Memorandum submitted by English National
Park Authorities Association
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. The English National Park Authorities
Association (ENPAA) exists to promote the needs and provide a
collective voice for the English National Park Authorities (NPAs).
We welcome the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Committee's
decision to hold an inquiry into the tourism sector in the UK.
2. Ensuring thriving and responsible tourism
activities take place within our National Parks is important in
helping us fulfil our statutory duty to seek to foster the social
and economic well-being of local communities. It is also a key
contributor to meeting our purposes to conserve and enhance the
natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the areas and
to promote opportunities for the public understanding and enjoyment
of their special qualities.
3. Based on our evidence and experience,
we present a number of observations for the Committee to consider.
The top priorities we believe are:.
— In recognition of the fact that we
have world class assets in National Parks on our home doorstep,
and in light of climate change, DCMS should look to influence
behaviour by encouraging UK residents to make longer staying visits
in the UK. This would contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and help promote a wider social responsibility of the need to
protect and enhance our local natural, and cultural heritage,
and support thriving rural economies;
— DCMS should look at practical ways
to promote best practice for sustainable tourism on the ground.
At the consumer level this could include promoting carbon offsetting
schemes in the UK. Within our National Parks this could include
providing additional top-up funds to the Defra funded Sustainable
Development Fund, which through NPAs, provides grants to innovative
local projects to find sustainable ways of living and working;
and
— DCMS should work with DFT, Defra
and Natural England to develop a coherent strategy to promote
car free travel to leisure destinations including within protected
areas.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The English National Park Authorities
Association (ENPAA) exists to promote the needs and provide a
collective voice for the English National Park Authorities (NPAs).
We welcome the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Committee's
decision to hold an inquiry into the tourism sector in the UK.
Based on our statutory purpose and expertise, we provide evidence
on four of the seven themes covered in the inquiry.
1.2 Ensuring thriving and responsible tourism
activities take place within our National Parks is important in
helping us fulfil our statutory duty to seek to foster the social
and economic well-being of local communities. It is also a key
contributor to meeting our purposes to conserve and enhance the
natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the areas and
to promote opportunities for the public understanding and enjoyment
of their special qualities.
2. THE CHALLENGES
AND OPPORTUNITIES
FOR THE
DOMESTIC AND
INBOUND TOURISM
INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING
CHEAP FLIGHTS
ABROAD, AND
THEIR IMPACT
ON TRADITIONAL
TOURIST RESORTS
2.1 We believe that there are three main
challenges:
— Increasing domestic tourism: The
number of trips abroad by UK residents has been rising since the
advent of cheap flights, yet the number of foreign tourists arriving
here is in decline.[17]
This has led to a £15 billion tourism balance of trade deficit
and it is estimated that this deficit is set to increase.[18]
This is damaging for the UK economy. It is also environmentally
unsustainable. In addressing this challenge, we look to DCMS and
its sponsored bodies to work with partners to secure repeat domestic
visitors by providing better opportunities to holiday at home.
Appealing to the growing numbers of people taking regular "short
breaks" rather than longer holidays is one area to target.
The NPAs have developed a campaign called Britain's Breathing
Spaces[19]
to embody the benefits that a National Park can bring to visitors
such as increased wellbeing and health (see box 1). Campaigns
such as this require national coverage and support.
— Tackling Climate Change: ENPAA
believes that Climate Change represents a serious threat and challenge
to the special qualities of England's National Parks, to their
communities, and to our environment more generally. We believe
urgent action is needed to reduce emissions, to adapt to those
changes in our climate that are inevitable, and to raise awareness
amongst residents, visitors and decision makers of the effects
of climate change on these special areas. The NPAs of England
are committed to do their bit and become carbon neutral as part
of a wider co-ordinated response to climate change. We therefore
feel that endorsing a "cheap flight culture" undermines
the collective effort in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
is damaging to our natural environment. We believe DCMS should
work with DfT to look at finding sustainable solutions to negative
environmental impacts associated with travelling to tourist destinations,
such as developing long term support for car free travel initiatives
(see section 5).
