TSE Research

40 Chamberlayne Road

Eastleigh

Hampshire

SO50 5JH

Tel: 02380 625459

Email: pkhan@tourismse.com

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employees agree to adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and MRS Company Partner Quality Commitment

whilst undertaking research

South Downs Visitor & Tourism Economic Impact

Study

Technical Report on the Research Findings

January 2013

Authors

Dr Parves Khan, Head of Research

Sergi Jarques, Senior Research Executive

Kerry Rayment, Senior Research Executive

Sarah Regan, Senior Research Executive

This document has been formatted to allow for double-sided printing

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................1

1.1

Status of this report...............................................................................................1

1.2

Study background.................................................................................................1

1.3

Research methods................................................................................................2

1.4

Outline of the report ..............................................................................................3

BUSINESS PROFILE..........................................................................................................4

2.1

Introduction ...........................................................................................................4

2.2

Accommodation Sector ........................................................................................5

2.3

Visitor Attraction Sector ........................................................................................8

2.4

Activity holiday and excursion operators ..............................................................9

2.5

Activity based businesses ....................................................................................9

2.6

Other businesses used by visitors......................................................................10

BUSINESS PERFORMANCE...........................................................................................12

3.1

Introduction .........................................................................................................12

3.2

Business performance ........................................................................................13

BUSINESS ATTITUDES & ASPIRATIONS ......................................................................17

4.1

Introduction .........................................................................................................17

4.2

Awareness of South Downs National Park designation .....................................17

4.3

Motivations for running a business in the South Downs.....................................18

4.4

Future development plans ..................................................................................18

4.5

Sustainable business practices ..........................................................................19

4.6

Support from the South Downs National Park Authority ....................................20

RESIDENT SURVEY RESULTS ......................................................................................22

5.1

Introduction .........................................................................................................22

5.2

Awareness of South Downs National Park designation by residents.................23

5.3

Frequency of visits to the South Downs by residents.........................................24

5.4

Profile of residents visiting the South Downs .....................................................25

5.5

Group composition of visits ................................................................................26

5.6

Time of day most visited .....................................................................................26

5.7

Location most visited ..........................................................................................26

5.8

Profile of residents not visiting the South Downs ...............................................27

5.9

Reasons for not visiting ......................................................................................29

5.10

Actions which may encourage visits...................................................................30

VISITOR SURVEY RESULTS ..........................................................................................31

6.1

Introduction .........................................................................................................31

6.2

Visit type .............................................................................................................32

6.3

Awareness of South Downs National Park designation by visitors ....................34

6.4

Visitor profile .......................................................................................................35

6.5

Overnight visits ...................................................................................................38

6.6

Factors influencing visits ....................................................................................39

6.7

Mode of transport used.......................................................................................40

6.8

Frequency of visits..............................................................................................42

6.9

Group composition..............................................................................................44

6.10

Visitor expenditure ..............................................................................................45

6.11

Sources of information used to plan visits ..........................................................46

6.12

Impact on health and well-being.........................................................................47

6.13

Overall satisfaction with visit...............................................................................48

6.14

Organised and educational visits to the South Downs .......................................48

VIEWS ON TOURISM IMPACTS......................................................................................50

7.1

Introduction .........................................................................................................50

7.2

Resident and visitor views on tourism impacts...................................................50

7.3

Resident and visitor views on actions to influence visitor behaviour..................52

7.4

Resident and visitor support for visitor pay back scheme ..................................53

7.5

Visitor issues impacting on land managers ........................................................54

7.6

Visitor issues impacting on nature conservation and cultural heritage sites ......55

VOLUME & VALUE...........................................................................................................56

8.1

Introduction .........................................................................................................56

8.2

Estimating visitor volumes ..................................................................................56

8.3

Tourism economic impacts.................................................................................61

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................64

9.1

Importance of tourism to South Downs economy...............................................64

9.2

Monitoring the future...........................................................................................66

9.3

Types of data collected.......................................................................................67

APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................68

10.1

Appendix 1: Copy of Business Attitude Survey Questionnaire ..........................68

10.2

Appendix 2: Copy of Resident Survey Questionnaire ........................................71

10.3

Appendix 3: Full set of responses for last location visited by county .................73

of residence ..............................................................................................................................73

10.4

Appendix 4: Full list of responses from residents of actions which will encourage visits

10.5

Appendix 5: Copy of Visitor Survey Questionnaire ............................................77

10.6

Appendix 6: Full list of visitor place of residence split by county........................80

10.7

Appendix 7: Full list of visitor place of residence split by country ......................81

10.8

Appendix 8: Full list of responses on reasons for visiting split by visit type .......82

10.9

Appendix 9: Full list of responses on information uses used split by visit type..84

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Activity-Based Businesses

A business which provides goods for sale which are used for the

pursuit of leisure/recreational activities

Activity Holiday & Excursion

Operators

A business which arranges holidays and days out involving outdoor

pursuits (i.e. Walking, cycling, fishing)

Commercial Accommodation provider

An accommodation provider which charges for the letting of

rooms/units/pitches

Country House Hotel

A Country House Hotel with ample grounds or gardens, in a rural or

semi-rural situation with an emphasis on peace and quiet.

Day Visitor

A visitor who travels into the Park area from home or holiday

accommodation outside the South Downs

Guest Accommodation

This is made up of:

B&B - Accommodation provided in a private house, run by the

owner and with no more than six paying guests.

Guest House - Accommodation provided for more than six paying

guests and run on a more commercial basis than a B&B. Usually

more services, for example dinner, provided by staff as well as the

owner.

Farmhouse - B&B or Guesthouse accommodation provided on a

working farm or smallholding.

Inn - Accommodation provided in a fully licensed establishment. The

bar will be open to non-residents and provide food in the evenings.

Holiday Maker

A visitor staying away from home for leisure purposes

Hotel

Formal accommodation with full service. Minimum five guest

bedrooms but more likely in excess of 20.

Leisure Visit

A leisure visit is defined as the use of a particular site for leisure

purposes by a visitor or resident

Other Businesses

Business used mainly by local residents but which will receive a

proportion of their turnover from visitors.

Staying Visitor

A visitor staying in accommodation in the South Downs National

Park for tourism purposes, including leisure, business and/or social

purposes

Visitor Attractions

The attraction must be a permanent established excursion

destination, a primary purpose of which is to allow access for

entertainment, interest, or education; rather than being primarily a

retail outlet or a venue for sporting, theatrical, or film performances.

It must be open to the public, without prior booking, for published

periods each year, and should be capable of attracting day visitors

or tourists as well as local residents.

Visitor Day

A day spent by the day or staying visitor during which they visit a

site or sites within the South Downs

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Status of this report

1.1.1 This document provides a critical part of the evidence base for the South Downs National

Park Management Plan and the Local Development Framework. The evidence base will

also feed into the revision of The State of the National Park Report and the development

of performance indicators. For brevity, in this report we refer to the South Downs National

Park as the South Downs.

1.2 Study background

1.2.1 The South Downs National Park Authority commissioned an extensive programme of

tourism research underpinned by the sustainable tourism development model – VERB

(Visitor, Environment, Residents and Business). TSE Research, the research arm of

Tourism South East, carried out the Visitor, Resident and Business elements. The

Environmental aspect was covered in another research study carried out by Acorn

Consultancy and has been reported separately. Relevant findings from the Environment

Study are also discussed in this report.

1.2.2 The evidence gathering required updating an earlier study carried out in 2003/4 which

involved a thorough analysis of the supply and demand of tourism within what was then

the proposed South Downs National Park boundary. As with the 2003/4 study information

is provided on key performance indicators including the volume and value of tourism

visits, visitor profiles, visitor expenditure, and the range and type of tourism businesses

operating in the South Downs.

1.2.3 The research carried out by TSE Research involved two main components:



Business Study: a business audit was carried out to provide a current baseline of

visitor-related businesses located in the South Downs against which future growth

can be measured. A number of surveys were also carried out among businesses to

identify business performance, future development plans, and the steps needed to

encourage sustainable growth. This component covered the Business aspect of the

VERB model.



Visitor / Resident Surveys: the second element involved a survey among a sample

of visitors and residents to gain insights into the profile of those who use the South

Downs, how they use it, their experience of visiting, and to gain a better

understanding of the impacts that visits to the South Downs have on local

communities. This component of the research covered the Visitor and Resident

aspect of the VERB model. Data gathering also included a survey among schools

and organised groups to gain further insights into how the South Downs is used by

different types of groups.

1.2.4 One of the primary aims of the research was to gather data which can be used to assess

and calculate the economic impact of tourism activity in the South Downs. This has

involved updating and enhancing the 2003/4 econometric model (used for the previous

study) to quantify the annual number of visits to the South Downs and the impact of

expenditure made during those visits on local business turnover and jobs.

1.2.5 As most of the research/survey instruments used in this study are similar to the 2003/4

study, we are able to provide a comparative assessment of ‘then’ and ‘now’ with regard to

the supply of businesses, visitor profiles, South Downs usage patterns, and other key trip

features

. New to the 2011/12 study is a more qualitative examination of local peoples

and local businesses perceptions of tourism impacts on the South Downs.

1.3 Research methods

1.3.1 The Business Study involved three research methods. To provide a quantified picture of

businesses which directly and indirectly benefit from visitor expenditure, an audit of

tourism and other related businesses located in the South Downs was undertaken. The

audit was supplemented with a business performance survey to help with our

assessment of the level of leisure demand in the South Downs. The performance survey

took the form of gathering monthly room/unit occupancy from a sample of commercial

accommodation providers and monthly visitor admission figures from visitor attractions

located in the South Downs. The third method involved an online consultation with a

sample of businesses to identify issues around business growth, future development

plans, and attitudes to sustainable management.

1.3.2 The Visitor and Resident Survey both involved face-to-face on site interviews using

random sampling. The visitor survey was carried out on-site across the South Downs in

locations used for recreational and leisure/holiday purposes. The resident survey was

mainly carried out in the main towns and villages located in the South Downs. Both

surveys gathered data on the demographic profile of visitors

, key features of the visit,

e.g. frequency of visits, activities undertaken and average expenditure, visitor

satisfactions and visitor views on tourism impacts.

1.3.3 As with the 2003/4 study, two further surveys were added to provide supplementary data

to help provide insights into the way particular groups use the South Downs. A survey

was carried out among schools and colleges to establish the number and type of visits to

the South Downs by educational establishments. A survey was also was undertaken

among clubs, societies, and other social groups to assess the level of organised visits to

the South Downs. However, the response rates to both these additional surveys were

very low and thus the results yield only limited insights.

Boundary changes should be noted when making comparisons with the 2003/4 study findings.

The Resident Survey also gathered data on the demographic profile of non-visitors and reasons for not visiting.

1.3.4 Volume and Value Modelling - data from the aforementioned surveys was used to

provide an indicative estimate of the total volume of leisure visits to the South Downs,

and an estimate of business turnover and jobs sustained by visitor spending in the South

Downs.

1.4 Outline of the report

1.4.1 Having briefly presented the background of the study, in the following three chapters we

present our findings from the Business Survey. In Chapter 2 the scale and nature of the

visitor economy in the South Downs is discussed based on the available data. In Chapter

3 we present a review of business performance and in Chapter 4 we focus on business

views on issues which are germane to this study, such as business needs, supports, and

perceptions on sustainable business management practices.

1.4.2 Chapter 5 presents results from the Resident Survey, providing insights into how the

South Downs is used by local residents, and the reasons why a small minority of

residents do not visit the South Downs for leisure visits.

1.4.3 In Chapter 6 we present the results from the visitor survey shedding light on visitor

profiles, trip features and how visitors experience the South Downs. This includes a

limited set of findings from the survey among a sample of educational establishments and

local social groups, clubs and societies.

1.4.4 Survey results on local people’s views on the positive and negative impact of tourism

flows into the South Downs, and how they think the South Downs can be enjoyed in a

sustainable way is presented in Chapter 7. A comparative assessment of tourism

impacts from the perspectives of visitors and land managers/managers of conservation

and cultural heritage sites is also provided, drawing on the Visitor Survey and the

Environment Survey.

1.4.5 Chapter 8 presents the results of our bespoke modelling to estimate the annual volume

of visits to the South Downs, and the impact of visitor spending on local business

turnover and jobs.

1.4.6 In the concluding chapter, Chapter 9 we present a set of recommendations about on-

going visitor monitoring and identify areas for further research.

2 BUSINESS PROFILE

2.1 Introduction

The audit drew on data from a number of sources including searches through Yellow

Pages, Thomson’s Business Directory

, the Office of National Statistics Business

Demography publications, the Our Land website, as well as more general searches using

the Internet. To ensure that only business located in the South Downs were included in

the audit, a list of post-codes covering the South Downs boundary was used to cross-

reference the location of each businesses using a specialist computer software package

2.1.1 The audit is presented in an Excel database. It includes the name of the business,

address, and contact details. For accommodation businesses we include additional

information on the number of bedrooms and bed spaces, self-catering units, or camping

and caravan pitches available. Each data set is categorised by type. There are 5

categories – Commercial Accommodation providers (hotel, B&B/guest house, including

inn with rooms, self-catering, camping/caravan, hostels), Visitor Attractions, Activity-

Based Businesses, Walking & Activity Based Holiday Operators, and Other

Businesses which receive a proportion of their turnover from visitor expenditure. The

latter include pubs, café/tea shop, petrol stations, bakers and clothes shops

(See

Glossary for description of the categories).

2.1.2 Accommodation providers located in the South Downs were contacted to gather

performance data on average room occupancy. A similar exercise was also carried out

with visitor attractions to establish current levels of visitor admissions. Data was gathered

via an online monthly form.

2.1.3 Comparative data from the 2003/4 study is available for the accommodation and visitor

attraction sector

. However, it is important to note differences in the boundaries between

the proposed park boundary as presented in 2003/4 and the final park boundary agreed

in 2010 which includes Lewes. This should be borne in mind when making comparisons

of the South Downs business demography between these two periods.

This is a licence held database TSE Research has access to.

Only businesses whose registered premises are physically located within the boundaries of the South Downs are included in

the audit. B&Bs, self-catering cottages, attractions and so on close to the South Downs boundary are not included.

The other business category does not represent a definitive list of all businesses a visitor may use during their visit to the

South Downs. It is based on a list of the main industry sectors which are recognised in official government statistics (e.g. Office

of National Statistic publications on tourism-related employment) as receiving an important proportion of their income from out-

of-town visitors. These include the catering, retail and transport sectors.

In the 2003/4 study Walking & Activity Based Holiday Operators were not included in the audit. A list of Other Businesses

including pubs, tea-room, petrol filling stations, cycle shops and so on were included in the earlier audit but it included

businesses located in towns which had close proximity to the proposed boundary. Given the wider geographical area covered

and changes to the boundary we are unable to compare changes in these categories.

B&B / Guest

House

58%

Hotel

Caravan &

Camping

Sites

Self-catering

26%

Youth

Hostels

Fig. 1: Distribution of accommodation type

B&B /

Guest

House

16%

Hotel

21%

Caravan &

Camping

Sites

55%

Self-

catering

Youth

Hostels

Fig. 2: Distribution of bedspace capacity

2.2 Accommodation Sector

2.2.1 In total there are 386 accommodation businesses in the South Downs, of which nearly

two-thirds (58%) are Guest Accommodation (B&B, Guest House including a few pubs

with rooms). The majority are small businesses, which on average offer 3 bedrooms

accommodating up to 6 guests (average bedspace of 6)

Table 1: Total commercial accommodation stock in the South Downs

Visitor Accommodation Number of businesses

Total bedspaces

Guest Accommodation

222 1,415

Hotel Accommodation

31 1,860

Caravan & Camping Sites

28 4,845

Self-catering Accommodation

100 552

Youth Hostels

5 216

All visitor accommodation

386 8,888

2.2.2 In terms of bedspace capacity (total number of people the accommodation sleeps), the

largest accommodation sector is the caravanning and camping sector, which accounts for

over half (55%) of total accommodation bedspace in the South Downs. The actual

number of caravanning and camping sites in the South Downs is actually relatively small,

accounting for only 28 businesses, but capacity is relatively high. The high capacity level

is driven by three large campsites. These are the Ecclesden Farm campsite in Angmering

which can accommodate up to 1,140 people, the Morn Hill Caravan Club campsite near

Winchester which can accommodate up to 1,014 people and the Rookesbury Park

Caravan Club Site in Wickham which can accommodate up to 684 people.

