Walkers are Welcome Ruth Coulthard CRN Conference 2013 Growing the Outdoor Economy

Introduction Walking Tourism and its importance Walkers are Welcome Overview Does it work? Opportunities and Challenges

Walking Tourism £6.14b pa spend 245,000 jobs £2b revenue 28m trips pa 74% of trips involve walking Direct spend £632m Walking makes up 4 out of top 6 things to do on holiday

Walkers are Welcome First developed in 2006 Model for making a destination walker friendly Designed by walkers and communities - ‘not experts’! Now over 100 towns and growing

Six Criteria for Success Demonstration of local support Formal endorsement from local council Making sure the network is in good shape Promoting Walkers are Welcome status Promoting use of public transport Demonstrate have an action plan in place to maintain status

The Network Volunteers

What we want to achieve Quality! Strengthen reputation – locally and nationally Bring people together Harness the power of community Make the most of resources Develop solutions that work – and last Share best practice

Has it worked? 100 towns and growing Most towns seen increases in walkers Shops selling more and staying open Active networking Growing national recognition

Town’s Achievements

The challenges Increasing our brand recognition Increasing opportunities for networking Supporting our Towns Maintaining Quality What Next….