had a marketing. dramatic impact on UK tourism. In 2008, the UK

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Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management Tourism Spend visitors still access the Dorset Coast by the the Jurassic Coast running every two hours. The total visitor related spend for 2009 for private car. This can lead to congestion, Since the start it has been immensely successful Dorset was £1,573,106,573 especially during the main holiday season. with a 150% increase in passenger usage and is With the number of recorded trips were Traffic on coastal roads in August can be frequently cited in the national press as one of

19,356,816, number of nights 15,423,000 and between 6,500 – 8,100 vehicles per day. the best ways of accessing the coast. amount spent £814,221,0002  Trains In some areas (rural) road capacity and car The main line London Waterloo to Weymouth Employment in the tourism industry parking spaces could deteriorate in the next 20 service was increased to half hourly in 2009. Throughout the county there are vast years mainly due to loss of roads due to of There is some limited, capacity for bikes on the differences in the type and volume of tourism. coastal . The National Trust has recently trains. There is also a service from Bristol to The coastal resorts and smaller coastal towns estimated a loss of 400 car parking spaces in 30 Weymouth. There is no trainline from and villages are heavily dependent on tourism, – 35 years at Studland due to coastal erosion. Weymouth to Exeter. in terms of both economic revenue and  Cycle ways employment opportunities. The tourism The tourism industry has a huge challenge to Sustrans National Cycle Route 2 has been industry supports 38,700 jobs in Dorset better market alternative transport options, in developed (with sections still in development) (including Bournemouth and Poole) and the an effort to encourage visitors to travel between Exeter and Christchurch, although annual tourism spend brings £1.5 Billion into sustainably to and from and along the coast. most of the route is slightly inland from the Dorset2. These figures include employees in: coast. Purbeck Cycle Way comprises of a Tourist Information and Visitor Centres, Dorset’s Sustainable Transport Initiatives variety of paths along quiet country lanes restaurants, snack bars, cafes, public houses, through out Purbeck, which can be mixed and bars, night clubs, licensed clubs, hotel trade, matched to suit individual requirements. holiday parks, other tourist/short stay  Waterborne Transport accommodation, museums, art galleries, Boat trips do operate along the coast, in attractions, sport and recreation providers, particular from the larger resorts. An exciting travel agencies and tour operators. initiative is underway to develop waterborne transport into a more main stream form of Expenditure varies markedly between staying transport. Recognising the constraints is critical and day visitors, with an estimated breakdown to this work but there is undoubtedly a huge of average spend per visitor as follows: potential to make this an economically and  Total staying spend: £814,221,000  CoastlinX53 environmentally sustainable form of transport.  Total day trip spend: £701,469,573 In 2003, the X53 bus service (Poole to Exeter) In April 2012 a bid was put in to the Coastal received a Rural Bus Challenge grant and Community Fund by to Visitor Movement along the Coast became re-branded as CoastlinX53 (know locally pilot this in Dorset. Despite a marked improvement in sustainable as the Jurassic Coast bus). In 2012 there were  Park & Ride Schemes transport options in recent years, almost 80% of five double-decker buses displaying scenes from

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Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management The Railway is utilised as part of a park Throughout the summer the Bournemouth, numbers. The impact has been to limit the and ride scheme run by Council. Poole and Weymouth run a land-train runs previous growth of the accommodation sector, The route runs from Norden, through Corfe along the promenade. and create a situation where competition has Castle to Swanage. Weymouth and Dorchester led to pressures to both reduce holiday prices have park and ride schemes that have been put Visitor management related issues and increase quality in for the 2012 Olympic Sailing events. Both  External factors  Short breaks Poole and Bournemouth run regular park and Tourism is a volatile industry, greatly affected by Shorter second or third holidays, and weekend ride schemes to help ease congestion. external factors. Examples include: trips. This provides a market that is less stable  Joint Ticket Initiatives . Climate change - warmer Easters and than the traditional longer holiday, with Some local attractions, such as the Sea Life Park, October Half Terms have seen a marked decisions likely to be taken at shorter notice and have formed local partnerships with bus increase in occupancy levels for Dorset a greater threat of cancellation. operators to provide free or reduced admission accommodation providers in recent  Seasonality on production of a voucher obtained from years. Conversely, recent summers in The main school holidays, and a preference for participating bus operators on bus journeys into the UK have been disappointing in terms summer holidays, ensure that the tourism the town centre, in an attempt to reduce of weather, resulting in a continuation pattern in Dorset shows a marked seasonality. unnecessary car use. In the section of the of overseas foreign holidays. Increased The majority of visits take place within a Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, Stuart Line storminess can also affect the industry. relatively small amount of time - between June Cruises have developed a one ticket scheme . Water quality for Dorset’s sea – poor and August. In the winter, a proportion of the with First Group which covers the user for travel water quality in the sea could have a visitor infrastructure, including some small by boat and bus detrimental effect to coastal regions shops and attractions close, due to less demand  Hopper Buses . The economy as visitor numbers decline. Large car parks and Throughout the main tourist season, Weymouth . International instability such as accommodation are also under-utilised at these has several dedicated buses which travel along terrorism times. In the summer months the sudden boom the seafront from the Pavilion to . . Unprecedented events such the in visitor numbers often results in an The busses which run on a continuous loop outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in overloading of the visitor infrastructure and (approx. every 10 minutes) offer inexpensive 2001 and the Icelandic volcanic ash congestion on the county's roads. This is not a short distance travel, in order to encourage affecting flights in 2010. new issue. There has been anecdotal evidence visitors to leave their cars at their to suggest that visitor numbers have increased accommodation. In addition, there is a  Holidays abroad out of season, especially in the ‘shoulder’ Countryside/ Jurassic Coast branded shuttle bus The trends in the domestic tourism market in months of April – June and September – which runs between Swanage and Durlston the last twenty years have been dominated by October. Country Park in the summer months, alleviating the growth in cheap holidays abroad, and Dorset traffic pressure through Swanage. has suffered its effects. The greater availability The Impacts relating to Tourism  Land Train and price reductions in long haul travel Tourism has the potential to create impacts on destinations could continue to affect UK visitor the environment and communities that it relies