2.2.3 Most campsites are however, much smaller. Five of the 28 caravan and camping sites

offer only five pitches which can accommodate up to 20 people.

2.2.4 There is some representation of hotel chains in the South Downs. These are the Holiday

Inn in Winchester and two budget chain hotels – the Premier Inn in Arundel and another

Larger guest accommodation include the Burpham Country House guest accommodation which offers 10 rooms

accommodating up to 19 guests, the Horse & Groom Guest House in East Ashling which offers 11 bedrooms, accommodating

up to 22 guests, and Wetherdown Lodge in Petersefield which offers 15 rooms accommodating up to 35 guest.

East Sussex

26%

Hampshire

31%

West Sussex

43%

Fig. 3: Distribution of commercial

accommodation

East Sussex

19%

Hampshire

38%

West Sussex

43%

Fig. 4: Distribution of commercial

bedspace

one in Petersfield. The remaining hotels are independents, of which the Amberley Castle

Hotel near Arundel is a luxury boutique hotel.

2.2.5 A quarter (26%) of all visitor accommodation in the South Downs is self-catering cottages

and houses. These are relatively small businesses, with most offering 2 bedroom

accommodation, and thus only account for 6% of total accommodation bedspace in the

South Downs (see Fig. 2 on previous page).

2.2.6 There are five youth hostels in the South Downs, three in East Sussex and two in West

Sussex, run by the Youth Hostel Association (YHA). A new 68 bed youth hostel next to

the Southease Railway Station in East Sussex is planned to open in the spring of 2013.

2.2.7 Overall, the largest concentration of commercial accommodation providers and of

commercial bedspace is in the West Sussex part of the South Downs (accounting for

43% of accommodation businesses and 43% of total bedspace).

2.2.8 The number of accommodation businesses and bedstock is lower in the East Sussex part

of the South Downs compared to the other two main counties (representing 26% of

businesses and 19% of bedstock). The vast majority of accommodation stock in East

Sussex is located outside the South Downs. A regional audit of commercial visitor

accommodation carried out by TSE Research in 2009 and updated in 2011

established

that there is just over 24,000 bedspaces in East Sussex. Notwithstanding potential

changes to capacity since then, based on these figures, the volume of bedspaces

available in the East Sussex part of the South Downs represents 7% of the county’s total

bedspace stock.

2.2.9 On the other hand, the volume of bedspaces available in the West Sussex part of the

South Downs represents 18% of West Sussex’s total bedspace stock (around 22,000

bedspaces available in West Sussex). The volume of bedspaces available in the

Hampshire part of the South Downs represents 10% of Hampshire’s total bedspace stock

(around 35,000 bedspaces available in Hampshire).

Report:

Meeting the data deficit: Baseline evidence gathering study for the South East Regional Development Agency.

Confidential findings, not for publication.

2.2.10 The distribution of accommodation stock by type of provider across each of the three

main counties in the South Downs is presented in Tables 2 and 3.

Table 2: Commercial accommodation stock distribution in South Downs by county

B&B / Guest

House Hotel

Caravan/Camp

Sites

Self-

catering

Youth

Hostels

No.

East Sussex 44 20% 7 23% 7 25% 37 37% 3 60%

Hampshire 85 38% 9 29% 9 32% 18 18% 0 0%

West Sussex 93 42% 15 48% 12 43% 45 45% 2 40%

Total 222 100% 31 100% 28 100% 100 100%

5 100%

Table 3: Commercial accommodation bedspace distribution in South Downs by county

County

B&B / Guest

House

Hotel

Caravan/Camp

Sites

Self-

catering

Youth

Hostels

No.

share No.

No.

share No.

No.

East Sussex 331 23% 405 22% 630 13% 200 36% 122 56%

Hampshire 492 35% 643 35% 2,091 43% 109 20% 0 0%

West Sussex 592 42% 812 44% 2,124 44% 243 44% 94 44%

Total

1,415 100% 1,860 100%

4,845 100% 552 100%

216 100%

2.2.11 The previous audit carried out in 2003/4 identified 290 commercial accommodation

businesses, suggesting an increase of 96 businesses since then. A review of changes

since 2003/4 reveals an increase in all accommodation types with the exception of youth

hostels which have remained at 5 establishments, though as mentioned earlier, a new

youth hostel is planned to open in East Sussex in 2013.

Serviced

Up from 196 businesses to 253 businesses

Self-catering

Up from 78 businesses to 100 businesses

Camping/caravanning

Up from 11 businesses to 28 businesses

Youth hostels

Same at 5 businesses

Note serviced refers to guest accommodation and hotels

2.2.12 Whilst it is important to factor in business closures during the period between the two

studies and the changes to the boundary, our review suggests that growth has mainly

been in the Hampshire part of the South Down, particularly in East Hampshire where the

towns of Petersfield, Liss and Alton have seen the opening of a number of new

accommodation businesses since 2003/4.

East Sussex

Up from 91 businesses to 98 businesses

Hampshire

Up from 38 businesses to 121 businesses

West Sussex

Up from 161 businesses to 167 businesses

2.2.13 In Winchester, the most recent addition to stock which falls within the boundary of the

South Downs is the Holiday Inn which opened in 2010 adding 141 additional bedspaces.

2.3 Visitor Attraction Sector

2.3.1 There are over a 100 visitor attractions and places of interest in the South Downs. Given

its special landscape it is not surprising to find that the most common visitor attractions

and places of interest are nature reserves (24%), historic properties / sites (24%) and

forest / woodland areas (14%). There are, however, a range of different types of

attractions to draw visitors to the South Downs including art galleries, museums, vineries,

gardens, and two large zoological parks; Drusillas Zoo in East Sussex and Marwell

Zoological Park in Hampshire

2.3.2 The 2003/4 study identified a total of only 60 attractions within the proposed boundary as

it was then. However, the earlier study adopted a more restrictive definition of what

constitutes a visitor attraction and did not include nature reserves such as Birling Gap in

East Sussex and forest / woodland areas of special interest such as the Forest of Bere in

Hampshire. This makes it difficult to assess changes to the scale and nature of visitor

attractions in the South Downs between the two study period.

2.3.3 Moreover, as with the case of visitor accommodation, any assessment as to whether

there has been any increase in the number of visitor attractions since 2003/4 is

complicated by the fact that the new Park boundary is larger than the proposed boundary

in 2003/4.

Table 4: Total no. of visitor attractions based in South Downs

Visitor Attractions Number

Proportion

Nature reserves 29 24%

Historic properties/sites

28 24%

Forest and Woodland 17 14%

Farm attractions 6 5%

Gardens 6 5%

Art galleries 5 4%

Country parks 5 4%

Museums 5 4%

Educational 4 3%

Potteries 4 3%

Vineyards 4 3%

Leisure centres 2 2%

Steam railway attractions 2 2%

Zoological parks 2 2%

Total 119 100%

Note:

includes historic houses, castles, monuments and a chapel

2.3.4 As with the earlier audit, two community leisure centres - The Grange in Midhurst and

The Taro Centre in Petersfield are included. Both are used mainly by local residents and

are thus not ‘visitor attractions’ in the strict sense of the term. They are included to show

the range of recreational services available in the South Downs.

2.3.5 Around 61% of the visitor attractions and places of interest in the South Downs are free

to visit.

2.3.6 Of the 119 attractions and places of interest identified, 49 (41%) are located in the West

Sussex part of the South Downs. A third (37 attractions / places of interest) are located in

the East Sussex part of the South Downs, and the remaining 33 (28%) are located in the

in the Hampshire part of the South Downs (see Fig. 5).

2.4 Activity holiday and excursion operators

2.4.1 In addition to commercial accommodation and visitor attractions, the study identified 21

holiday and leisure day excursion operators which provide activity based day trips and

overnight holiday trips in the South Downs.

2.4.2 These are mainly walking and cycling holidays and days out and include Celtic Tours

based in Chepstow and Footpath Holidays based in Wiltshire. Of these 21 operators, 11

are also based in premises in the South Downs. This includes Footpaths of Sussex

based in Steyning and Walk & Cycle Britain based in Petersfield.

2.4.3 There are a number of other leisure operators which provide special day excursions in

the South Downs including hot air balloon rides and boat trips which will have a role in

bringing visitors to the South Downs.

2.4.4 The audit identified 8 hot air ballooning companies which arrange flights from various

locations across the South Downs. Of these, however, only one company, The British

School of Ballooning is based in the South Downs.

2.4.5 Beaufort Charters, based in Newhaven and Arundel Boat Yard & Riverside Tea Garden

in Arundel, offer short boat trips to visitors.

2.5 Activity based businesses

2.5.1 The audit also involved identifying businesses located in the South Downs which provide

more regular recreational and sporting experiences (i.e. paragliding centres, riding

schools and golf courses) which have an important role to play in drawing visitors to the

area (see Table 5, Fig.6).

2.5.2 In total 44 activity-based businesses were identified. Of these, the most common,

accounting for half of all businesses are equestrian centres offering riding courses. The

second most common activity-based business are golf courses (45%).Two paragliding

East Sussex

25%

Hampshire

32%

West

Sussex

43%

Fig. 6: Distribution of activity-based businesses

centres, one located in Lewes and one located in Alton also fall within the boundary of

the South Downs.

2.5.3 The largest concentration (43%) of these activity-based businesses are located in the

West Sussex part of the South Downs. A third a based in the Hampshire part of the

South Downs and a quarter are based in the East Sussex part of the South Downs.

Table 5: Total no. of activity businesses based in South Downs

Activity based businesses Number

Proportion

Equestrian centre/riding schools 22 50%

Golf courses & clubs 19 45%

Paragliding centres 2 5%

Total activity-based businesses 44 100%

2.6 Other businesses used by visitors

2.6.1 Visitor spending is not confined to the hospitality sectors of accommodation, attractions

and other businesses offering recreational services. Whilst visiting a destination a wide

range of goods and services will be purchased by visitors including bus and taxi fares,

petrol from filling stations, food and beverages from cafes, tea-rooms, restaurants and

pubs, cycle hire and retail items from corner shops to high-street fashion chains.

2.6.2 To get a measure of the range of businesses available in the South Downs which receive

a proportion of their turnover from visitor expenditure, the audit included a wider range of

‘Other Businesses’. In total 357 ‘Other Businesses’ which provide goods and services

used by visitors were identified

2.6.3 However, it should be noted that this does not provide a comprehensive list of every

businesses located in the South Downs which a visitor may use. For example, a visitor

may purchase a stamp from a post office during their holiday, but post offices are not

included in the audit. The choice of businesses to include under ‘Other’ has been based

on the list of the main industry sectors which are recognised in official government

statistics (e.g. Office of National Statistic publications on tourism-related employment) as

receiving an important proportion of their income from out-of-town visitors. These include

the catering, retail and transport sectors.

2.6.4 Most of these other businesses are food and beverage businesses (63%) and a quarter

are retail shops. Smaller numbers include angling/fish tackle shops, cycle shops/cycle

hire, taxi services and petrol stations. The distribution of ‘Other Businesses’ across the

This is lower than the number of Other Businesses identified by the 2003/4 audit. The earlier study identified 578 are retail

businesses used by visitors, 280 businesses in which visitors purchase food and drink, and 60 transport related businesses

such as petrol filling stations, bus operators and taxi companies. However, the geographical area of study was much wider

than the new study as it included towns which were in close proximity to the proposed boundary of the time. Given this and the

boundary changes since then, we are not able to directly assess any changes to the supply and nature of the Other Business

category.

East Sussex

28%

Hampshire

39%

West

Sussex

33%

Fig. 7: Distribution of other businesseses

South Downs reveals that over a third are in the Hampshire part of the South Downs, a

third are in the West Sussex part of the South Downs and 28% are in the East Sussex

part of the South Downs.

Table 6: Total number of ‘other businesses’

Other businesses Number

Proportion

Food & beverage businesses

224 63%

Retail shops

87 24%

Transport businesses

30 8%

Angling & fishing shops 9 3%

Cycle shops/hire 7 2%

Total 357 100%

Note:

includes bakeries, coffee shops, pubs, bars restaurants

and takeaways

includes corner shops, off-licences, clothes shops, gift shops,

and farm shops

includes taxi services and petrol stations

3 BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 There are two broad performance indicators which help us gauge the health of the

tourism industry. For accommodation providers, this is average room occupancy and for

visitor attractions, this is admission numbers.

3.1.2 In addition to being key performance indicators, they are important data sources for

calculating visitor volumes to a destination. In this study, occupancy data will play a role

in helping us establish the number of commercial bednights spent in the South Downs

3.1.3 Attraction admission figures are not often a direct driver in calculating visitor volumes to a

destination, as the footfall data alone is unable to distinguish between visits made by

local residents and those made by visitors from further afield. In this study, the attraction

admission figures are first and foremost provided as an indicator of the size and

performance of the attraction sector in the South Downs.

3.1.4 That said the nature of the “attraction sector” in the South Downs causes some problems

as to how to measure performance. Given many of the places to visit in the South Downs

are open access areas (i.e. nature reserves and forest/woodland areas); it is not possible

to monitor visitor volumes on a regular and consistent basis. A few country parks (e.g.

Seven Sisters Country Park and Queen Elizabeth Country Park), and forest/woodland

areas (e.g. Alice Holts Forest) do keep a record of visitor footfall which are based on

metered car park occupancy rates.

3.1.5 In addition to these three attractions, our admission figures are from attractions which

keep records of visitor numbers which include art galleries, museums, historic houses,

and sites, potteries, vineries, farm and steam railway attractions. Admission figures were

not collected for the two community leisure centres, given that they are mainly used by

local residents, many of whom are members of the centres and will use them very

frequently.

3.1.6 Using a combination of direct contact with the attraction (online survey forms) to gather

admission figures and supplementing that data with admission results from those

attractions which participate in Visit England’s quarterly England Attraction Monitor

, we

were able to gather admission figures for 59 attractions located in the South Downs.

3.1.7 We were less successful in gathering occupancy data from the South Downs’s

accommodation businesses. Of the 386 businesses identified, only 17 agreed to provide

However, the main data source will be the results of the visitor survey. Overnight visitors were asked about the type of

accommodation they stayed at, the length of the stay and their total expenditure on accommodation costs. The occupancy data

will be used to help us calibrate the overall figures for overnight trips.

Between 650 to 680 attractions take part in this survey quarterly. The survey is carried out by BDRC on behalf of Visit

England and include a mix of attraction types.

occupancy data. Of these 4 were self-catering cottages and 13 were serviced

accommodation businesses (guest accommodation and hotels).

3.1.8 To supplement the data, we drew on the results from the England Occupancy Survey

Occupancy results from a further 18 South Downs serviced accommodation providers

were available from the national survey. In total, data was available from 31 serviced

accommodation providers, representing 8% of total stock.

3.1.9 On their own, the unit occupancy results from the 4 self-catering establishments do not

provide a reliable measure of performance so we have drawn from a number of other

data sources to help assess likely occupancy rates

. Occupancy data was also obtained

from the Camping and Caravanning club for the sites they manage in the South Downs.