— Improving social inclusion: Reducing
barriers for all sectors of society to enjoy holidays and leisure
time here in England is critical. The NPAs support the rationale
behind Defra's Outdoors for All: Diversity Action Plan[20]
and work actively to maximise social inclusion in our National
Parks through projects like The Mosaic Partnership (see box 2).
2.2 DCMS need to concentrate on maximising
the visitor experience and provide the right level of incentives
to encourage a higher proportion of residents to holiday at home.
3. THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF DCMS AND
ITS SPONSORED
BODIES (SUCH
AS VISIT BRITAIN
IN SUPPORTING
THE INDUSTRY)
3.1 The main challenge for DCMS and its
sponsored bodies is the fact that the "tourist industry"
is very diverse in its nature and requires a tailored approach
in order to support it. For example, with the boundaries of the
National Parks we find that many of our tourism providers are
small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, it is
not always the "usual tourism suspects" that add value
to the tourism experience. The existence of SMEs is often precarious
compared to larger scale operators with larger marketing budgets.
VisitBritain could offer more support to small providers through
marketing, for example, by working with them to create "packages"
which link different assets. This would encourage longer stays
within a particular area and contribute more to the local economy.
3.2 The Foot & Mouth epidemic demonstrated
the clear value of high quality environments to rural economies
and recent research (see box 3) has further highlighted the benefits
National Parks can bring to the economy and to the tourism industry
specifically. DCMS should build on such research working with
partners such as NPAs to enhance the nation's understanding of
the social, economic and environmental value of National Parks
in England. The Valuing our Environment Partnership in Wales led
by National Trust Wales provides another useful example of this.[21]
3.3 We offer the following recommendations
to explore:
— DCMS (and its sponsored bodies) should
better help the SME sector through a targeted and updated suite
of integrated marketing campaigns at a regional and national level
for leisure visits. These should be underpinned by responsible
tourism messages promoting individual behaviour change.
— DCMS works with Defra, Natural England,
NPAs and RDAs to develop a stronger evidence base for the understanding
of the social, economic and environmental value of environmental
(and cultural) assets in England and the benefits these provide
to the tourism industry.
4. DATA ON
TOURISM THAT
WOULD USEFULLY
INFORM GOVERNMENT
POLICY
4.1 ENPAA believes the English Tourism Council's
suite of indicators should be developed to include a more holistic
view of the carbon footprint of the tourism industry and visitors
within it. Rather than just focus on the carbon savings made by
the restaurant and tourism industry (as it does now) it should
include data on leisure-related transport emissions as they are
inextricably linked. The indicators need to look at visitor behaviour
as well as measure the industry is taking to keep its own house
in order. Whilst having information about reducing carbon emissions
within the accommodation industry is laudable, it is far more
meaningful to have a better understanding of the carbon footprint
of a typical domestic visitor. The true carbon footprint of the
industry can then be monitored and targeted.
4.2 Whilst statistics and indicators can
be useful when placed in context, ENPAA believes that these indicators
must be clearly seen as steps towards a sustainable, responsible
form of tourism with clear, challenging targets underpinning them.
4.3 ENPAA hopes the Committee will assess
the merits of:.
— Refreshing the suite of indicators
developed by the English Tourism Council to include a carbon footprint
indicator that captures the visitor behaviour (including travel
to destinations) as well as tourism activities within them.
5. THE PRACTICALITY
OF PROMOTING
MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY FORMS
OF TOURISM
5.1 ENPAA believes that WWF's "One Planet
Living" concept[22]
provides a helpful framework for driving responsible tourism policies
and practices, recognising as it does the finite level of some
of our natural and cultural resources and the need to protect
and enhance the very assets visitors are drawn to. Heightened
awareness of the individual's carbon footprint through media coverage
represents an opportunity to market domestic tourism.
5.2 ENPAA believes that rewarding good practice
will help support a step change towards more environmentally friendly
forms of tourism. This means rewarding good practice at an international,
national and local level. The Broads Authority has been awarded
the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism and was a Beacon
Authority for sustainable tourism in 2004 (see box 4). However,
at a local level, anecdotal evidence suggests that businesses
may be confused over which accreditation scheme to become involved
with. Other barriers to involvement include the capital investment
needed to participate in some schemes and the low public recognition
of them. DCMS could usefully provide support and incentives for
better promoting more environmentally forms of tourism.
