Viper Marketing & Communications Group

Countryside Visits Up, Park Visits Down

- News article posted on Tuesday 26 Jul 2011 at 07:08 by Jim Hardcastle

The definitive survey of the way we visit and use the outdoors has just been published by Natural England and reveals a 13 per cent decrease on visits to parks. The Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey has been carried out over the last two years with over 46,000 people were sampled.

The results show that in 2010/11 alone, nearly 2.5 billion visits were made to England’s countryside and open spaces, a 13 per cent decrease on the estimated 2.86 billion visits taken during 2009/10. 

The number of visits taken to farmland, mountain, hill, moorland and woodland increased, while the most significant decreases in visits were recorded for urban parks and other open spaces in towns and cities. Combined these visitors generated over £17 billion in expenditure though. 

The survey findings were used to help justify the approach taken in the recent Natural Environment White Paper to improve the quality and increase the value of the natural environment across England. Robust evidence is needed to inform destination marketing strategies, to help bring private money into the natural environment sector, and to help organisations tailor their offer to the needs of local communities and visitors.

Read the full report here

- Posted on Tuesday 26 Jul 2011 at 07:08 by Jim Hardcastle