3.2 Business performance

Serviced accommodation

3.2.1 Occupancy data was gathered to cover a 12 month period from July 2011 to June 2012.

The results, albeit based on a very small sample established that occupancy rates for

serviced accommodation (hotels and guest accommodation) vary significantly throughout

the year from as low as 10% for some in January to a high of 94% for some in August.

3.2.2 The average annual bed occupancy rate

for serviced accommodation in the South

Downs based on the results of the 31 businesses providing data is 49%. Although the

results are based on a small sample, the performance figure is similar to that achieved at

regional level.

3.2.3 The average for the South Downs is higher than that reported in the last study eight years

ago. The average bed occupancy reported in the 2003/4 study for serviced

accommodation was 43%

The England Occupancy Survey (EOS) commissioned by Visit England measures, on a monthly basis, levels of bedroom

and bedspace occupancy across the serviced accommodation sector

This has involved calibrating the results against the Cumbria Self-Catering Survey which produces monthly unit occupancy

data. Apart from the Cumbria research there is a serious dearth of information on the performance of the non-serviced sector

including self-catering and camping / caravanning parks. No survey exists at national level which gathers this data and since

the demise of Regional Development Agencies, funding has ceased at regional level to gather local occupancy data.

Average bed occupancy is calculated using the following formula:

Average annual bed occupancy = (annual number of beds occupied / annual number of beds available) x 100

The 2003/4 serviced accommodation occupancy results were based on 19 establishments.

Table 7: Serviced accommodation average bed occupancy

Month/year Regional average

South Downs average

Annual

48% 49%

June 2012

58% 60%

May 2012

53% 52%

April 2012

49% 52%

March 2012

38% 33%

February 2012

37%

35%

January 2012

33%

36%

December 2011

38%

33%

November 2011

41% 30%

October 2011

46% 41%

September 2011

55% 55%

August 2011

61% 70%

July 2011

63% 69%

Non-serviced accommodation

3.2.4 The results from the four self-catering accommodation businesses indicate that three out

of the four have low levels of seasonality and relatively high unit occupancy rates. During

the shoulder and off-peak tourism season, bed occupancy is around 50% to 55%, whilst

during the busy peak summer months it rises to highs of 80% to 90%, providing an

average occupancy among all four businesses for the previous 12 months of 65%. Based

on the establishments providing data in 2003/4, average bed occupancy recorded for

self-catering establishments was 63%.

3.2.5 Given the small sample it is not possible to draw conclusions about the self-catering

sector from this small sample alone. Comparative data from other rural destinations

outside the South East such as Cumbria indicate self-catering average bed occupancy of

around 40%

. There is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that average bed

occupancy of 40% is far too low for South Down businesses. Whilst there is no regional

self-catering occupancy survey to provide a benchmark, our destination level tourism

impact studies

which involve gathering occupancy data from both serviced and non-

serviced commercial accommodation sectors across the South East indicate that annual

average self-catering average bed occupancy rates range from 45% to 65%.

3.2.6 Touring and static caravan occupancy rates were gathered from the Camping and

Caravanning Club who manage two sites in the South Downs. The year to date figures

indicate that performance has been lower this year (an average of 50% pitch occupancy)

compared to the relative boom seen in this sector since 2009 – the year of the

‘staycation’, when average rates of 60% to 80% were seen across different parts of the

region.

Data obtained from Research Department, Cumbria Tourism

The Cambridge Model tourism impact studies we carry out for local authorities across the South East involve gathering

occupancy data from commercial accommodation providers in the area. Thus we have some insight into the performance of

the self-catering sector in rural areas based on the data gathering process for the Cambridge Model studies.

3.2.7 Drawing on the data received for the camping and caravanning sector, we estimate that

the average bed occupancy rate

for the 12 month study period was around 45%.

Feedback from several camping and caravan sites revealed that weekends have been

particularly busy with many being fully booked. Weekdays have generally been quieter,

suggesting that camping and caravan holidays have tended to be shorter in 2012,

perhaps as a result of the inclement weather conditions seen this year.

3.2.8 The general national picture of the non-serviced accommodation sectors of self-catering

and camping/caravanning, is that both sectors have experienced strong occupancy since

2009 due primarily to the effects of the economic downturn leading to reduced spend on

overseas holidays with British consumers choosing to economise by holidaying at home.

Results from the United Kingdom Tourism Survey revealed that 29% more camping trips

were taken in Britain during 2009 than in 2008 and it was the first time camping was more

popular than B&Bs. The Camping and Caravanning Club also reported a 23% rise in

bookings during 2009 when compared to 2008. This strong occupancy continued into

2010 and 2011. It is highly likely that the wet weather conditions over the summer this

year curtailed the growth which was expected for 2012.

Visitor attractions

3.2.9 Visitor admission data was gathered to cover a 12 month period from July 2011 to June

2012. Data was available for 59 attractions.

3.2.10 Based on the results of the 59 attractions in the sample, the five largest attractions

receive between 250,000 to 499,999 visitors a year. Four attractions are in the tier below,

each receiving between 100,000 to 249,999 visitors a year.

3.2.11 The majority of attractions (52%) are, however, relatively small attractions receiving less

than 4,999 visitors a year.

Table 8: Annual attraction admission numbers

Visitor numbers Number of attractions

Proportion

250,000 – 499,999

100,000 – 249,999

50,000 – 99,999

12%

25,000 – 49,999

10,000 – 24,999

5,000 – 9,999

Less than 4,999

52%

Total

59 100%

3.2.12 To provide further contextual data, we have drawn on results from the quarterly England

Visitor Attractions Monitor

for the period Q3 2011 (July to September) and Q4 2011

We have made a further calculation to convert pitch occupancy into bed occupancy by estimating the average group size

occupying each pitch.

England Attractions Monitor commissioned by Visit England is an online panel to help provide the attractions industry with

rapid feedback on current trends in visits to attractions in England. Every quarter around 700 attraction submit performance

data.

(October to December) and Q1 2012 (January-March) and Q2 (April to June) to cover the

same time-frame as this study.

3.2.13 The results indicate that overall 2011 was a positive year for outdoor attractions,

especially gardens and wildlife attractions. This perhaps reflects the unusually warm, dry

weather in the shoulder periods (September, October and November 2011) which had

the effect of extending the season for many. Outdoor attractions bounced back from a

generally challenging year in 2010 when the summer period was characterised by dull

weather. Conversely, museums / art galleries experienced a challenging year with visits

down -1% overall, following a positive year in 2010.

3.2.14 Trading conditions, however, change again by the second quarter of 2012 (April to June).

Overall we see a buoyant first quarter, with Easter and May-June this year posing more

challenging conditions, despite the holidays and Jubilee celebrations. Visitor numbers are

reported to have fallen by an average of 2% in the April to June period. A colder, wetter

Easter and June this year was reported to be the primary factor.

3.2.15 We see a more divided market picture this year with some attractions benefiting at the

expense of others, most notably outdoor attractions losing visitors to indoor alternatives,

at the hands of the weather. This pattern continues into the summer months of July and

August this year which experienced one of the wettest periods in the last 100 years

according to weather records. Moreover, the Olympics caused disruption in trading

conditions for a number of London based attractions and attractions close to London.

However, we have no evidence of any impact the 2012 Games had on visitor admissions

for attractions based in the South Downs.

4 BUSINESS ATTITUDES & ASPIRATIONS

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 As part of the evidence gathering process, accommodation businesses and visitor

attractions were invited to take part in an online consultation to shed light on a number of

business issues. These included establishing the extent to which sustainable business

practice is used, how this can be expanded, and what hurdles prevent progress. It also

covered business owners and managers motivations for ownership (financial, lifestyle),

future business development plans (expansion, status quo or retraction), and knowledge

of the national park status of the South Downs and its purpose.

4.1.2 In total 398 businesses

were invited to take part in the survey of which 94 responded,

providing a response rate of 24% which is typical for online surveys. However, of the 94

businesses taking part in the online survey, 74 (77%) are visitor accommodation

businesses, 16 are visitor attractions and 4 businesses left their details anonymous so it

is not possible to identify which sector they represent. The skew towards accommodation

businesses clearly reflects their dominance in the overall sample invited to take part in

the survey – 331 accommodation businesses and only 51 visitor attractions. Thus, the

overall response rate is consistent with the proportions in the overall sample. See

Appendix 1 for a copy of the questionnaire.

4.2 Awareness of South Downs National Park designation

4.2.1 Awareness of the South Downs status as a national park is high among the businesses

located there. All but 6 businesses were aware that their business is located within the

South Downs National Park boundary. Of these, 72% believed designation was granted

due to its special landscape needing protection.

Table 9: Reasons for of National Park designation

Base 88

It has special habitat/wildlife which needs protection 2%

It has special archaeological interest which needs protection 0%

It has special landscape which needs protection 72%

It has a unique cultural heritage which needs protection 2%

It needs special management to promote sustainable growth 1%

Not sure reasons for designation/don’t know 12%

Other responses 10%

Total 100%

The Business Survey was carried out in March 2012 and the record of 389 businesses is based on the

number of accommodation businesses, visitor attractions, and activity-based leisure operators (e.g. golf courses,

riding schools) identified up to that point in time. This included 331 accommodation businesses, 51 visitor

attractions and 16 other activity based businesses. Since then, the record of South Down businesses has

growth, see Business Audit for final list.

4.3 Motivations for running a business in the South Downs

4.3.1 The results from the online consultation indicate that for commercial accommodation and

attraction businesses, the main motivations for running a business in the South Downs

can be grouped into two broad camps.

4.3.2 There are those businesses which are essentially ‘life-style’ focused. They are run by

people who seek to combine their desire to live in the South Downs to enjoy its special

landscape and at the same time earn an income from doing something they enjoy. This

includes both people who have moved to the South Downs from outside the area to start

a business, as well as local residents who let out a room in their own home.

“I moved here 12 years ago and was attracted by the beauty of the area/countryside and

also nearness to the coast. The area has retained much of its historic architecture and

has good road and rail links, restaurants, pubs. Therefore seemed a good bet to start a

B&B and people from all over the world are captivated by the pretty villages, country

pubs, walks etc”.

“It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and we were lucky enough to live here and

have a home that allowed us to do Bed and Breakfast”.

“Originally we moved here for personal reasons, and people kept asking us if they could

stay, so we opened up as a B&B. We are in a beautiful area and there are plenty of

walkers and cyclists that need accommodation”

“We were looking for a bed and breakfast nationally and we found the price was right for

us here and also it was a lifestyle choice for us. It had to be somewhere we wanted to

live and this area filled those criteria”.

4.3.3 The second camp appears to be more driven by pure financial imperatives.

“I have been in this area for 77 years. In the 1990s the Government said we had to

diversify in order to exist. That's when we started our business”.

“I was living in this area when my marriage broke up and I was able to use my home to

do bed and breakfast. I love the area myself and when I took on another property, I

stayed in the same area”.

“

It was purely financial. We had the room to do B&B and we needed the money”.

4.4 Future development plans

4.4.1 Half of all businesses surveyed had no plans to grow or downsize their operations.

However, 40% of businesses did have plans for growth whilst 1 in 10 were looking to

scale down.

4.4.2 Our research suggests that the reasons for businesses remaining as they are or seeking

to scale down vary from legal constraints (planning permission being denied/building

being a listed building), personal issues (happy with current performance and see no

need to change, or nearing retirement and seeking to scale back), to increased

competition and the impact of the recession on reducing trade.

4.4.3 Those seeking to expand, on the other hand, are often already operating at full capacity

and needed more staff or more space or both. A quarter reported that their future

development plans are connected to the recent National Park designation, seeing this as

an opportunity to attract more custom.

4.4.4 Just over half (56%) believe that the fact that the area is a National Park has benefited

their business.

4.5 Sustainable business practices

4.5.1 The vast majority of businesses surveyed were positive about sustainability. Forty-four

percent of businesses reported that sustainability is ‘Somewhat important’ whilst around a

half of all businesses (49%) reported that sustainability is ‘Very important’ to their

business.

4.5.2 Whilst nearly all businesses have taken a number of actions at the level of business

operations, ranging from using local suppliers, recycling, growing their own produce (see

Table below), only 14% are part of a green accreditation scheme, the most popular one

being the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Table 10: Actions taken to make business more sustainable

Base 88

Energy usage, e.g. heating/lighting/vehicle fuel/car sharing/carbon neutral & offsetting 79%

Waste, e.g. the reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste produced by the business 88%

Water - e.g. the reduction and recycling of water produced by the business 59%

Grow, e.g. make own produce/ use locally produced food and drink 71%

Information provision, e.g. provide visitors with information on public transport and local

wildlife 76%

Sustainable build - e.g. solar panels or using local building materials 41%

Promotion of other local businesses, e.g. use local suppliers and recommend local

businesses 93%

NB: multiple responses permitted

4.5.3 Some businesses reported to find it hard to be sustainable (around 44% of the total

sample) with the main hurdle being the initial high set up costs (67% mentioned this

hurdle), followed by the difficulty in directly measuring the benefits in a tangible way (33%

mentioned this hurdle).

4.6 Support from the South Downs National Park Authority

4.6.1 Marketing/promotion of the South Downs and the provision of visitor information are the

two top actions businesses believe the South Downs National Park Authority should take

to develop the South Downs in a way which helps their business to grow.

Table 11: How the SDNPA can add value

Base 94

By providing visitor information 74%

Promoting more sustainable tourism 68%

By developing customer focused training to ensure visitors experience a high level of

customer care 38%

By working in partnership to market and promote the South Downs as a place to visit

and stay 80%

By facilitating partnership working between local businesses to develop the unique offer

at particular sites

53%

By developing a strong Brand for the area 61%

Other 28%

NB: multiple responses permitted

4.6.2 A number of other areas requiring action are also identified, including influence on

planning policies:

“There could be better planning. There are a lot of restaurants, tea shops and cafes

opening in this area, which is all added competition”.

“Relax planning controls on converted farm buildings, as very isolated properties are not

easy to let for holidays during winter”.

4.6.3 The provision of funding:

“Provide funding for local businesses”.

“By subsidising facilities for visitors to use like shops, toilets, car parking and litter bins.

Things like taps for dog water”.

4.6.4 As well as further engagement with businesses:

“By being pro-active in seeking the ideas and needs of local businesses. By making

personal contact with local business owners. By providing information about proposed

publicity, managing visitors, vision for the SDNP”.

“By being proactive and increasing their visibility. They are difficult to contact and so far

have kept a low profile”.

4.6.5 Businesses see the South Downs National Park Authority as having an important role in

providing support and information / advice on sustainability and taking a lead role in

developing the South Downs as a sustainable tourism destination.

Table 12: Role SDNPA can play in encouraging sustainable business practices

Base 88

By providing support and information / advice on sustainability 71%

By subsiding green accreditation schemes such as Green Tourism Business Scheme 58%

By taking a lead role in developing the South Downs as a sustainable tourism destination 75%

By taking a lead role in developing a local sustainable tourism network 64%

Other 21%

NB: multiple responses permitted

4.6.6 A few businesses wanted help with grants to support implementing sustainable business

practices.

“Provide subsidies or access to grants for energy efficiency etc”.

“Provide funding to help with set up costs”.

“Provide funding to encourage sustainability”.

“Make it easier for businesses to access information on grants for sustainable practices.

We just don't have the time to wade through the bureaucracy of this”.

5 RESIDENT SURVEY RESULTS

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 The 2003/4 study established that parts of the South Downs are used extensively by local

residents for outdoor recreational activities, such as walking, running, cycling, walking the

dog etc. The earlier study also established that a small but significant minority of local

residents did not visit the South Downs for leisure-related purposes. To enable an

assessment of the scale and nature of informal visits by local people, a face-to-face

survey of local residents was undertaken.

