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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 Tourism Partnership to keep tourism providers updated with the latest news and to 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.
Dan James Sustainable Economy Manager, Exmoor National Park Authority. |
Exmoor leads the way with successful revalidation of European Charter for Sustainable Tourism
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 Having been one of the first National Parks in the country to gain the prestigious European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in 2007 we have recently heard that our application to renew the charter for a further 5 years (2013-2018) has been successful. As a result Exmoor continues to be internationally recognised as an excellent example of sustainable tourism, taking into account the special environment of the area and the needs of residents, visitors and businesses. Announcing the award Thomas Hansson, president of Europarc, stated "The overall picture shows a park and partners moving forward with vigour. The Committee also noted with pleasure the many examples of good, creative sustainable tourism work, notably the walking initiatives, and the innovative Dark Skies Reserve programme. Also noteworthy were the positive relationships with local businesses and the active partnerships with key enterprises developing the [forthcoming] Exmoor Charter scheme". Following completion of a new strategic action plan for sustainable tourism across Exmoor, and submission of a detailed application to renew the charter, an assessor spent 2 days visiting the area and meeting with a range of businesses and partner organisations as part of the revalidation process. The National Park Authority would like to thank all those that continue to support the delivery of sustainable tourism across Exmoor and in particular those that have actively participated in ensuring our revalidation was successful. To read more about the cherter click here.
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Quick Links
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Do you want to catch up on past editions? Back issues can be downloaded here.
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Save the Date: Exmoor Tourism Conference
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 The 7 November is the date for this years annual Exmoor Tourism Conference. Organised by partners within the Exmoor Tourism Partnership this is a great opportunity to meet with other providers to review the season and prepare for the new year with a programme featuring something for everyone.
This year's conference takes place in Lynton and Lynmouth. Further details will be announced shortly and published at www.exmoortourismpartnership.org.uk.
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New National Park Centre coming soon @Lynmouth Pavilion
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 Construction work is almost complete at the new National Park Centre at Lynmouth Pavilion and new interactive displays are currently being fitted, including an AV theatre with a specially commissioned 10 minute film about Exmoor.
The Pavilion is scheduled to open its doors to the public in October providing a year round state of the art facility. You can see photos of the progress so far on the website which will be updated when the centre is open. The new building has been developed to the same design as the original Pavilion with funding from the National Park Authority and the Devon County Council Invest in Devon Fund.
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| Improving Exmoor's Accessibility |
 Several of Exmoor's best loved areas have become easier to access with the introduction of a new online service that allows visitors to 'virtually' walk the route before they visit. Phototrails are an initiative of the Fieldfare Trust, and use GPS technology to create an online version of a walking route allowing visitors to virtually stroll along the route by scrolling through a photographic version seeing where there are gates and where the path gradient increases and decreases.
The Phototrail also gives information on the surface condition of the path and all this information allows the visitor to decide if the route is one that they can comfortably manage. This information is especially useful for people who may find steeper routes or barriers such as stiles a challenge. The Exmoor Phototrails are the result of the collaboration between Exmoor National Park and Exmoor Moorland Landscape Partnership and a team of enthusiastic volunteers.
If you are interested in putting on events that are accessible to all why not sign up for the accessible events for all workshop on the 25 September at Lynton Town Hall?
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| Marketing Update |
Partners in the Exmoor Tourism Partnership continue to work together to maximise resources in marketing and promoting Exmoor. The Visit Exmoor website remains popular as the official destination site for the area and we've seen an increase in use of the new mobile version of the site. Two TV adverts were aired in the run up to the main season, targeting different audiences, and seen by over 2.5m people.
Starfish PR continue to secure high profile press coverage for the area in a range of media, particularly the national weekend papers. Exmoor has been featured on the BBC One show, Countryfile, Escape to the Country and many more programmes recently.
 Through the COOL tourism project a new image library for Exmoor is being developed with new modeled photos across the area commissioned in addition to a range of new video guides coming soon. Next year will see more extensive marketing campaigns conducted through this EU Interreg funded project.  To celebrate the National Park's 60th anniversary next year's Exmoor Visitor will be published earlier in January with a fresh design. Anyone interested in advertising in the publication should contact 01984 632731. The free visitor newspaper has over 100,000 copies distributed within the area and beyond.