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Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management on to accommodate visitors. Communities have Visitors can cause physical damage to the coast, but it is necessary to tackle the sources of litter adapted to tourism activity, and the much being unintentional, such as at Lulworth to really make progress in overcoming the management measures therefore limiting some where the path between the Cove and Durdle problem. More work is needed on liasing with areas of environmental damage. Nevertheless, Door is eroding due to the volume of visitors the shipping and commercial fishing industries, some impacts do occur and can range from: using it through the summer months. A leisure vessels and marinas, water companies  Inappropriate Development challenge is the expense associated with the on- and the general public to vastly increase the An increase in visitors can lead to pressure for going erosion of the coast path It is not always awareness of the effects of marine litter on the new developments to serve and capitalise on clear who should shoulder the burden of repair environment, bird and wild life and the public’s their needs: e.g. holiday parks, visitor centres, and maintenance costs. enjoyment of the coast. cafes, signs, car parks and additional  Transport and Traffic Congestion accommodation. Problems can arise if these Traffic growth is undoubtedly part of a national Structure of tourism and transport in Dorset facilities are out of keeping with the setting or trend. Visit Dorset: Since 2007, tourism in Dorset has when local residents feel that they are an  Management of the coast operated under a Destination Management unnecessary addition to the area. The management of the coast is directed by the Organisation (DMO) with the aim of improving  Overcrowding Shoreline Management Plans which encourage a integration between all those with a stake in the Overcrowding can occur when the number of policy of ‘no active intervention’ along the tourism industry in the county, including local people at a particular site or location exceeds majority of the Jurassic Coast. Since erosion is a authorities, the private sector and key agencies. the capacity of the place to handle them. key process that maintains the natural beauty The DMO has a joint website, visit Dorset However, capacity is notoriously difficult to and integrity of the World Heritage Site, there is (www.visitdorset.co.uk) which provides a one measure and what to one person may seem like a conflict with maintaining and safely promoting stop shop for information and bookings. overcrowding, may not be an issue to another. the coastal footpaths. Clearly there are ‘honey pot’ sites along the  Car Parking Organisations such as the Dorset Coast Forum, Dorset coast (Studland, Lulworth Cove, Many car parks in the county are geared Dorset AONB, Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team, Charmouth) and problems can arise for local towards visitor parking in the peak months, Natural , County Council Countryside residents who feel visitor numbers are too high therefore a high proportion remain virtually services, Districts and Borough Councils, National for the area. Interestingly, however, it is often unused outside of the main season. In certain Trust, the team and other the quieter, more tranquil areas which cause areas car parks can be visually intrusive and may partners all work to subtly manage visitors at concern when visitor numbers increase – again reduce the enjoyment of the site. In 2009, West strategic level and on the ground to ensure that roads are not congested, footpaths are not hinting at the perception of capacity rather than Dorset District Council, together with the Dorset eroded, communities and landscapes are the reality. This issue was explored in a carrying AONB, developed car parking guidelines respected and that everyone can enjoy the Dorset capacity study undertaken in Purbeck in 2006 by encouraging consideration of the environment coast in a safe and sustainable way. Visitor Bournemouth University in any landscaping of car parks. management and tourism feature in: http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/15167/1/Pur  Marine litter The Dorset Coast Strategy (2011 - 2021) beck_Carrying_Capacity_140607.pdf Litter is an ongoing problem on Dorset’s The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site  Wear & Tear beaches. Beach cleans play an important role Management Plan

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Dorset Marine and Coastal Topic Paper Series 2012 Tourism and Visitor Management The Dorset AONB Management Plan The Dorset and Coastal Corridor Action Plan. Local Plans Local Beach Management Plans

References: 1 – http://www.visit- dorset.com/xsdbimgs/State%20of%20Tourism%20Report%202010.pdf 2 - http://www.westdorset.com/xsdbimgs/Dorset%20&%20districts%2009.pdf

Contribution to this paper: S.King,- Jurassic Coast team

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