5.1.2 The survey provided information on the frequency, location, expenditure and other

characteristics of informal visits by local residents, and in conjunction with the site visitor

survey data, enabled estimates to be made concerning the value and volume of this

group of visitors. Data was also gathered from non-visitors to identify reasons for not

visiting.

5.1.3 The interviews involved a degree of qualitative enquiry which focused on the views and

experiences of local communities with regard to how they perceive the impact of visits to

the South Downs in terms of positive and negative elements of those visits. These

perceptions of visitor impacts are reported separately in Chapter 6. See Appendix 2 for

copy of Resident Survey Questionnaire.

5.1.4 Local residents were interviewed close to home mainly in town and village centres across

the South Downs.

5.1.5 In total 244 interview sessions were carried out between the hours of 10 am to 6pm, over

a selection of weekdays and weekends. Over the 12 month interview period (from

October 2011 to September 2012) 2,356 local residents were personally interviewed

across 20 different locations. Some locations were very quiet with footfall adversely

affected by the inclement weather seen over the survey period (i.e. near Stanmer Park,

East Dean village and Ebernoe Common). Town centre footfall was generally higher in

the larger towns with higher resident populations and plenty of local amenities leading to

higher samples (i.e. Lewes, Midhurst and Petersfield).

5.1.6 The number of interview sessions arranged per site was strongly influenced by the

weather (e.g. the need to provide shelter during wetter periods) and anticipated

throughput of residents to maximise contact rates.

5.1.7 Overall there was even representation of interview locations across East Sussex,

Hampshire and West Sussex parts of the South Downs. However, the Hampshire

locations were simply a lot busier and consequently far more residents were interviewed.

Table 13: Resident survey sample distribution

Interview location No of interviews days Sample achieved Proportion

Alfriston village centre

12 102 4%

Amberley village centre

10 108 5%

Arundel town centre

20 103 4%

Chanctonbury

4 25 1%

Ditchling village centre

10 79 3%

East Dean village centre

8 25 1%

Ebernoe Common

3 22 1%

Lewes town centre

25 239 10%

Liss town centre

8 64 3%

Midhurst town centre

25 297 13%

Petersfield town centre

25 367 16%

Petworth village centre

18 109 5%

Pulborough Brooks Reserve

14 55 2%

Selborne village centre

8 116 5%

St Catherine's Hill

22 350 15%

Near Stanmer

2 16 1%

Near Stansted House

7 80 3%

The Trundle

6 35 1%

Twyford Locks & Meadows

11 87 4%

West Meon village centre

6 77 3%

Total achieved sample

244

2,356 100%

5.2 Awareness of South Downs National Park designation by residents

5.2.1 Awareness of the South Downs National Park is relatively high; 86% of local residents

reported that they are aware. Around half of those who reported to be unaware of the

South Downs (representing 18% of the total sample), did in fact visit the South Downs

when shown a map of locations (see section 5.3).

5.2.2 Of those aware of the national park status, the two top reasons they believe lay behind

the designation are ‘It has special landscape which needs protection’ (46%) and ‘It has

special habitat/wildlife which needs protection’ (42%).

5.2.3 Just over a fifth (22%) reported that they are not sure why the South Downs had been

designated as a national park.

Table 14: Reasons for National Park designation

Reasons for designation Base = 2,026

It has special landscape which needs protection 46%

It has special habitat/wildlife which needs protection 42%

It has a unique cultural heritage which needs protection 24%

Not sure of reasons for designation/Don't know 22%

It needs special management to promote sustainable growth 21%

It has special archaeological interest which needs protection 19%

Note: Multiple responses permitted

16%

23%

21%

13% 13%

19%

24%

20%

13% 13%

15%

24% 24%

13% 13%

14%

21% 21%

14% 14%

Every day

Several times a week

About once a week

About once a month

About twice a month

Once over this season

Visit unlikely this

season

Fig 8: Frequency of visit among residents by season

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

5.3 Frequency of visits to the South Downs by residents

5.3.1 Overall, 93% of local residents interviewed visit the South Downs for leisure/recreational

purposes. This includes a small minority of local people who initially reported they were

unaware of the South Downs National Park, but when shown a map of the area covered,

did indeed visit one or more locations, sometimes on a regular basis and had not simply

associated the area as part of a national park.

5.3.2 Around a quarter of local residents visit the South Downs every day to several times a

week (9% every day and 16% several times a week). Another quarter of residents visit at

least once a week. Just over a fifth (22%) of local residents visits the South Downs for a

leisure visit at least once a month.

5.3.3 For around 13% of the resident population who reported that they visit the South Downs

for leisure purposes, the frequency of visits was estimated to be about twice a month, or

24 times a year. A further 13% of local residents reported that they visited the South

Downs for a leisure visit at least once each season, or at least 4 times a year.

Table 15: Frequency of visits by residents across the seasons

Frequency of visits Base = 2,208

Every day

Several times a week

16%

About once a week

24%

About once a month

22%

About twice a month

13%

Once over each season (4 times a year)

13%

Can't recall frequency – varies

5.3.4 Interestingly, the pattern in the frequency of visits by local residents does not change in

any significant manner over the different seasons of the year, reflecting the South Downs

popularity for all year round activities such as walking and dog walking.

31%

37%

22%

10%

Fig. 9: Socio-economic background of residents

visiting South Down

White -

British

97.5%

White -

Other

2.0%

Black or

Black African

0.2%

Mixed

Ethnicity

0.2%

Asian

0.2%

Fig. 10: Ethnic background of residents visiting the

South Downs

5.4 Profile of residents visiting the South Downs

5.4.1 A typical resident who visits the South Downs for informal leisure visits will be white

British, over 45 years, will not have a health related issue and will be from an ABC1

household. This profile appears almost unchanged compared to the findings of the

2003/4 study.

5.4.2 The survey found that only 1% of residents who visit the South Downs for

leisure/recreational purposes are from non-white ethnic groups, the same proportion as in

2003/4. This finding, however, needs to be set against the generally very low proportion

of residents living in towns and villages in the South Downs who are from the ethnic

minorities. Only 11 residents with a Black or Ethnic Minority origin were interviewed.

5.4.3 The majority of residents who visit the South Downs (68%) are from ABCI socio-

economic households. A third (32%) are from C2DE socio-economic households.

Table 16: Age profile of respondents visiting the South Downs

Age band Base = 2,208

18-24 years 4%

25-34 years 8%

35-44 years 15%

45-54 years 20%

55-64 years 22%

65-74 years 22%

75+ years 9%

Total 100%

Note: the age reported is of the respondent and not the ages of all those who they typically visit the South

Downs with

5.4.4 The age groups of residents who stated that they visited the South Downs for

leisure/recreational purposes indicates a relatively mature profile. Almost three-quarters

(73%) of all residents visiting the South Downs are aged between 45 years to 75 years

and over. However the vast majority of visits are taken with other people, mostly family

members and this will include children (see Table 17).

60%

10%

17%

11%

Various

times/flexible

Early morning

Mid morning to

after lunch

Afternoon

Early evening

Late evening

Fig. 11: Time of day South Downs visited

5.5 Group composition of visits

5.5.1 Just over a quarter of visits are made alone (27%) and a similar proportion of visits

involve the company of a spouse. Just under a quarter are family outings involving

parents and children (23%) and other family members and a similar proportion are visits

made with both family and friends (22%).

Table 17: Who visits are taken with

Who visited with Base = 2,208

Alone 27%

With spouse 27%

Family/Children 23%

With family & friends 22%

Group of friends 6%

Members of club/association 2%

Work colleague 0%

Students 0%

Other 0%

5.6 Time of day most visited

5.6.1 The survey found no evidence that any particular time for visiting during the average day

is more popular than other times. In total 60% of residents stated that they visit the South

Downs at various times.

5.7 Location most visited

5.7.1 The majority of visits are taken to locations close to home. When asked to name the

location of the place last visited in the South Downs for a leisure/recreational visit a total

157 different places were mentioned by residents. To assess the popularity of different

locations by geographical distance, we have cross-tabulated the results by the county of

residence. The top 20 locations mentioned are presented in Table 19 below. See

Appendix 3 for a full list of responses.

5.7.2 For residents living in the Hampshire part of the South Downs, the most popular locations

are St Catherine’s Hill (very popular for dog walkers), followed by Queen Elizabeth

Country Park and Petersfield.

5.7.3 The most popular locations for West Sussex residents are Petworth, Arundel, followed by

Midhurst.

5.7.4 Residents living in the East Sussex part of the South Downs most frequently mentioned

Lewes, Ditchling Beacon and Alfriston.

Table 18: Last location visited by county of residence (top 20)

Hampshire residents West Sussex residents

East Sussex residents

Base 1197 Base 604

Base 407

St Catherine's Hill 27%

Petworth 13%

Lewes 16%

QE Country Park 15%

Arundel 7%

Ditchling Beacon 11%

Petersfield 8%

Midhurst 6%

Alfriston 7%

Harting Down 6%

Cowdray Ruins 6%

Beachy Head 4%

Butser Hill 6%

Don't recall 5%

Stanmer Park 4%

Twyford Water Meadows 4%

Harting Down 4%

Devil's Dyke 4%

Old Winchester Hill 3%

The Trundle 4%

Birling Gap 4%

Midhurst 2%

Pulborough Brooks 3%

East Dean 3%

West Meon 2%

Petersfield 3%

Firle Beacon 3%

Petworth 1%

Amberley 3%

Don't recall 3%

South Harting 1%

Goodwood Country Park 3%

Seaford 3%

East Meon 1%

Chanctonbury Ring 3%

Seven Sisters Country Park 3%

South Downs Way 1%

Singleton 2%

Jack & Jill Windmills 2%

Itchen Abbas 1%

Weald & Downland 2%

Glynde 2%

Stansted Gardens 1%

Cissbury Ring 2%

Arundel 2%

Uppark House 1%

Bury Hill 2%

Ditchling village 2%

Arundel 1%

Bignor Hill 2%

South Downs Way 2%

Liss 1%

Heyshott Down 2%

Ringmer 2%

Selborne 1%

Cocking 1%

Fulking 2%

Singleton 1%

South Harting 1%

Hassocks 2%

5.8 Profile of residents not visiting the South Downs

5.8.1 Seven percent of local residents reported that they had not visited the South Downs

within the last 12 months (148 out of 2,356). Most had visited the South Downs for a

leisure or recreational visit sometime in the past. A third (31%) had visited previously over

a year ago, a fifth had visited previously two years ago (20%) and small minority (6%)

had previously visited three years ago

Reference to the South Downs the designation, refers to the same geographical area covered by the designated national

park boundary.

White -

British

94%

White -

Other

Black or

Black African

Mixed

Ethnicity

Asian

Fig.13: Ethnic background of residents not

visiting South Downs

13%

29%

26%

32%

Fig. 12: Socio-economic background of residents

not

visiting South Downs

Table 19: Last visit among residents who are lapsed visitors

When last visited Base = 96

Over a year ago 31%

Two years ago 20%

Three years ago 6%

More than four years ago 43%

Note: Small sample size

5.8.2 In many instances, the previous visit was more than four years ago (43%). The actual

proportion of residents who had never visited previously was actually very low. Only 2%

out of the total sample of 2,356 have never visited the South Downs for a

leisure/recreational visit despite living within the boundary.

5.8.3 The age profile of residents who either had not previously ever visited the South Downs

for leisure and recreational purposes, or had not done so for some time, is indicated in all

the age bands, though some age bands have a proportionately higher number of

non/lapsed visitors than others. A fifth of non/lapsed visitors are aged 75 plus years,

compared to only 9% of residents who visit the South Downs.

Table 20: Age profile of residents who are non-visitors/lapsed visitors

Age band Base =148

18-24 years 10%

25-34 years 15%

35-44 years 13%

45-54 years 17%

55-64 years 15%

65-74 years 10%

75+ years 20%

Note: Small sample size

5.8.4 The higher incidence of older residents not visiting is strongly correlated with barriers to

visiting which are connected to age specific reasons such as having problems walking

around for too long and poor health (see section 5.9). Over a third (38%) of lapsed/non-

visiting residents reported to have a long term health or disability issue which limits their

daily activities.

5.8.5 Compared to residents who visit the South Downs, non-visiting residents that were

interviewed are more likely to be from C2DE socio-economic households. Overall 58% of

non-visiting/lapsed visiting residents are from C2DE socio-economic households,

compared to 32% of visiting residents.

5.8.6 The findings suggest that around 6% of non-visitors are residents with Black and Ethnic

Minority origins. However, as we have noted earlier (see para. 5.4.2) the sample of

residents with a non-white ethnicity who were interviewed was very small and this needs

to be out into the context of the overall Black and Ethnic Minority population living in the

South Downs which is very small.

5.9 Reasons for not visiting

5.9.1 Both lapsed visitors and those who have never visited the South Downs for a leisure visit

were asked about the reasons for not visiting.

5.9.2 The top three reasons for not visiting are not having access to a car (27%), health issues

(24%, this covers range of issues from having a bad back to being frail and having

difficulty walking due to old age, to being in general poor health), and not having enough

time (19%).

5.9.3 Around 14% of local residents reported that they had no particular reason for not visiting.

5.9.4 The proportion of local residents who reported they did not visit because they preferred to

go elsewhere, do other things, or were simply not interested in the countryside was

relatively small (accounting for 6% to 7% of non-visitors). For 5% of non-visitors

perceived poor public transport was a barrier to visiting and three residents who were

interviewed stated that places they might have considered visiting are simply too far to

travel.

Table 21: Reasons among residents for not visiting

Reasons mentioned Base = 148

No access to a car 27%

Health issues 24%

Lack of time 19%

Don't know/no particular reason 14%

Prefer to go elsewhere 7%

Prefer to do other things 7%

Not interested in the countryside 6%

Never heard of it/did not know about it 5%

Poor public transport 5%

Too far to travel 2%

Too many people/crowded 1%

Note multiple responses permitted and small sample size.

5.10 Actions which may encourage visits

5.10.1 Non and lapsed visiting residents were asked whether there was anything that could be

provided or improved to encourage them to visit the South Downs. In total 54 different

areas were mentioned by non/lapsed visitors, many of which were mentioned by only one

or two respondents.

5.10.2 The top ten responses are listed below. See Appendix 4 for full list of responses.

5.10.3 Among this group there is a perception that visitor information along pathways is poor.

The most frequently mentioned factor which would help to encourage visits among non-

visitors/lapsed visitors is better signage on pathways including information boards

providing maps. Seventy-five out of the 148 respondents mentioned this. It is worth

noting here that the Environment Survey carried out among land managers highlighted

an issue with general visitor information and signage along public rights of way (these

findings are discussed in Section 7.5 of the report.

5.10.4 In addition to the perception of poor provision of visitor information along pathways was

the view that pathways were in poor condition. Sixty-one out of the 148 respondents

mentioned ‘Better maintenance of pathways’ when asked about provision or

improvements which could be made which would encourage them to visit.

5.10.5 Sixty-six out of the 148 reported that the South Downs needed more dog bins and better

provision with regard to dog bins would encourage them to visit. Again it is worth noting

here that the Environment Survey identified that dog mess was a very common complaint

among land managers and managers of conservation and cultural heritage sites in the

South Downs (see section 7.5 and 7.6 in Chapter 7).

5.10.6 Improvements in public transport, so that the South Downs can be easily reached without

the perceived need for a car was mentioned by 51 out of the 148 respondents.

5.10.7 Other responses in the top ten are more rubbish bins, extra car parking, more benches to

sit on, better control of dogs and dog fouling, the provision of more toilets, and the

emptying of rubbish bins more often.

