Broads Authority shares expertise in sustainable tourism
Broads Authority Open Day, Norwich Sports park, University of East Anglia: Wednesday 6 October, 9.30am - 4.00pm
The Broads Authority will be sharing the secrets of its success in promoting sustainable tourism at a special Open Day at Norwich Sportspark on Wednesday 6 October.
This is the first of a series of events organised as a result of the Broads Authority being awarded Beacon status to enable it to share its expertise with other Beacon winners, tourism professionals, planners and local government officers.
The keynote speech on regeneration through tourism will be delivered by Eileen Hinson, who was responsible for a five-year strategy to keep Broads boating holidays afloat.
Eileen will be running surgeries throughout the day to discuss challenges that participants are facing. Unicorn Tourism, a company that assesses accommodation and food providers for VisitBritain (formerly English Tourism Council) and the Broads Authority for its Quality Charter, will be explaining their work. Unicorn will also be carrying out the hire boat grading scheme from next spring.
A series of workshops will explore
- How to turn strategy into action.
- How the management of the environment benefits both visitors and businesses, the landscape and wildlife.
- How new technology can be used to develop the sustainable tourism product. (On the Broads this is being done by innovative boating.)
- How, using the Broads Quality Charter as an example, participants can improve performance in their area.
The Broads Tourism Forum, which was formed a year ago to help the different tourism interests in the Broads work together, has become a key partner of the Broads Authority. A workshop will examine how to set up a local forum taking this as a study.
The day will close with a panel discussion, and good ideas and key messages will be reported back to be debated nationally.
On Tuesday 5 October participants will go on a study tour to see examples that best represent the Broads Authority’s work in promoting sustainable tourism on the Broads. These include:
- Regeneration: Norwich city centre’s riverside
- Partnerships: with hire boatyards and boat builders
- Diversification: canoeing, cycling and an electric boat trip
- Supporting innovation: electric boating.
The Broads Authority was the first and only national park to be awarded Beacon status in April 2004 and is the only organisation in the East of England to gain the status in the promoting sustainable tourism category.
The Beacon Council Scheme was set up by the government five years ago to identify excellence in local authorities and provide funding and support to enable them to share their best practice as market leaders with other bodies.
Anyone who is interested in attending should call Event-X on 020 8660 1769 or visit www.idea.gov.uk/beacons.
20/09/04
