Nature tourism

This project is researching the economic benefits of nature- based tourism and associated economies activities within the Coast, Wolds, Wetlands & Waterways Nature Tourism Triangle. Benchmarking the Triangle against the UK’s North Norfolk coast suggest that a nature based tourism economy of £60m per year could be developed in the Triangle area provided there is appropriate and sustained investment in the area’s nature tourism assets. The programme has other benefits, reflecting the many ecosystem services that wildlife-rich Living Landscapes and Living Seas can provide including eg. stronger local markets for locally produced and caught food, or helping to reduce flood risk in the lower lying parts of the

The area is bounded by the River Hull valley to the west, the North Seat to the east and follows the Humber estuary coastline to the south. It takes in the nationally significant nature tourism attractions of Flambourgh Head, Spurn Point and the Deep in Hull, and a range of important connecting reserves and ecologically important sites. We try to develop a proposal and funding bids for significant tourism investments within the area. The project seeks to build links with similar LEADER initiatives in Europe and in the UK, using good practice from these areas to inform an asset investment and marketing programme for the Coast, Wolds, Wetlands & Waterways Nature Tourism Triangle.

The programme will begin to unlock the latent nature tourism potential of the area through three stages: - by developing trans-national links with other Member States to benefit from good practice elsewhere in Europe; - by conducting an economic appraisal of the present nature tourism economy & then considering the potential economy given appropriate suggested & costed investment; & - by taking forward some of those investment opportunities to show that such an approach is possible.

The project is seeking partners who are interested in conducted a linked economic appraisal in their area to share good practice and thinking. We welcome offers of partnership from related projects in the EU.

Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Malta, Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain, Slovakia, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Romania, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Lithuania, Latvia

English

Nature/environment/land management, Tourism

14/09/2009