Top 10 areas for improvements/improvements in provision which will encourage visits:

Better signage on pathways/more maps mentioned 75 out of the 148 respondents

More dog bins mentioned 66 out of the 148 respondents

Better maintenance of pathways mentioned 61 out of the 148 respondents

Better public transport mentioned 51 out of the 148 respondents

More rubbish bins mentioned 43 out of the 148 respondents

Extra car parking mentioned 34 out of the 148 respondents

More benches mentioned 33 out of the 148 respondents

Better control of dogs/dog fouling mentioned 15 out of the 148 respondents

Provide more toilets mentioned 15 out of the 148 respondents

Empty rubbish bins more often mentioned 11 out of the 148 respondents

6 VISITOR SURVEY RESULTS

6.1 Introduction

6.1.1 A comprehensive, face-to-face interview survey was undertaken to obtain information on

the profile, origin, behaviour and perceptions of day and staying visitors to the South

Downs. In addition to providing descriptive, attitudinal and behavioural data, the findings

were used in the economic modelling work to assist in approximating total visitor volumes

to the South Downs, their associated expenditure and their resultant economic impact.

See Appendix 5 for copy of the Visitor Survey Questionnaire.

6.1.2 Visitors were sampled on a random basis at key locations across the South Downs

National Park. As with the earlier 2003/4 study the interviews were undertaken at sites

carefully selected to reflect the different type of users and the diverse landscape of the

South Downs. In total 26 locations were selected as survey points.

6.1.3 As with the Resident Survey the survey period ran from October 2011 to September 2012

across weekdays and weekends, and between the hours of 10 am to 6 pm.

Table 22: Sample distribution among visitors

Survey locations No. of interview days Sample achieved Proportion

Alfriston village 11 136 2%

Alice Holt Forest 22 341 5%

Arundel 20 273 4%

Beachy Head 20 341 5%

Birling Gap 29 477 7%

Chanctonbury/Steyning 10 204 3%

Devil's Dyke/Saddlescombe 24 409 6%

Ditchling Beacon/Jack & Jill windmills 10 136 2%

Firle Beacon/Bo Peep car park 10 68 1%

Harting Down 10 204 3%

Jane Austen's House/Chawton 17 341 5%

Kingley Vale, West Stoke 10 68 1%

Lewes 25 204 3%

Midhurst 25 204 3%

Old Winchester Hill 27 409 6%

Petworth 20 273 4%

Pulborough Brooks Reserve 16 204 3%

Queen Elizabeth Country Park 32 818 12%

Selborne 11 136 2%

Seven Sisters Country Park 32 409 6%

St Catherine's Hill 22 136 2%

Stansted House & Gardens 13 68 1%

The Trundle/Goodwood Country Park 15 136 2%

Twyford (lock and meadows) 9 68 1%

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum 23 545 8%

Whiteways cafe (Bury Hill) 14 204 3%

Total achieved sample 477 6815 100%

6.1.4 A sample of 7,000 visitors to the South Downs was the original target set. This sample

size was deemed to be large enough to generate high levels of accuracy and allow sub-

analysis for specific segments of the market. Interview sessions were severely hampered

by the unprecedented spell of wet weather over the peak periods of April, June, July and

August.

6.1.5 Despite the weather challenges, we reached close to the original sample target. The

actual number of interviews successfully completed was 6,815 (compared to 7,437

completed in 2003/4).

6.1.6 To avoid any confusion which may arise, it is worth reiterating here that as one of the

central purposes of the Visitor Survey was to gain insights into the ways in which the

South Downs is used for leisure visits, the survey drew its sample from the total visiting

population which also included local residents. Thus, in this Chapter, where useful, we

have separated some results by resident visitors and visitors who reside outside the

South Downs National Park boundary. References to residents in this Chapter should not

be confused with the results presented in the previous Chapter.

6.2 Visit type

6.2.1 To assess the relative importance of holiday visits, leisure day visits, and other types of

non-leisure based visits to the South Downs, visitors were asked to select the type of trip

they were on based on the following categories:

• Visiting from home for a leisure day out

• Visiting as part of a holiday

• Visiting from home for a short trip (e.g. walk the dog)

• Visiting whilst seeing friends and/or relatives

• Visiting for work / business purposes

• Visiting for educational / study purposes

6.2.2 Just over half of all visitors are leisure day visitors (56%). A further 16% of visitors are

also on a day visit from home and returning to their home on the same day, but these

visitors are on a short visit, most likely to be local residents on informal leisure trips such

as walking the dog.

Table 23: Breakdown of visit type

Visit type Base = 6,815

Visiting from home for a leisure day out 56%

Visiting as part of a holiday 18%

Visiting from home for a short trip (e.g. walk the dog) 16%

Visiting whilst seeing friends and/or relatives 6%

Visiting for work purposes 2%

Visiting for education purposes 1%

Note: 6% of day visitors are South Downs residents

6.2.3 Holiday-makers make up 18% of those visiting the South Downs.

6.2.4 The proportion of people visiting the South Downs on a leisure/recreational visit whilst in

the area to see friends is relatively small (accounting for 6% of all visits). Only a very

small proportion of visits are for work or educational purposes (accounting for 3% of all

visits).

6.2.5 Apart from holiday-makers, who are on a visit away from home, only a third of those

visiting friends and relatives, or visiting for educational and work-related purposes involve

staying away from home. Most of these visits are day trips.

6.2.6 Visit type alone cannot tell us about the relative proportion of visitors staying overnight in

the South Downs, or the proportion of leisure visits made by local residents. Further

cross-tabulation of the data by home residence, and in the case of holiday-makers, by

location of accommodation base, reveals that only 5% of all overnight trips (a

combination of holiday-makers and a proportion of those visiting friends and relatives)

involve staying in accommodation in the South Downs. The vast majority of visitors on

overnight trips stay elsewhere and can thus be described as ‘day visitors staying in

accommodation elsewhere’.

6.2.7 Distinguishing visitors by whether they live in the South Downs, are visiting for the day

from elsewhere outside the South Downs, or are visitors staying overnight in the South

Downs for holiday and other purposes is also critical for the estimation process involved

in calculating the total volume of annual visits to the South Downs (this is presented in

Chapter 8).

6.2.8 When we re-calculate the results to split the data by all visits involving a day trip and all

trips involving an overnight stay in the South Downs, we see that 78% of visitors are on

day trips from home (visiting from home, both in and outside the South Downs for a

leisure day out as well as for short trips such as to walk the dog), 17% are visiting for the

day whilst staying overnight outside the South Downs and the remaining 5% are on an

overnight trip staying in the South Downs.

Table 24: Distribution between overnight and day visitors

Proportion

2011/12 2003/4

Day visitor from home South Downs, of which: 78% 74%

Day visitors from homes outside South Downs 72% 51%

Day visitors from homes inside South Downs 6%

23%

Day visitor from accommodation elsewhere 17% 22%

Overnight visitor in South Downs 5% 4%

Total 100% 100%

Note:

Difference in classification of local residents in 2003/4 study

6.2.9 Of the 78% of day visitors from home, only 6% are residents living in the South Downs.

This may seem very low, but the relatively small resident population size of the South

Downs needs to be put in the context of the large population of the urban conurbations of

Hampshire, East and West Sussex closely surrounding the South Downs - the central

catchment area generating visitors (see section 6.4 and Table 29 on visitor origins).

6.2.10 The combined resident population of Hampshire, East and West Sussex is 2,658,000

compared to only 110,400 within the South Downs, representing only 4% of the

population from this wider catchment area.

6.2.11 That said, a further consideration is that the visitor survey is likely to undercount local

residents, in that many of the leisure visits may be made ‘out of working hours’ when

there was reduced survey activity (interviews typically took place between 10 am to 6pm),

and that locals are likely to make use of a wider range of sites with local knowledge,

including sites not included in the visitor survey.

6.2.12 The relative proportion of overnight visitors, leisure day visitors from outside the South

Downs, and local resident visitors is different to that found by the 2003/4 visitor survey.

However, it is very important to note that local residents were classified differently in the

earlier visitor survey. All visitors living within a 10 mile radius of the South Downs location

where they were interviewed at was included as a resident. This means a visitor from

Horndean, Waterlooville visiting Queen Elizabeth Country Park (approximately 7.9 miles

distance) would have been included as a local resident of the park despite the fact that

Horndean is outside the park boundary.

6.2.13 In this study local residents are defined as those who live within the boundary of the

South Downs National Park. Consequently, the proportion of local residents visiting the

South Downs National Park for leisure purposes in this survey is lower than it would be if

a wider local catchment (e.g. within 10 mile radius) was used.

6.3 Awareness of South Downs National Park designation by visitors

6.3.1 Just over three-quarters of visitors interviewed (77%) were aware that the place they

were visiting is part of the South Downs National Park. Around a third were unaware of

the national park status.

6.3.2 Awareness is highest among visitors who frequent the South Downs for short trips from

home, who are most likely to be local residents or residents of neighbouring towns (88%

of these visitors are aware of the designation).

Table 25: Visitor awareness by trip type

Base = 6,815 Aware Not aware

Visiting as part of a holiday 64% 36%

Visiting whilst seeing friends and/or relatives 70% 30%

Visiting from home for a leisure day out 79% 21%

Visiting from home for a short trip (e.g. walk the dog) 88% 12%

Other visitor type 73% 27%

6.3.3 Of those aware of the designation, the most common reasons visitors believed it to be

designated was the need to protect its special landscape and habitat/wildlife.

Table 26: Reasons for National Park designation

Reasons for designation Base -= 6,815

It has special landscape which needs protection 43%

It has special habitat/wildlife which needs protection 33%

It needs special management to promote sustainable growth 15%

It has a unique cultural heritage which needs protection 14%

It has special archaeological interest which needs protection 12%

Not sure of reasons for designation/Don't know 24%

Note: Multiple responses permitted

6.4 Visitor profile

Visitor origin: domestic visitors

6.4.1 The visitor market is mainly domestic; 95% of all visitors are UK residents. In total visitors

mentioned 50 different English counties as their main county of residence, indicating that

visitors travel from all over England to visit the South Downs. Small numbers also travel

from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The top ten visitor origins among domestic visitors are

presented in Table 27 below. The full list of visitor place of residence split by county is

available in Appendix 6.

6.4.2 Just under a third (29%) of all visitors live in towns, cities and villages in Hampshire. A

fifth are residents of West Sussex and 17% are residents of East Sussex. Overall, 66% of

all visitors come from residences located within these three counties.

6.4.3 Around 1 in 10 visitors live in Surrey and around 5% are London residents.

6.4.4 Visitor origins differ by the type of trip with holiday-makers coming from a wide

geographical remit, with no one place of origin dominating, whilst day visitors from home

came mainly from East Sussex, Hampshire and West Sussex.

Table 27: Top 10 domestic visitor origins (by county) – all visitors

County of residence Base = 6,474

Hampshire 29%

West Sussex 20%

East Sussex 17%

Surrey 10%

Greater London 5%

Kent 3%

Essex 2%

Berkshire 1%

Somerset (including Bristol) 1%

Hertfordshire 1%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Table 27(a) Top 10 domestic origins for visiting as part of a holiday

County of residence Base =1,165

London 12.2%

Kent 7.4%

Surrey 7.2%

Essex 6.2%

East Sussex 5.2%

Hampshire 4.6%

West Sussex 3.3%

Hertfordshire 3.3%

West Midlands 3.3%

Berkshire 2.5%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Table 27(b) Top 10 domestic origins for visiting whilst seeing friends and/or relatives

County of residence Base = 388

West Sussex 13.0%

Hampshire 12.4%

East Sussex 11.3%

Greater London 9.6%

Surrey 7.6%

Kent 5.6%

Somerset (including Bristol) 3.7%

Dorset 2.5%

Essex 2.3%

Oxfordshire 2.3%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Table 27(c) Top 10 domestic origins for visiting

from home for a leisure day out

County of residence Base = 3,626

Hampshire 36%

West Sussex 22%

East Sussex 18%

Surrey 13%

Greater London 4%

Kent 3%

Berkshire 1%

Essex 1%

Dorset <1%

Oxfordshire <1%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Table 27(d) Top 10 domestic origins for visiting

from home for a short trip

County of residence Base = 1,036

Hampshire 35%

West Sussex 30%

East Sussex 26%

Surrey 4%

Greater London 2%

Kent 1%

Berkshire 1%

Essex <1%

Dorset <1%

Oxfordshire <1%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Table 27(e) Top 10 domestic origins for other

visit type (i.e. educational or work related)

County of residence Base = 194

West Sussex 25%

Hampshire 23%

East Sussex 21%

Surrey 11%

Greater London 6%

Kent 6%

Somerset (including Bristol) 1%

Devon 1%

Buckinghamshire 1%

Cambridgeshire 1%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Visitor origin: overseas visitors

6.4.5 Five percent of South Downs visitors (holiday makers and visiting friends and relative

visitors) are from overseas, similar to the proportion found in 2003/4. In total, these

visitors represented 44 different overseas countries. The top ten overseas countries is

presented in Table 28 below (full list is available in Appendix 7).

Table 28: Top 10 overseas visitor origins

Country of residence Base = 324

Germany 16.9%

Netherlands 14.2%

Australia 9.5%

France 9.2%

United States 8.0%

Belgium 5.5%

Switzerland 3.1%

Italy 2.8%

New Zealand 2.2%

Japan 2.2%

Note: table represents top 10 counties visitors come from

Visitor socio-economic profile

6.4.6 The survey findings indicate a small increase in the proportion of people visiting the

South Downs from C2 socio-economic households; the proportion has increased from

15% in 2003/4 to 21% in 2011/12. However, the proportion of visitors from DE

households remains the same at 7% and the majority of visitors continue to be from

ABC1 households.

Table 29: Visitor socio-economic background

Occupational status Proportion

Proportion

2011/12 2003/4

AB 35%

32%

C1 37%

46%

C2 21%

15%

DE 7%

Total 100% 100%

Visitor age profile

6.4.7 Only 3% of visitors reported to have a health or disability issue which impairs their daily

activities, despite the fact that 18% are over the age of 65 years (of which 4% are 75

years and over).

6.4.8 Overall the age profile has not changed significantly since 2003/4. The ages which can

be seen to constitute the family market (ages 0 to 44 years, typically parents with young

children) make up 46% of visitors, the same as in 2003/4.

92.3%

0.6%

5.5%

0.3%

0.4%

0.5%

0.2%

0.1%

White

British

White

Irish

White

Any

other White

background

Black or Black

African ethnic

background

Mixed ethnic

backgounbd

Asian ethnic

background

Chinese

Any other

ehnic group

Fig. 14: Visitor ethnic background

Table 30: Visitor age profile

Age Proportion Proportion

2011/12 2003/4

0-15 years 23%

20%

16-24 years 6%

25-34 years 8%

35-44 years 9%

13%

45-54 years 17%

14%

55-64 years 20%

16%

65-74 years 13%

20%

75+ years 4% 4%

Total 100% 100%

6.4.9 As in 2003/4 around 54% of visitors are aged 45 years to 75 years or more.

Visitor ethnic profile

6.4.10 The survey results indicate a very small increase in the proportion of visitors from the

ethnic minorities. In the 2003/4 survey they constituted less than 1% of all visitors. The

2011/12 survey finds that 2% of visitors are from the ethnic minorities.

6.5 Overnight visits

6.5.1 Overall a fifth of all visitors were visiting the South Downs whilst staying away from home.

It was established earlier that of these visitors, only 5% stayed overnight in the South

Downs itself. The vast majority stayed elsewhere outside the South Downs.

6.5.2 The 17% of visitors identified as visiting on day trip excursions whilst staying overnight

elsewhere generally stay close by in neighbouring towns and cities in Hampshire, West

and East Sussex. A small proportion visit for a day trip whilst staying overnight further

afield in Surrey, London, and Kent.

6.5.3 On average, overnight visits spent in the South Downs last a duration of 5 nights, which

is the same average length of stay reported in the 2003/4 study. Those staying outside

the South Downs, tend to have slightly shorter trips, an average of 4 nights.

