Fife Coast and Countryside Trust Usage and Impact Study – Fife Coastal Path Final Report JN: 145629 Date: December 2007 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved Content 1. Executive Summary........................................................................................... 3 2. Acknowledgements............................................................................................ 5 3. Synopsis ............................................................................................................ 6 4. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Background ............................................................................................... 13 4.2 Survey Objectives ..................................................................................... 13 4.3 Survey Methodology.................................................................................. 14 5. Results............................................................................................................. 17 5.1 Survey of path users ................................................................................. 17 5.2 Estimate of total number of visits per year ................................................ 54 5.3 Estimates of economic benefits................................................................. 56 5.4 Focus groups with local people ................................................................. 59 5.5 Survey of the Scottish population.............................................................. 74 5.6 Survey of local businesses........................................................................ 82 6. Appendices .................................................................................................... 101 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved 1. Executive Summary A usage and economic impact study of the Fife Coastal Path was undertaken from July 2006 to June 2007. Results are based on 667 personal interviews and counts at 18 locations along the path, together with 104 self-completion questionnaires, 3 focus groups, 1,000 interviews through the Scottish Opinion Survey, an e-mail survey of 600 businesses and a business workshop. An estimated 480,000 to 580,000 visits were made over a twelve month period by a wide variety of users for many different types of activities. Annual net expenditure was estimated at between £24 million to £29 million. The path supports an estimated 800 to 900 FTE jobs in Fife. 52% of users were on a short trip from home, 20% were on a day out from home, and 26% were on holiday. 81% of all respondents had previously visited, with 46% visiting at least weekly in summer and 38% this frequently in winter. 54% of users were from Fife, 31% from elsewhere in Scotland, 9% from elsewhere in the UK and 4% from overseas. Of those on holiday, 55% lived in Scotland, 32% elsewhere in the UK and 13% from overseas. Almost half of the users were aged 55 or over, many of them classified as “Empty Nesters” (55 or over, no children at home). 67% of users were classified as employed in professional, managerial and non-manual occupations. 57% of respondents had a general knowledge of the path, 17% knew from friends and relatives, 9% noticed in passing, 4% from signposts, 3% from the internet, and 3% from the Tourist Information Centre. 28% of respondents rated the path better than other long distance walks, due to the diversity of scenery, grades of walks, and access to the coast, with 55% rating it the same. Two thirds of respondents were very likely to visit again, with only 3% unlikely to do so. The local focus groups favoured the scenery, peace and quiet, easy access, lack of commercialisation, wildlife, heritage and safety from traffic. Suggestions for improvements to the path included better signposting, fencing near cliffs, measures to control litter and dog waste, surface improvements, short (circular) walks, and greater access for pushchairs and wheelchairs. New facilities requested included more seats (11%); more dog bins (9%); more toilets (9%); more catering outlets (7%) and more information and interpretation (7%). 3 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved The Scottish Opinion Survey found that 9% of Scottish adults had visited the path – compared with the West Highland Way (9%), the Great Glen Way (4%) and Southern Upland Way (2%). 10% of respondents indicated that they were “very likely” to visit the path within the next year, with 23% “quite likely” to do so. Potential visitors would benefit from more information about the path (13%), about Fife in general (11%), and about access for pushchairs and wheelchairs (11%). The path is highly valued by local businesses with 89% considering that it has a positive effect. Although the majority do not depend primarily on the path, it is one source of custom. 60% of businesses saw the business potential of the path either for themselves or other operators e.g. the hospitality industry and services for walkers. 4 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved 2. Acknowledgements As the survey contractors we are grateful for the assistance of all of those who contributed to this project including members of the survey consortium which included representatives of Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, VisitScotland, Fife Council and Scottish Enterprise Fife. Thanks also to the 771 path users and 73 local businesses who agreed to take part in the survey and the individuals who attended the focus group discussions. TNS Travel and Tourism 5 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved 3. Synopsis Background and introduction In June 2006, Fife Coast and Countryside Trust (FCCT) commissioned TNS Travel and Tourism and SQW to conduct a study to measure the volume and characteristics of path users and the economic benefits the path brings to the area. The study was supported by a consortium which included FCCT, VisitScotland, Fife Council and Scottish Enterprise Fife and involved six elements - a survey of 771 path users, the manual counting of path users, focus groups with locals, a survey of the Scottish population, a survey of local businesses and an analysis of the economic benefits of the path. Volume and value of path use • It is estimated that between 480,000 and 580,000 visits were made to the Fife Coastal Path between July 2005 and June 2006. This is a higher number of annual visits than reported by some of the main visitor attractions in Fife1 including Deep Sea World (270,000 visits), Abbot House (93,000 visits) and St Andrew’s Castle (64,000 visits). • In other parts of Scotland, outdoor recreation sites reporting a similar number of annual visits included Mugdock Country Park (540,000 visits), Pentland Hills Regional Park (515,000 visits) and Beecraigs Country Park (436,000 visits). • Taking accounting of displacement and additionality, annual net expenditure associated with the Fife Coastal Path is estimated to be between £24 million (low case) and £29 million (high case). • On the basis of this estimated net expenditure, a series of multipliers have been applied to account for the wider knock-on effects to the economy. On this basis it is estimated that the Fife Coastal Path supports between 800 and 900 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs in Fife. 1 VisitScotland, Visitor Attractions Monitor 2006 6 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved Profile of path users • Just over half of path users (52%) were on a short trip from home of less than three hours in duration, a further one-fifth (20%) were on a longer day out from home and 26% were on a holiday or short break. • The vast majority of respondents had been to the path before (81%). Some 46% of these respondents used the path at least once a week during the summer months (April to September) while 38% visited this often during the winter months (October to March). • 54% of respondents were residents of Fife, 31% lived elsewhere in Scotland, 9% lived elsewhere in the UK and 4% were from overseas. • While 45% of path users were aged 55 or over a much smaller proportion were aged 16 to 34 (16%). Reflecting this variation, 44% of users were classified as Empty Nesters (aged 55+, no children at home), 19% were in the Family lifestage (children in household) and 13% were Young Independents (under 35, no children). • Reflecting their higher levels of participation in outdoor recreation generally, the majority of path users were in the ABC1 social classes (67%), employed in professional, managerial and non-manual occupations. • The majority of all respondents travelled to the path by car (61%) while around half as many walked there from home or their holiday accommodation (30%). Most respondents travelled a relatively short distance to the path from their home or holiday accommodation with 55% travelling 5 miles or less. • Nearly two in five respondents spent an hour or less on the path on the day they were interviewed (38%) while 29% spent between 1 and 2 hours on the path. • In total, nearly three in five respondents took part in walking without a dog (59%) whilst nearly one-third of users were walking with a dog (32%). A smaller proportion of respondents took part in bird watching (10%) while others took part in photography (7%) or cycling (6%). 7 © 2006 TNS UK Limited. All rights reserved • Overall 60% of path users spent anything during their visit to the path. The average spend per path user, including those who spent nothing was £26. Use of path by visitors on a holiday or short break • 26% of path users