The 2014 North Devon and Exmoor brochure produced by North Devon + will this year feature a guide to Exmoor and the Somerset Tourist Association will also be publishing a brochure.
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Flood repairs continue
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 The welcome good weather over the main season can make memories of last year's wet winter seem something of a distant memory. However few can forget the high rainfall and widespread flooding experienced across Exmoor.
The National Park Authority's Field Services Team have been working hard to restore access where paths and even bridges were washed away by the water.
In the first half of this year, the seven-man team re-graded 10,850 squares metres of paths, cleared 682 fallen trees, made 164 new or replacement signs and build 67 new gates and 14 sections of river bridges. In total over 44 major works were identified and the majority should be repaired by the autumn. Recent works have included a new bridge constructed across the Barle at Horsen Ford and major path repairs on the popular path between Wheal Eliza and Cow Castle near Simonsbath.
Grateful thanks to all those that support CareMoor for Exmoor, our conservation and access fund which can help support unexpected costs like these. We had a good response to a special appeal launched following the floods and many businesses provided ongoing support. You can find out more and even donate online here.
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Autumn events
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The summer may be over but Exmoor isn't going into hibernation and there are a whole range of events for you to promote to your guests and potential visitors.
From the long established Two Moors Festival to the first ever Ada Lovelace Day in Porlock.
Lynton hosts its popular Food Festival and there are art events galore including an exhibition on Exmoor's Dark Starry Skies to name just a few of the offerings.
Take a look at the events calender on the National Park website for details of walks, events and more. If you're involved in an event which isn't featured contact us for details on how you can upload details for all the world to see.
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Superfast Exmoor - your views needed!
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 Exmoor National Park Authority is working with Connecting Devon and Somerset to try and ensure as many areas of the National Park benefit from the roll out of superfast broadband by seeking to secure additional funding from the Rural Community Broadband Fund for the area. An Expression of Interest has been approved and we're now working on the main application to be submitted shortly.
To help the process we would ask that anyone interested in receiving super fast broadband registers their interest and completes a brief survey which can be found here. All responses will help build the case for funding for Exmoor within the current bid and any future opportunities.
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| Exmoor Video Competition |
There are jsut a couple of weeks left before the closing date of the first ever Exmoor video competition. We're on the look out for the most inspiring short (up to 1 minute) film about why you love Exmoor. You don't need to be a pro - passion, originality and creativity are what we're after. A cash prize of £500 is available for the best new video, with a runners up prize of £50 vouchers for the West Somerset Railway. Open to amateurs and professionals alike the judges will be looking for authenticity, creativity and imagination in the winning entry - whether its recorded using the latest HD camera and pro editing software, or simply recorded and edited on your smart phone. Further details are available here. You can download a poster here (PDF).
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Lights, cameras, Action - Create your own videos training workshop
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Video is fast becoming an essential promotion tool; even for the smallest businesses. The good news is that you no longer need to spend a fortune on a professional film company - you can create your own!
Come to DIY Video on 24 September (09:30 - 12:30) at the Creative Innovation Centre, Taunton for a fun and practical morning learning all you need to get going - from filming through to promoting. Run as part of the Fish and Chips initiative the workshop is open to all Somerset businesses that promote local food and drink (which takes in most, if not all, tourism businesses). Places (£40 +vat) are limited so book early. Call Jim 07540 358 739 or Email jim@vmcg.co.uk.
If you attend you will just have time to put your skills into use before the closing date of the Exmoor video Competition!
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Through the keyhole
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 This autumn you have an opportunity to visit other properties to get more information on sustainable energy and to see some live installations.
Heating is often a hidden technology, but on the 18th September 2013, over 30 biomass boiler owners and the businesses that supply them will be opening their sites to you, free of charge in an event organised by RegenSouth West.Find out more here.
Locally Forum 21 with Transition Minehead and Alcombe have a range of homes open from 30 September to 6 October covering a wide range of technologies. For the full programme click here.
Don't forget that we have a range of sustainable energy case studies on our website if you want to see how others have installed new systems.
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