6.6 Factors influencing visits

6.6.1 The visitor survey found that the most popular main reason for visiting the South Downs

among visitors is to go for a walk (29%, compared to 25% in 2003/4 when it was also the

most popular main reason). Walking is closely followed by a visit to a tourist attraction or

place of interest (19% compared to 24% in 2003/4).

Table 31: Main and other/secondary reasons for visiting the South Downs

Main and Other reasons for visiting Base = 6,815

Main Other

Go for a walk 29% 28%

Visit an attraction 19% 10%

Get fresh air/enjoy great views 9% 56%

Take the dog for a walk 8% 7%

Meet up with friends/family 5% 17%

Visit a tea room/restaurant 4% 44%

Walk or ride the South Downs Way 3% 6%

Relax and find peace/tranquillity 3% 35%

Cycle around 3% 6%

Attend an event 3% 5%

Have a picnic 2% 17%

Go on a special shopping trip 2% 4%

Observe wildlife/fauna & flora 2% 24%

Get to easily from home/close to home 1% 20%

Visit a pub 1% 18%

Take part in other sports 1% 1%

Go to be inspired and generally feel better at end <1% 26%

Find amenities like public loos/ice cream van <1% 14%

Ride my/a horse <1% 1%

Go canoeing/other watersports <1% <1%

Go fishing <1% 1%

Go paragliding/hang gliding <1% <1%

Other

2% 1%

Note: A small number of people gave other reasons for visiting such as visiting for nostalgic, personal reasons.

6.6.2 The most popular secondary reasons for visiting the South Downs are to get fresh air/

enjoy great views (56%), visit a tea-room or restaurant (44%) and relax and find

peace/tranquillity (35%).

6.6.3 Results split by trip type indicate that there are some differences in the main reasons for

visiting the South Downs between holiday makers, those visiting as part of a visiting

friends and relatives trip and day visitors. The top five main reasons split by the 4 main

visitor types are presented overleaf. See Appendix 8 for full results split by visitor type.

Car/motorbike

83%

Bicycle

Bus/coach

Train

Coach

tour

Walked

Fig. 15: Mode of travel

Visiting as part of a holiday Visiting whilst seeing friends and relatives

Visit an attraction 29% Meet up with friends/family 33%

Go for a walk 22% Go for a walk 23%

Get fresh air/enjoy great views 15% Visit an attraction 14%

Walk or ride the South Downs Way 8% Get fresh air/enjoy great views 7%

Relax and find peace/tranquillity 5% Take the dog for a walk 4%

Visiting from home for leisure day out

Visiting from home for short trip

Go for a walk 31% Go for a walk 35%

Visit an attraction 22% Take the dog for a walk 29%

Get fresh air/enjoy great views 9% Get fresh air/enjoy great views 6%

Take the dog for a walk 5% Meet up with friends/family 3%

Meet up with friends/family 4% Relax and find peace/tranquillity 3%

6.6.4 The results on the main reasons for visiting are similar to the 2003/4 study findings. The

earlier survey found that the most popular main reason for visiting the South Down was to

go for a walk (25%). Walking was closely followed by a visit to a tourist attraction or place

of interest (24%) and relaxing/ enjoying the view (19%) as primary motivations for visiting.

The most popular secondary reasons for visiting the South Downs were to relax/ enjoy

the view/picnic (44%); go for a walk (37%); and visit a pub or tea-room (33%).

6.7 Mode of transport used

6.7.1 Eighty-three percent of all visitors had travelled to the South Downs by private motor

vehicle, similar to the proportion who travelled by private motor vehicle in 2003/4 (84%).

6.7.2 The proportion of visitors on an overnight trip travelling by private motor vehicle is lower

than day visitors. Eighty-four percent of visitors travelling from home for a leisure day out

arrived by private motor vehicle, compared to only 72% of holiday-makers. Interestingly

car use is high among visitors living in or close to the South Downs who visit for short

trips, such as trips to walk the dog. Eighty-five percent of visitors travelling from home for

a short trip arrive by private motor vehicle.

72%

11%

86%

84%

85%

3% 3%

0% 0%

68%

20%

Car/van/motorbike

Bicycle

Bus/coach

Train

Coach tour

Walked

Fig. 16: Mode of travel by visit type

Holiday

maker

VFR visitor

Leisure day out visitor

Short trip visitor

Other visitor type

6.7.3 In 2003/4 81% of visitors reported that convenience was the main reason for their choice

of transport, which in the vast majority of incidences were given by those travelling by

private motor vehicle. Convenience was the top reason mentioned by visitors interviewed

during the 2011/12 survey, but a lower proportion gave this reason (58%).

6.7.4 Around a quarter of visitors (23%) reported that their choice of transport was driven by

their belief that there was no alternative mode of transport to reach the South Downs.

Table 32: Reasons for transport choice

Reasons mentioned Base 6,815

Convenience 58%

No real alternative 23%

Ease of access 17%

Time/speed 8%

Health benefits 6%

Cost 4%

Safety - travelling alone/with children 4%

Environmentally friendly 3%

Part of a coach tour 2%

Don't own a car/have access to a car 2%

Inadequate public transport services 2%

Not aware of public transport services 1%

Best suited for these road conditions 0%

Other 2%

6.7.5 Only a fifth of visitors arriving by private motor vehicle (22%) stated that they would

consider an alternative mode of travel. The majority did not feel it would be convenient to

change their main mode of travel.

6.8 Frequency of visits

6.8.1

To establish the frequency of visits to the South Downs and assess the impact of seasonality

of trip-taking, visitors were asked to think about their visits to the South Downs over the

course of a year, and indicate how often they make a leisure-related visit over each of the four

seasons of the year.

6.8.2

The results have been amalgamated to establish frequency of trips over the course of the year

(see Table 33) and are also represented separately for each season (see figures 17 to 20).

6.8.3 The vast majority of visitors have visited the South Downs previously. Only 7% are first

time visitors. One in 10 visits the South Downs for leisure/recreational visits every day

and a further 8% visit several times a week. These frequent visitors are most likely to be

local residents or visitors living very close to the South Downs boundary.

6.8.4 It is important to note when interpreting the data presented in Table 33 that previous

visits can be any type of leisure visit. So for example, a holiday-maker may visit the South

Downs once each season (up to 4 times a year), but these visits may be day trips from

home, or maybe visits to see friends and relatives in the area, as well as other overnight

holiday visits. Likewise, a day visitor on a leisure trip from home may visit the South

Downs for other trip purposes including seeing friends and relatives or visit as part of an

overnight holiday.

Table 33: Frequency of visits per year

Base = 6,815 Visitor type

Frequency of visits All

Visiting

as part of

a holiday

Visiting

whilst

seeing

friends

and/or

relatives

Visiting

from

home for

a leisure

day out

Visiting

from

home for

a short

trip

Every day 10% 0% 0% 10% 14%

Several times a week 8% 2% 2% 7% 16%

About once a week 13% 1% 7% 15% 16%

About once a month 22% 8% 21% 26% 20%

About twice a month 12% 4% 10% 14% 14%

Once over each season ( 4x year) 19% 28% 32% 18% 13%

Can't recall frequency - varies 9% 27% 15% 5% 5%

Once so far/visiting for the first time 7% 30% 13% 4% 2%

6.8.5 Holiday-makers are more likely to be visiting for the first time (30% visiting for the first

time) and are less frequent visitors.

6.8.6 Those visiting for a leisure day out or a short trip from home have a higher trip frequency

pattern; with short trip visitors being the most frequent visitors. Seventeen percent of

leisure day visitors and 30% of short trip visitors reported they visit the South Down

National Park every day to several times a week.

6.8.7 To assess the influence of seasonality on trip taking, all visitors interviewed were asked

to state the frequency of visits during each of the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn

and winter). The results indicate very clearly that leisure visits take place all year round.

12%

15%

28%

14%

19%

11%

18%

26%

19%

17%

10%

15%

28%

13%

19%

11%

13%

25%

11%

21%

11%

Every day

Several times a week

About once a week

About once a month

About twice a month

Once over this season

Visit unlikely this

season

Fig 19: Frequency of visits among Leisure day visitors by season

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

3% 3%

11%

39% 39%

18%

57%

2% 2%

10%

33%

48%

26%

57%

Every day

Several times a week

About once a week

About once a month

About twice a month

Once over this season

Visit unlikely this

season

Fig 17: Frequency of visits among holiday-makers by season

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

24%

10%

41%

15%

24%

18%

42%

26%

10%

35%

21%

23%

32%

28%

Every day

Several times a week

About once a week

About once a month

About twice a month

Once over this season

Visit unlikely this

season

Fig 18: Frequency of visits among VFR visitors by season

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

However, there are some notable differences in the seasonality of visits among the four

main visitor types.

6.8.8 Holiday-makers are most likely to visit the South Downs in the summer months; 57% visit

at least once during the summer, compared with 26% visiting at least once over the

winter. Just over half of all holiday-makers (57%) also reported that they are unlikely to

visit over the winter. Visiting at least once each season was the most common response

from VFR visitors. Overall, visitors of a leisure day out and those visiting for short trips

show less variation in trip-taking between the seasons compared to holiday-makers.

39%

25%

16%

10%

Adult couple

Family

Alone

Group of friends

With family & friends

Members of club/association

Work colleague

Students

Other

Fig. 21: Group composition

15% 15%

17%

21%

14%

13%

15%

18%

19%

20%

16%

11%

14%

15% 15%

21%

14% 14%

14%

15%

14%

21%

11%

16%

Every day

Several times a week

About once a week

About once a month

About twice a month

Once over this season

Visit unlikely this

season

Fig 20: Distribution of visits among short stay day visitors by season

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

6.9 Group composition

6.9.1 The most popular group composition is an adult couple (39%). Forty-two percent of

visitors are visiting with family, groups of friends or with family and friends. Sixteen

percent are visiting alone, and 3% are visiting with an organised group or club, with work

colleagues or students.

6.9.2 The average group size is 2.7 persons.

6.9.3 There are some differences in group composition between visit type. Those on holiday

are more likely to be visiting as a party of two people (mostly an adult couple/spouse).

Visitors on a leisure day out have a slightly higher proportion of families.

6.9.4 The results for group composition are similar to those found in 2003/4.

Table 34: Group composition by visit type

Base = Visitor type

Number of adults & children

Holiday-

maker

VFR

visitor

Leisure

day out

visitor

Short trip

visitor

Other visit

type

One adult 9% 18% 16% 26% 56%

2 adults 60% 34% 46% 46% 21%

3 adults 6% 12% 7% 5% 2%

4 adults 6% 9% 3% 3% 3%

5 or more adults 3% 3% 1% 1% 7%

Adult only groups 84% 76% 73% 81% 89%

1 adult & 1 child 1% 1% 2% 3% 0%

1 adult & 2 or more children 0% 2% 3% 2% 2%

2adults & 1child 3% 3% 6% 3% 0%

2 adults & 2 or more children 6% 7% 10% 6% 2%

3 adults & 1 child 2% 2% 1% 1% 1%

3 adults & 2 or more children 1% 5% 3% 2% 0%

4 or more adults & 1 or more children 2% 5% 3% 2% 4%

Adults with children 15% 25% 28% 19% 9%

Note: Percentage may not sum to 100% due to rounding

6.10 Visitor expenditure

6.10.1 The average expenditure per head figures presented in Table 35a and Table 35b are

produced simply by dividing the total expenditure incurred by a visiting group by the

number of people in the group. It includes visitors who did not spend any money on the

categories of expenditure listed. So for example, the average expenditure on attractions,

including those who did not spend any money on this category is £1.51. If we exclude

those who spent nothing on attractions, it raises the average expenditure on attractions

per visitor per trip to £4.08. Arguably, this is relatively low and reflects the high number of

free attractions in the South Downs.

6.10.2 On average visitors spend £10.24 per person during their visit to the South Downs.

Visitors staying overnight on holiday in the South Downs spend relatively more than other

visitor types. Holiday-makers spend an average of £14.93 per person per day. The lowest

average visit expenditure is among local visitors living in the South Downs; average

spend per person per visit is only £5.50.

6.10.3 Those staying overnight, which accounts for around 5% of visits to the South Downs,

spend on average a further £119.68 on accommodation per person over the duration of

their stay, or £23.94 per person per night (based on average stay of 5 nights)

. Thus, a

holiday maker staying in the South Downs will spend an average of £194.33 over a stay

of 5 nights (or £38.87 per person per day including expenditure on food and drink,

This accommodation expenditure is an average across all types of accommodation (both paying and non-paying). Some

visitors will have stayed overnight in commercial accommodation and pay for their accommodation. The survey results indicate

that 86% of holiday-makers staying overnight in the South Downs paid for their accommodation. The remaining 14% stayed in

non-paying accommodation including the homes of friends and relatives and in second homes. The average accommodation

expenditure among those paying for their expenditure is £143.33 per person per trip, or £28.67 per person per night. The

average expenditure across all categories of accommodation (both paid for and free) is £23.94 per person per night.

shopping, transport and entertainment). Once again, it should be noted that the average

expenditure figure includes those who did not spend anything on accommodation costs.

6.10.4 The results on expenditure on accommodation reveal that 35% of visitors interviewed

who were staying overnight in the South Downs stated that they had not incurred any

accommodation costs as they were staying with friends/relatives. Thus, two-thirds of

visitors staying overnight in the South Downs incurred additional expenditure on

accommodation.

Table 35(a): Average visitor expenditure per person per day

Base = 6,815

Visitor type

All

Holiday-

maker

VFR

visitor

Leisure

day out

visitor

Short trip

day

visitor

Resident

visitor

Visit attractions

£1.51 £2.54 £1.67 £1.53 £0.19 £0.58

Food and drink

£4.72 £7.23 £5.95 £4.27 £3.24 £2.61

Transport

£1.96 £2.58 £3.01 £1.86 £1.17 £1.17

Shopping

£1.90 £2.45 £2.03 £1.71 £2.01 £1.13

Activities

£0.15 £0.14 £0.07 £0.11 £0.38 £0.01

Total average spend

£10.24 £14.93 £12.74 £9.48 £8.91 £5.50

Note:

and

expenditure are for day visitors residing outside the South Downs National Park.

Table 35(b): Additional overnight accommodation expenditure

Base 272 All accommodation

Paid for only

Avg. spend per trip per person £119.68 £143.33

Avg. spend per ‘visitor day’ per person £23.94 £28.67

6.11 Sources of information used to plan visits

6.11.1 As in 2003/4 a large proportion of visitors do not use any formal source of information to

plan their visit (66% compared to 70% in 2003/4). Among the visitors who do consult

official sources, most use the internet (17%) followed by maps (12%). When analysed by

visit type, holiday-makers had a far higher usage (34%) of the web to find out about

information than day visitors. See results presented in 6.11.4 to 6.11.7.

Table 36: Information sources used prior to visit

Information sources mentioned Base = 6,815

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 66%

Websites 17%

Maps 12%

Specialist publications 7%

Friends/relatives/contacts 7%

Satellite Navigation/GPS device 6%

Signage 4%

Printed press 3%

Visitor Information Centre 3%

Social media networks 1%

Mobile phone app 1%

Radio/TV 0%

Other 2%

6.11.2 Results split by visitor type indicate some differences in whether or not information on the

South Downs tends to be consulted prior to the trip or not and what type of information is

reviewed. The top most frequently mentioned responses are presented below. See

Appendix 9 for full list of information consulted split by visitor type.

