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| Welcome to the Exmoor Tourism Update | |
This e-update is produced by the Exmoor National Park Authority as part of the Exmoor Torusim Partnership to keep tourism providers updated with the latest news and encourage the development of Sustainable Tourism on Exmoor.
Please do let us know if there is any relevant sustainable tourism information that you would like us to cover in future issues.
Happy New Year!
Dan James Sustainable Economy Officer, Exmoor National Park Authority. |
| Exmoor Tourism Partnership conference |
The Exmoor Tourism Partnership conference on the 24 November saw over 70 delegates come together to consider building a resilient tourism industry in a changing environment. The day included plenary sessions by Manda Brookman of COAST and Dan James of Exmoor National Park Authority setting the scene. A series of workshops allowed delegates to share best practice and consider the future challenges and opportunities faced by the industry covering themes as diverse as Exmoor Experiences, the impact of new development at Hinkley Point, online marketing, changing structures for tourism support and the role of traditional marketing techniques.
The successful day finished with a positive round up of forthcoming tourism developments within the area which include the new National Park Centre at Lynmouth, outdoor activity development by South West Lakes Trust at Wimbleball, Countryside Sports promotion, and developments with the Crown Estate in Dunster (the first village on Exmoor to gain Walkers are Welcome accreditation).
Presentations and summary notes from the conference can be downloaded from the Exmoor Tourism Partnership website. |
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| Exmoor National Park is tweeting | |
Exmoor National Park Authority can now be found on Twitter allowing us to keep people updated with all the latest news and events. Local residents, businesses and visitors will benefit from the new service and we would encourage those of you on twitter to follow us, and to let you guests know.
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| A dark opportunity |
Interest in dark skies and dark sky tourism is growing, in part thanks to the current BBC series 'Stargazing Live'. Exmoor has some of the best dark skies in the country and whilst the National Park Authority is working with local partners in a bid to secure Dark Sky Reserve status there is a real opportuntiy for local businesses to highlight the dark skies of Exmoor as a unique asset.
As part of Stargazing Live the National Park Authority is hosting a special Dark Sky Discovery event this Saturday (8 January) at the Tithe Barn in Dunster. Interest has been particularly high and is now at full capacity with nearly 200 people signing up. However it is a drop in session and if you, or your guests haven't booked, it may be possible to join the event later in the evening. |
| Preparing for extreme weather | |
The recent cold weather will have affected us all, in one way or another. Antony Brunt, Chairman of the Exmoor Tourist Association recently highlighted in their newsletter the rising prices of energy as one of the big challenges currently facing small businesses, particularly in the light of additional demand owing ot the cold weather.
You can take two simple steps today to help you prepare better for extreme weather events:
One Sign up for one of a limited number of free energy efficiciency surveys(PDF) provided by Forum 21 on behalf of the Exmoor National Park Authority. The survey will be conducted by a City and Guilds trained volunteer and is completely impartial simply offering you advise and highlighting the opportunities for you to reduce energy consumption which will reduce your bills and your carbon footprint.
 Two Visit Climate Prepared and utilise the free online toolkit to ensure you are best prepared for extreme weather events. Weather patterns are changing, and severe events such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts are likely to become more frequent and intense. The toolkit is designed to help you prepare for the effects of our changing climate. Each section tells you how your business might be affected by extreme weather, suggests practical actions that you can take to reduce the risk or take advantage of the opportunities, and guides you to further information and support.
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| Gold for Exmoor House |
 Exmoor House at Wheddon Cross continue to fly their green credentials. Having joined the Green Tourism Business Scheme a couple of years ago with support from the National Park Authority's 'Keeping Exmoor Special' project they were named as one of just 8 top performers in 2008 and have now been reassessed and upgraded to a Gold award.
They are the first accommodation provider on Exmoor to achieve the Gold standard and the first guest house in Somerset. They join the South west Lakes Trust at Wimbleball who acheived a Gold award also as part of the Keeping Exmoor Special scheme.
"We've always done our best to run Exmoor House in such a way that we minimise our effect on the environment" commented joint owner Rosi Davies. "To me, as well as being something I really believe in, this is just plain old common sense. At the risk of sounding a bit jargon-y, the Green Tourism accreditation process is a very good way for businesses to benchmark themselves against a comprehensive set of standards."
The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the only green accreditation scheme currently officially endorsed by Visit Britain and green minded visitors can search for all providers on Exmoor holding a Green Tourism Business Scheme award at Bronze, Silver or Gold level on the Visit Exmoor website.
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| Countryside Mobility |
 Disabled visitors are set to benefit from a new scheme enabling them to explore more of the National Park with support from the Exmoor National Park Sustainable Development Fund. Countryside Mobility, part of Living Options, have gained funding to provide two all terrain mobility buggies on Exmoor as well as running a series of events at various locations. The first 'tramper' is already available to hire from the National Trust at Hunters Inn allowing users to explore the Heddon Valley. A further hire point is to be established in the Spring with details of events featuring a set of trampers to hire also to be announced soon. To hire the buggy users must join the Countryside Mobility scheme for £8.50 and buggies can be hired from points across the South west from just £2.50/hour. Full details available here. |
| Exmoor 2011 out now | |
 The area's main tourism guide, Exmoor, the Coast and Quantock Hills 2011, has been printed and national distribution is already under way. Printed in a silk finish and featuring refreshed editorial and many new images, the guide is a major asset in promoting the area as a high quality visitor destination for people seeking peaceful retreats or action-packed outdoor holidays. The national marketing campaign is also starting using targeted direct mail and advertising and will continue well into the year.
To view Exmoor, the Coast and Quantock Hills 2011 click here. |
| Get connected | |
 One of the key themes to come out of the Exmoor Tourism Partnership was the need to network, particularly between businesses and across the different strands. The Exmoor-Tourism google group allows you to do just that providing an easy way to interact with other businesses in the area to share news, events and information of mutual interest.
Also don't forget membership of the CoaST 'One Planet Tourism' network is now free, with full access to the network and all resources on the website - with more to come. Just go to www.coastproject.co.uk and click on "join" - you'll join a growing network of like minded businesses and organisations - and have the CoaST team on tap for any queries, questions, advice and information. Don't get left out!
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