USING TOURIST DATA TO HELP SITE MANAGEMENT T4
“ALL TOURIST SITES NEED TO BE MANAGED”. Think of tourist locations you know.
The Wrekin, Wenlock Edge, the Mortimer Forest near Ludlow, Snowdonia National Park all need some kind of management plan. Even theme parks need management plans. Most site management plans need to consider the various people, organizations and business that have a VESTED INTEREST in the area.
At times there can be conflicts between STAKEHOLDERS. In a national park it may be between farmers and ramblers who want rights of way to hilltops. Along the River Severn it may involve farmers, developers, and conservationists who want to protect local wildlife. A good management plan considers everyone’s view, and at the same time, the need to sustain the local economy while protecting wildlife & heritage. The identification of World Heritage Sites, and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) help to protect areas from harmful changes and developments.
ACTIVITY 1
Produce a detailed list of discussion items and issues under the title “All Tourist Sites Need To Be Managed”. As a starting point consider some of the following items in the part completed chart below.
How true are they? What are your views. Some you may not agree with.
ACTIVITY 2
Study the tourist data below . It was produced by The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
You work for “LT logistics”, a leisure & tourism agency that specialises in giving management advice to organisations, societies and trusts involved in promoting tourism & leisure activities.
You have been asked to produce a report with the title: –
A TOURIST MANAGEMENT PLAN
FOR THE IRONBRIDGE GORGE
- TOWARDS 2020 -
Your report needs to be in five sections:-
o The geographical location of the Ironbridge Gorge.
( a very short paragraph only)
o Changes and trends 1994 -2003.
(use the excel data above)
o A possible explanation of changes & trends identified in the data.
( include at least one excel graph or chart, to illustrate your findings)
o Sustainable planning issues & future economic concerns for the Gorge Tourism.
( think about places that are not attracting tourists & could close)
o A tourist management plan towards twenty, twenty.
( Your views on how tourism in the Gorge could be improved)
NOTE: Your plan for twenty, twenty should be realistic, and not radically alter the atmosphere of the area. Look back over the items in activity 1. Remember that Ironbridge is a World Heritage Site that needs protection.
A great deal of useful information can be found in this web section on tourism & the section on Changing Landscapes - Land use Surveys. Ideally you need to visit Ironbridge to see tourism for yourself.
The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, local libraries and the Telford & Wrekin Leisure & Tourism Offices may give you extra information. Further information can be found from local newspaper articles past & present. Many of these articles are now saved electronically and even found in internet searches. Try looking at some of the internet links provided on this site.
Ironbridge Gorge Museums Website