6.11.3 Among holiday-makers the five most frequently mentioned responses are:

Websites 34%

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 29%

Maps 25%

Specialist publications 16%

Friends/relatives/contacts 12%

6.11.4 Among visiting friends and relatives visitors the five most frequently mentioned responses

are:

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 54%

Friends/relatives/contacts 32%

Websites 16%

Maps 9%

Specialist publications 5%

6.11.5 Among leisure day visitors the five most frequently mentioned responses are:

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 74%

Websites 14%

Maps 10%

Specialist publications 5%

Satellite Navigation/GPS device 5%

6.11.6 Among short stay day visitors the five most frequently mentioned responses are:

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 88%

Maps 7%

Websites 5%

Signage 2%

Friends/relatives/contacts 2%

6.12 Impact on health and well-being

6.12.1 A number of areas of enquiry were more qualitative in nature in that the survey involved

delving into visitor’s opinions and perceptions (see Chapter 7 for views on visitor

impacts). This included a question on the impact of visits to the South Downs on the

visitor’s general health & well-being. The terms could refer to physical fitness, feeling

spiritually uplifted, or / and an improved mental state.

6.12.2 The survey results show that over half of all visitors (57%) reported that visits to the

South Downs are “Very important” to their health and sense of well-being. A further third

(34%) rated the importance of visits to the South Downs on health and well-being as

“Important”.

Table 37: Rating of importance of visits to SDNP on health and sense of well-being

Rating 6,815

Not very important 4%

Not important 5%

Important 34%

Very important 57%

6.13 Overall satisfaction with visit

6.13.1 Overall, the level of visitor satisfaction is high.

6.13.2 Nearly everyone interviewed rated their satisfaction as either “Very good” or “Good”. No

one rated their overall satisfaction as “Poor” or “Very poor”.

Table 38: Overall trip satisfaction

Scale 6,815

Very good 77%

Good 22%

Average 1%

Poor 0%

Very poor 0%

6.14 Organised and educational visits to the South Downs

6.14.1 To gather insights into the frequency of organised trips social, youth, activity-based (i.e.

rambling) and other types of groups to the South Downs, just under 600 social groups

were invited to take part in an online survey.

6.14.2 Unfortunately only 14 Hampshire and Sussex based social groups took part in the

survey. Of these, only 11 arranged visits to the South Downs. Given the response rate,

the results are not representative and thus are not useful for this study

6.14.3 As with the organised visit survey, the educational visit survey was carried out to provide

insight into the frequency of trips made by schools, indications on group size and popular

places visited.

6.14.4 In total 922 schools across Hampshire, East and West Sussex were invited to an online

survey of which 74 took part (a response rate of 8%). The response rate was

disappointing but reflects the time constraints faced by busy head teachers.

In total 43 groups were identified as being located within the boundaries of the South Downs. However, as it is likely many

groups, particularly activity-based and special interest groups such as environmental/conservational groups based elsewhere

in neighbouring towns are also likely to visit, we extended the geographical remit to include other towns in Hampshire, Sussex,

as well as in Surrey and Kent.

Around 3,000 groups were identified; however, email addresses were only available for around

600 of these groups.

On reflection, we have come to appreciate that these types of social / special interest groups are not well suited to online

surveys.

6.14.5 Based on the findings of the survey (with caveats added given the low response rate),

some 60% of schools across Hampshire, East and West Sussex arrange school trips to

the South Downs.

6.14.6 Group size tends to be large; around 30 to 40 including school children, teachers and

support staff. Trips to the South Downs also tend to involve a full school day.

6.14.7 Expenditure on-site in the South Downs is generally very low. Just over half of school

heads reported that nothing was spent during the school trip. What expenditure did take

place tended to be up to the value of £2 per person per visit.

7 VIEWS ON TOURISM IMPACTS

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1 In addition to gathering descriptive data on the profile of visitors and key features of their

visits, both the Resident and Visitor Surveys also included questions designed to gain

insight into how residents and visitors travelling from outside perceive the impact of visits

to the South Downs National Park. This included examining from their perspective:

• The positive elements of visits;

• The negative elements of visits;

• What they think are the best solutions to resolving local visiting issues;

7.1.2 In parallel to the Resident and Visitor Survey, the Environment Survey examined the

impacts visitors have on the landscape, biodiversity and cultural heritage of the South

Downs from the perspective of land managers and managers of nature conservation and

cultural heritage sites

. Key results from all three surveys on visitor impacts are

presented in this chapter.

7.2 Resident and visitor views on tourism impacts

7.2.1 To gauge views on the positive and negative elements of leisure visits to the South

Downs, residents and visitors were asked to read four statements (two positive and two

negative) about visitor impacts and asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed

using the following scale: Strongly disagree, Disagree, Agree, and Strongly agree. A

further ‘don’t know’ or ‘neither agree/disagree option was also available.

7.2.2 The views on visitor impacts indicate a high level of support for visits to the South Downs.

Three-quarters (74%) of local residents “Agree” with the statement that visits to the South

Downs creates income and jobs for the local economy through visitor expenditure and a

further 16% “Strongly agree” with this statement.

7.2.3 Around a fifth (20%) of local residents “Disagree” or “Strongly disagree” with the

statement that visits to the South Downs helps preserve rural services like buses, village

shops and post offices. The majority (80% in total), however, “Agree” or “Strongly agree”

with this statement.

7.2.4 A significant proportion of local people do, however, feel that visits cause some level of

damage to the landscape. Over a third of residents (37% in total) “Agree” or “Strongly

agree” with the statement that visits to the South Downs cause damage to the landscape:

dog fouling, litter, erosion, fires, disturbance to livestock, vandalism. Most (63%),

however, “Disagree” or “Strongly disagree” with this statement.

The Environment survey involved undertaking two quantitative surveys: one with land managers of primarily privately owned

or tenanted land, the other with specific nature conservation and cultural heritage sites.

7.2.5 Around a quarter of local residents believe that visits cause traffic congestion and

pollution. Whilst this is a significant minority, most local residents (73%) did not perceive

this to be a problem.

Table 39: Resident views on impacts

Base = 2208

Strongly

disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly

agree

Visits to the South Downs creates income and jobs for the

local economy through visitor expenditure 0% 9% 74% 16%

Visits to the South Downs helps preserve rural services like

buses, village shops and post offices

1% 19% 62% 18%

Visits to the South Downs cause damage to the landscape:

dog fouling, litter, erosion, fires, disturbance to livestock,

vandalism 6% 57% 33% 4%

Visits to the South Downs causes traffic congestion and

pollution 5% 68% 23% 3%

Note: Results exclude the small number of people who gave ‘don’t know/neither agree or disagree.

7.2.6 Interestingly visitors interviewed on-site during their visit to the South Downs appear to

see the potential for more harm caused to the South Downs as a result of their visits than

local residents. Although in total 64% of visitors “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with the

statement that visits to the South Downs creates income and jobs for the local economy

through visitor expenditure, this is lower than the 90% of residents who either “Agree” or

“Strongly agree” with the statement.

7.2.7 Visitors are more positive about the role visits to the South Downs play in helping to

preserve rural services like buses, village shops and post offices. In total 97% of visitors

either “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with this statement (compared to 80% of residents who

agree or strongly agree).

7.2.8 A very high proportion of visitors (89%) either “Agree” or “Strongly agree” that visits to the

South Downs cause damage to the landscape: dog fouling, litter, erosion, fires,

disturbance to livestock, vandalism. This compares to only 37% of residents either

agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement.

7.2.9 Finally, 38% of visitors either “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with the statement that visits to

the South Downs cause traffic congestion and pollution, compared to 26% of residents.

Around two-thirds (62%), however, disagree with the statement that visits cause traffic

congestion and pollution.

Table 40: Visitor views on impacts

Base = 6815

Strongly

disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly

agree

Visits to the South Downs creates income and jobs for

the local economy through visitor expenditure

3% 34% 54% 10%

Visits to the South Downs helps preserve rural services

like buses, village shops and post offices

0% 3% 79% 18%

Visits to the South Downs cause damage to the

landscape: dog fouling, litter, erosion, fires, disturbance

to livestock, vandalism

0% 11% 72% 17%

Visits to the South Downs causes traffic congestion and

pollution

4% 58% 35% 3%

Note: Results exclude the small number of people who gave ‘don’t know/neither agree or disagree.

7.3 Resident and visitor views on actions to influence visitor behaviour

7.3.1 Residents and visitors were asked about what actions they believed would influence

visitor behaviour so as to protect the wildlife and special landscape of the South Downs

(e.g. encourage visitors to be careful around sensitive sites such as where there are

ground nesting birds). As with the question on visitor impacts, responses to a series of

statements were gathered. Residents and visitors were asked whether they believed the

following 9 actions were Very unlikely, Unlikely, Likely or Very unlikely to influence visitor

behaviour in the desired way.

 The imposing of lower speed limits in vulnerable areas

 Putting up signs signalling what visitors should or shouldn't do

 Getting South Downs rangers to talk to visitors

 Producing printed information such as books and leaflets

 Putting information on websites and social networks

 Awareness raising through guided walks

 Awareness raising through local forums

 Keeping footpaths/rights of way well-maintained to discourage walking on sensitive

areas

 Closing car parks at times of the year when animal or plant species are vulnerable

7.3.2 Overall, there was support for all 9 actions, though some were deemed to be more

influential than others.

7.3.3 The results indicate strong support for keeping footpaths/rights of way well-maintained to

discourage walking on sensitive areas. In total 66% of local residents felt that well-

maintained footpath was “Very likely” to influence people’s behaviour to protect the South

Downs and a further 32% felt this action was “Likely” to influence behaviour in the desired

way (98% in total felt it would change behaviour in a positive way). Thus only 2% felt that

it would not be useful.

7.3.4 The two other actions which got a high level of support were getting South Downs

rangers to talk to visitors and putting information on websites and social networks. In total

just over 91% of local residents felt these actions would have a positive influence on

visitor behaviour.

7.3.5 Compared to the other actions mentioned earlier, relatively more local residents gave the

response “Unlikely” to the actions of awareness-raising through local forums and closing

car parks at sensitive times of the year. However, the majority of local residents believe

that both these actions would be useful.

7.3.6 Among visitors, there is very strong support for three particular actions which they believe

is “Likely” or “Very likely” to influence behaviour in a positive way. Overall, all but a small

minority of visitors believe that getting park rangers to talk to visitors, putting information

on websites and social networks, and keeping footpaths/rights of way well-maintained to

discourage walking on sensitive areas, are either “Likely” or “Very likely” to influence

behaviour in a positive way.

Table 41: Resident views on actions to influence behaviour

Base = 2208

Very

unlikely

Unlikely

Likely

Very

likely

The imposing of lower speed limits in vulnerable areas 1% 24% 54% 20%

Putting up signs signalling what visitors should or

shouldn't do

2% 22% 60% 16%

Getting South Downs rangers to talk to visitors 1% 9% 59% 32%

Producing printed information such as books and

leaflets 1% 18% 63% 18%

Putting information on websites and social networks 0% 9% 57% 34%

Awareness raising through guided walks 0% 11% 62% 26%

Awareness raising through local forums 2% 36% 53% 9%

Keeping footpaths/rights of way well-maintained to

discourage walking on sensitive areas 0% 2% 32% 66%

Closing car parks at times of the year when animal or

plant species are vulnerable

2% 32% 47% 19%

Note: Results exclude the small number of people who gave ‘don’t know/neither agree or disagree.

Table 42: Views on actions to influence behaviour

Base = 6815

Very

unlikely

Unlikely

Likely

Very

likely

The imposing of lower speed limits in vulnerable areas 2% 22% 57% 20%

Putting up signs signalling what visitors should or

shouldn't do

1% 18% 66% 15%

Getting South Downs rangers to talk to visitors 0% 6% 61% 33%

Producing printed information such as books and

leaflets 1% 16% 59% 24%

Putting information on websites and social networks 0% 8% 51% 41%

Awareness raising through guided walks 0% 10% 68% 21%

Awareness raising through local forums 5% 43% 46% 7%

Keeping footpaths/rights of way well-maintained to

discourage walking on sensitive areas 0% 1% 28% 70%

Closing car parks at times of the year when animal or

plant species are vulnerable

5% 31% 47% 17%

Note: Results exclude the small number of people who gave ‘don’t know/neither agree or disagree.

7.4 Resident and visitor support for visitor pay back scheme

7.4.1 Resident and visitor views on the introduction of a Visitor Payback Scheme were sought.

The scheme was briefly explained as a method designed to encourage visitors to make a

voluntary contribution towards local environmental improvements, by donating a small

amount of money e.g. this may be added to the cost of services such as food &

beverages purchased in local shops or through a collection box. Support for the scheme

was based on a rating scale of ‘Very unlikely’ to support to ‘Very likely’ to support.

7.4.2 Just over half of all local residents are likely to

support a Visitor Payback Scheme (47% likely

and 12% very likely). Follow through into recommendations

7.4.3 Just under a fifth (18%) reported not to be sure whether they would support it or not and

the remaining 23% of local residents reported that their support was either unlikely (17%)

or very unlikely (6%).

Table 43: Likelihood of supporting a Visitor Payback Scheme among residents

Base 2208

Very unlikely 6%

Unlikely 17%

Neutral/not sure 18%

Likely 47%

Very likely 12%

7.4.4 Overall 62% of visitors would support a visitor pay back scheme. Around half of all

visitors (49%) reported that they are likely to support the scheme and 13% reported that

they are very likely to support the scheme.

Table 44: Likelihood of supporting a Visitor Payback Scheme among visitors

Base 6815

Very unlikely 4%

Unlikely 18%

Likely 49%

Very likely 13%

Neutral/not sure 16%

7.5

Visitor issues impacting on land managers

7.5.1 Feedback from land managers who were consulted as part of the Environment Survey

indicated that three-quarters (72%) experienced a number of negative visitor impacts.

The majority of these reported issues relating to walking and dogs.

7.5.2 Key findings are as follows:

• Over half (59%) of the issues relate to walking with/without dogs, of which 22% of

issues were specifically related to dogs

• The main issue cited in relation to walking was people walking anywhere and off

public rights of way with consequential damage to wildlife and disturbance of stock

• The main issue cited in relation to walking with dogs was dogs not being on leads

and out of control with resultant disturbance to wildlife and stock.

• Cycling accounted for 12% of the issues with concerns relating to cyclists misusing

footpaths and causing disturbance;

• Use of motor bikes, quad bikes and 4x4s accounted for 11% of issues with the main

concern being inappropriate use of the countryside and rights of way

• Riding away from designated bridleways was the main concern associated with horse

riding which accounted for just 8% of the issues.

• Damage to gates and fences and litter

7.5.3 The main issues around dogs were:

• Lack of control by owners (including professional dog walkers)

• Stock worrying (cattle, sheep, horses)

• Chasing wildlife, disturbing ground nesting birds

• Dog faeces not cleared up, plastic bags left on fences

• Dog faeces carrying Neospora

7.5.4 Most land managers felt that visitor management in the South Downs could be improved

and some of the visitor impacts reduced through better signage of public rights of way

and improved education about the meaning of public access with both visitors that travel

away from home and those that live locally.

7.6

Visitor issues impacting on nature conservation and cultural heritage sites

7.6.1 Feedback from managers of conservation and cultural heritage sites indicated that

around half experience problems with litter and dog fouling. Over a third (37%) mentioned

problems caused by trampling on delicate areas of land, and a fifth mentioned soil

erosion, with loss of wildlife habitats or species mentioned by managers at 16% of sites.

These negative impacts were reported most frequently on chalk downland and in

woodland and were primarily caused by walking with and without dogs and cycling on

and off trails.

7.6.2 Most of the negative impacts (mentioned by 72% of sites) caused by visitors were

thought to be reversible, with erosion of archaeological features/Scheduled Monuments

being the main impact that was considered permanent. General wear and tear and

tidying up after visitors was the most frequent cost incurred by sites, together with

signage and interpretation and repairs to gates, fences and access roads. Relatively little

was spent on the restoration of habitats and heritage features. Currently only 20% of

sites produced interpretation materials that explained the impact of visitors have on the

environment.