The charter is awarded for five years by the
Europarc Federation, the umbrella organisation of protected areas
in Europe. The accolade will raise the Broads Authority's profile
in the European arena as an area devoted to sustainable tourism,
give it greater credibility with potential funding partners and
could lead to new ideas and improvements. In 2004 the Broads Authority
was also awarded Beacon Council status for best practice in promoting
sustainable tourism and was the first member of the National Park
family to become a Beacon Council. Businesses in the Broads will
be able to apply for Charter Status later this year.
5.3 The National Park Authorities have to
proactively highlight the importance of responsible tourism. For
example, the NPAs worked jointly with the Countryside Agency (now
Natural England) to develop a set of Principles for Sustainable
Tourism in National Parks and AONBs in 2004 called "Beyond
the Picturesque".[23]
It is worth drawing attention to one of the main principles which
recommends that each protected area should have a strategy for
tourism informed by an understanding of their assets, needs and
opportunities and agreed by various interests. This information
should allow DCMS and other government departments to better understand
and support tourism development that is truly sustainable.
5.4 One way NPAs are helping to promote
more sustainable tourism is through Visitor Payback Schemes. The
Lake District National Park Authority has one such scheme which
directly invests donations from visitors into the maintenance
of the area. In putting our wider principles into action, one
of our main challenges is facilitating the take up of sustainable
transport options, both in travelling to and within our National
Parks. Research shows that almost 90% of people arrive at the
National Parks by car. Good public transport can help to foster
the economic and social well being of local communities. For example,
in 2003, those visitors using the Moorsbus Network who would not
otherwise have been able to access the area spent an estimated
£303,000 in and around the North York Moors National Park.[24]
5.5 We believe DCMS should look at practical
ways to promote best practice for sustainable tourism on the ground.
At the consumer level this could include promoting carbon offsetting
schemes in the UK. Within our National Parks this could include
providing additional top-up funds to the Defra funded Sustainable
Development Fund (SDF), which through NPAs, provides grants to
innovative local projects to find sustainable ways of living and
working. In the Yorkshire Dales grant funding from the SDF has
enabled Country Lanes, a small cycling company to offer cycle
hire for the day and touring packages, as well as encouraging
visitors to arrive at the Dalesbridge Activity Centre by public
transport (the Centre is close to railway stations and bus links).[25]
With more funding from DCMS, such schemes could be replicated
across the country and ensure that tangible benefits could be
felt more widely.
5.6 We believe that the following would
help promote more environmentally friendly forms of tourism:.
— In recognition of the fact that we
have world class assets in National Parks on our home doorstep,
and in light of climate change, DCMS should look to influence
behaviour by encouraging UK residents to make longer staying visits
in the UK. This would contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and help promote a wider social responsibility of the need to
protect and enhance our local natural, and cultural heritage,
and support thriving rural economies;
— DCMS should look at practical ways
to promote best practice for sustainable tourism on the ground.
At the consumer level this could include promoting carbon offsetting
schemes in the UK. Within our National Parks this could include
providing additional top up funds to the Defra funded Sustainable
Development Fund, which through NPAs, provides grants to innovative
local projects to find sustainable ways of living and working;
and
— DCMS should work with DFT, Defra
and Natural England to develop a coherent strategy to promote
car free travel to leisure destinations including within protected
areas.
March 2007
17 Travel Trends, International Passenger Survey, ONS,
2002. Back
18
The National Trust, 2002, Blue Skies: air travel demand and tourism. Back
19
www.nationalparks/gov.uk
for more information on Britain's Breathing Spaces. Back
20
See: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/outdoorsdiversity/ Back
21
http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/index/livingin.htm Back
22
www.wwf.org.uk/oneplanetliving/index.asp. Back
23
To download "Beyond the picturesque" http://www.countryside.gov.uk/Publications/articles/Publication-tcm2-19638.asp. Back
24
See page 7, http://www.cnp.org.uk/docs/Tackling-Traffic-full-report.pdf Back
25
http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/index/living/sustainable-development-fund/current-projects.htm Back
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