7.6.3 The positive impacts of visitors are mostly socio-economic; including education, health,

income, employment. Environmental benefits arose from involving the public with

volunteering, and increasing their knowledge and awareness, which supported

conservation objectives. These positive outcomes were achieved where visitor activities

were managed through guided walks or wildlife and photography.

8 VOLUME & VALUE

8.1 Introduction

8.1.1 In order to provide a basis for identifying the economic impact of visitors to the South

Downs, it is necessary to generate an estimate of the volume of ‘visitor days’ spent within

the park and the associated expenditure. The total number of ‘visitor day’ is the annual

number of days spent visiting the South Downs by overnight visitors and those on day

trips

8.1.2 In generating the estimate, the process has been divided into three stages, namely:

• An estimate of the volume of visitor days by visitors staying in the South Downs,

based on the capacity and use of accommodation in the area;

• An estimate of day visits to the South Downs from holiday accommodation outside

the area, based on the relationship between visitors staying in the South Downs and

those staying outside as determined by the visitor survey;

• An estimate of day visits from home both by those living in the South Downs and

those from adjoining areas and further afield, based on the results of the visitor

survey and resident survey.

8.2 Estimating visitor volumes

8.2.1 In order to estimate the number of visitors staying overnight within the South Downs

National Park, results from the business audit, accommodation occupancy survey and

on-site visitor survey are bought together and fed into a process of estimation.

Estimates of overnight visitors

8.2.2 The number of visitors staying in the South Downs will be determined by the capacity of

the accommodation available and the occupancy levels achieved. In order to identify

capacity, an audit of all commercial accommodation available within the South Downs

was carried out. In total, 386 accommodation businesses located in the South Downs

were identified, providing accommodation capacity of around 8,888 bedspaces.

8.2.3 Serviced accommodation (hotels and guest houses) accounts for 3,275 bedspaces and

non-serviced accommodation accounts for 5,613 bedspaces (of which 552 are self-

catering bedspaces, 216 are youth hostel bedspaces, and 4,845 are camping and

caravanning park bedspaces) in the South Downs.

Visitor Days are calculated by adding the number of nights spent in the South Downs by overnight visitors (staying in the

South Downs) to the number of day visitors from home and day visitors on excursions whilst staying overnight outside the

South Downs.

Table 45: Total accommodation stock in the South Downs

No. of businesses Rooms/Units Beds

Guest accommodation 222 708 1,415

Hotels 31 914 1,860

All serviced 253 1,622 3,275

Caravan and camping 28 1062 4,845

Self-catering 100 248 552

Youth hostels 5

72 216

All non-serviced 133 1,382 5,613

Total accommodation 386

3,004 8,888

8.2.4 Assuming that all 3,275 serviced accommodation bedspaces are available through a full

year, this provides a total of 1,195,375 bed nights to accommodate guests. The

occupancy survey we carried out among a sample of serviced accommodation providers

established that the bed occupancy level over the 12 month study period averaged at

around 49%. Assuming that 49% of the total beds available was occupied throughout the

year, we calculate that 585,734 ‘visitor days’ were spent by visitors staying overnight in

serviced accommodation in the South Downs (see Table 46 overleaf).

8.2.5 The self catering occupancy survey we carried out indicated a relatively high level of

occupancy in the South Downs during the year, with bedspace being occupied for an

average of 63% of the year. However, the occupancy figure is based on results from only

4 businesses and thus do not provide a reliable measure of performance. We believe a

better measure can be obtained from the occupancy data gathered by TSE Research

from destinations across the South East

. Our surveys indicate that typical self-catering

average bed occupancy rates in many rural destinations in the South East range from

45% to 65%. We are confident that by applying the mean average of this range, which

provides us with bed occupancy rate of 60%, we can obtain a good ‘proxy’ measure of

occupancy within the self-catering sector in the South Downs.

8.2.6 On the basis of this level of occupancy, and on the basis that all bedspaces are available

throughout the year (280,320 bedspaces available), it can be assumed that 168,192

‘visitor days’ spent in the South Downs involved staying overnight in self-catering

accommodation

(see Table 46 overleaf).

8.2.7 The main tourism season for the camping and caravanning sector runs from March to

October, with most sites closing over the winter period. An eight month tourism season

would provide a total of 1,201,560 bednights to accommodate visitors (based on a total of

4,845 bedspaces multiplied by 248 days). Based on feedback from several camping and

caravanning sites, we have estimated an average bed occupancy rate of 45% (see

Chapter 3 on business performance) for camping and caravanning sites in the South

Local occupancy surveys across destinations in the South East is carried out annually to gather data which feed into our

Cambridge Economic Impact studies. Annual economic impact studies are carried out for several Local Authority tourism

departments in Hampshire, East and West Sussex.

We have included overnight stays in youth hostel accommodation in this figure. This has involved adding the total number of

self-catering bedspaces with the total number of youth hostel bedspaces for the year. Separate occupancy figures for youth

hostels were not available, but anecdotal evidence suggests occupancy levels of around 60% to 65% per year.

Downs. Assuming that 45% of the total beds available was occupied throughout the

tourism season, we calculate that 540,702 ‘visitor days’ were spent by visitors staying

overnight in camping and caravanning accommodation in the South Downs.

8.2.8 Our calculation, based on the data available, indicate that just under 1.3 million visitor

days were spent staying in paid for accommodation.

Table 46: Estimated overnight visitor volume

Serviced

Self-cat. &

hostels

Camping &

caravan

Total

Total bedspaces 3,275

768

4,845

8,888

Total days available 365

365

248

Total annual bednights

1,195,375

280,320

1,201,560

2,677,255

Avg. bed occupancy

49% 60% 45%

Total visitor days 585,734

168,192

540,702

1,294,628

Note:

Number of ‘beds’ available to sleep guests; one bed equates to one potential guest.

% of beds which are actually occupied out of the total available.

8.2.9 In addition to the commercial accommodation, a proportion of overnight visitors will stay

with friends and relatives living in the South Downs. The Visitor Survey provides the key

information to get a measure of the volume of visitor days generated by those staying in

the homes of South Down residents. The Visitor Survey revealed that 65% of all visitors

staying overnight in the South Downs stayed in commercial accommodation and 35%

stayed in the home of a friend or relative. Based on this data it can be assumed that the

estimated 1,294,628 visitor days spent in the South Downs in commercial

accommodation represents 65% of all visitor days generated by overnight visitors.

Therefore, a further 697,107 visitor days represents the 35% generated by overnight

visitors who stayed in the home of a South Down resident.

8.2.10 The estimated number of ‘visitor days’ spent in the South Downs National Park by visitors

staying overnight in the South Downs is shown by accommodation type in Table 47. It is

estimated that around 1,991,735 visitor days were generated by visitors staying overnight

in the South Downs.

Table 47: Total estimated overnight visitor volume by accommodation type

Estimates of overnight trips

Number of’ visitor days’ spent by

overnight visitors

Serviced accommodation 585,734

Self catering & hostels 168,192

Camping & caravanning 540,702

Staying with friends/relatives

697,107

Total nights 1,991,735

Note:

includes a small proportion of visiting staying in other type of accommodation such as second homes

Estimates of day visitors from accommodation elsewhere

8.2.11 There is a considerable concentration of holiday accommodation in the surrounding

urban areas around the South Downs, particularly along the coast on the south side of

the Park. Holidaymakers staying in this accommodation will make trips away from the

accommodation base, with a considerable number venturing into the South Downs area.

8.2.12 The proportion of day visits from holiday accommodation outside the South Downs (day

visitors from accommodation elsewhere) recorded in the Visitor Survey was 17%

compared to only 5% of visitors staying in the area, so that the former amount to 3.4

times the volume of the latter. On this basis, the number of visitor days spent in the South

Downs by visitors from holiday accommodation outside the South Downs amounts to

6,771,899 visitor days.

Estimates of day visitors from home (outside South Downs)

8.2.13 The Visitor Survey recorded 78% of the respondents to the survey as being day visitors

travelling from home and returning to their home on the same day (of which 6% were

found to be local residents) compared to 5% visitors staying in the South Downs. Thus

the former outnumbered the latter by 15.6 times. On this basis the volume of day visitors

from home amounts to around 31,071,066 visitor days.

Estimates of local resident visitors

8.2.14 Estimates of day visits from home can be made using data from the visitor survey.

However, the visitor survey is likely to undercount local residents, in that many of the

visits may be made out of working hours when there was reduced survey activity, and

they are likely to make use of a wider range of sites, including sites not included in the

visitor survey. Overall, only 6% of all leisure visits to the South Downs was represented

by local residents living in the South Downs according to the Visitor Survey.

8.2.15 Whilst this proportion appears relatively representative when measured against the larger

population stock of the neighbouring towns and cities, we know from the Resident

Survey, that local visitors are frequent visitors to the South Downs and thus their overall

volume in terms of visitor days is likely to be greater.

8.2.16 Our estimate draws on results from the Resident Survey, specifically the results on

average frequency of visits (see Table 15, page 24). In calculating the average

frequency, it is assumed that respondents will over estimate their trips in that they will not

take into account time they spend away from the area, or are unable to undertake their

normal activity because of illness or other causes. Thus in using the responses we have

assumed the following levels of use:

• Every day assumes 301 visits per year

• Several times a week assumes 130 visits per year

• About once a week assumes 41 visits per year

• At least once a month assumes 10 visits per year

• At least twice a month assumes 20 visits per year

• Once over the season assumes 4 visits per year

8.2.17 Using these assumptions and excluding those households who make no visits during the

year, the average number of visits by resident households is estimated at 63 per year,

which translates to around 6,473,470 visitor days per year.

Table 48: Estimated volume of local residents visitor days

Resident’s visiting

South Downs

Visits per

year

Total resident

visitor days

Every day 9% 9,240

301 2,781,384

Several times a week 16% 16,428

130 2,135,578

About once a week 24% 24,641

41 1,010,292

About once a month 22% 22,588

10 225,878

About twice a month 13% 13,347

20 266,947

Once over this season 13% 13,347

4 53,389

Can't recall - varies

Total 99,592

6,473,470

Average number of visits per year 63

Note:

This excludes non-visitors (represents 7% of the population) and the 4% who could not recall frequency

of visits

No trip volume is provided for those who responded that they could not recall how often they visit or

could not quantify it.

Summary of total visitor volume

8.2.18 The total number of visitor days spent in the South Downs amounts to 46,308,000

(rounded), made up of:

• 1,992,000 visitor days spent by overnight visitor in the South Downs (representing 4% of

total volume);

• 6,772,000 day trips into the South Downs from holiday accommodation outside the

boundary (representing 14% of total volume);

• 31,071,000 day trips into the South Downs from homes outside the area (representing

66% of total volume);

• 6,473,000 leisure visits made by local residents (representing 16% of total volume).

8.2.19 This represents a 18.2% increase in visitor days compared to the volume in 2003/4, or an

annual year-on-year increase of 2.3% over the 8 years from 2003/4 to 2011/12.

Table 49: Total visitor days spent in the South Downs

2011/12 2003/4

Total overnight visitors inside South Downs 1,992,000

1,357,000

Total day from accommodation outside South Downs 6,772,000

6,771,000

Total day from home outside South Downs 31,071,000

26,705,000

Total day from home inside South Downs 6,473,000

4,340,000

Total visits

46,308,000

39,173,000

% change overall of:

18.2%

Annual year-on-year increase since 2003/4 of: 2.3%

Note: Figures have been rounded

8.3 Tourism economic impacts

Total visitor expenditure

8.3.1 The average spend per visitor varies, with those on holiday staying in the area spending

the most per day while day visitors from home spend least. Drawing on results from the

Visitor Survey, we have calculated the average ‘visitor day’ expenditure for the four visitor

categories we have used for the volume and value evaluation. These are:

Avg. Spend per visitor day

Overnight visitors staying in the South Downs £38.87

Day visitors visiting from accommodation bases outside the South Downs £14.93

Day visitors visiting from homes outside the South Downs £9.20

Day visitors visiting from homes inside the South Downs £5.50

Table 50: Total estimated direct visitor expenditure

Total visitor days Avg. spend Total visitor spend

Total overnight visitors 1,992,000

£38.87 £77,429,000

Total day from accommodation 6,772,000

£14.93 £101,106,000

Total day from home outside SDs 31,071,000

£9.20 £285,853,000

Total day from home inside SDs 6,473,000

£5.50 £35,601,000

Total visits and spend 46,308,000

£499,990,000

Note: Figures have been rounded

8.3.2 With the inclusion of local resident expenditure, it is estimated that visits to the South

Downs National Park in 2011/12 generated an estimated £499,990,000 for local

businesses, ranging from accommodation providers, attractions, shops, pubs,

restaurants, cafes to taxi’s and petrol filling stations.

8.3.3 The 2003/4 study discounted expenditure incurred by local residents because such

expenditure is not external money to the local economy. If there was no national park in

the area, local residents would spend the same amount spent on countryside recreation

on some other good or service bought from the local economy.

8.3.4 To provide a direct comparison with the total visitor expenditure reported in 2003/4 we

need to remove the expenditure figure for local residents. With local resident expenditure

discounted, the total visitor expenditure associated with visits to the South Downs is

£464,388,000. This represents a growth in visitor expenditure of 39.4% since the last

study (representing an annual year-on-year increase of 4.9% over the 8 years from

2003/4 to 2011/12). Total visitor expenditure amounted to £333,091,000 in 2003/4 (see

Table 51 overleaf).

8.3.5 However, the percentage increase reported is an increase in nominal terms only. Since

2003/4 the prices of goods and services has increased, with inflation between 2004 and

2011 averaging at around 3.3% per year. This means that £333,091,000 is roughly worth

£419,608,000 in today’s money

. Accounting for inflation means that the actual increase

in the value of visitor expenditure (£464,388,000) since 2003/4 is smaller; an overall

increase of 10.7%.

Table 51: Visitor expenditure compared to last study

Visitor spend 2011/12 v 2003/4

Total visitor spend 2011/12 £464,388,000

Total visitor spend 2003/2004 £333,091,000

% change overall of: 39.4%

Annual year-on-year increase since 2003/4 of: 4.9%

% change overall adjusted for inflation: 10.7%

Jobs supported by visitor expenditure

8.3.6 Having identified the total value of visitor spending, it is possible to estimate the

employment associated with that spending. We can do this by calculating that proportion

of the expenditure received by businesses which is absorbed by wages for staff. The

proportion will vary by business sector; generally wages are likely to be a smaller

proportion of costs in retailing compared to accommodation or catering.

8.3.7 We draw on the standard ratios used in the Cambridge Tourism Impact Model to ascribe

an average proportion of turnover taken by wage costs for tourism-related employment.

Based on a series of previous studies

, it is assumed that approximately 40% of total

turnover will be taken by wage costs. This means that of the total £464,388,000 received

by businesses, approximately £185,755,000 will be absorbed by wages for staff. With an

average full-time salary of £26,628 for tourism-related employment

, this turnover

supports 6,976 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.

8.3.8 However, the total number of actual jobs will be higher when part-time and seasonal

working is taken into account. In other words, one FTE job may represent two part-time

jobs. Once again, we draw on standard ratios used in the Cambridge Tourism Impact

Model to convert FTE jobs to actual jobs. Based on the model is it estimated that one

FTE job represents 1.7 actual jobs. Thus, the total number of jobs supported including

seasonal and part time jobs is estimated at 11,706 (see Table 52 overleaf).

8.3.9 Not all these jobs will be filled by residents living within the South Downs. Based on

earlier research carried out by Geoff Broom & Associates

, it is estimated that

The Bank of England compiles and publishes a range of monetary and financial statistics. These include annual inflation and

price converter calculators. The online calculator can be found on: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/

Standard ratio’s used in the Cambridge Model are based on a number of previous business surveys carried out across

England including rural business surveys for separate research carried out for the Surrey Hills AONB and the New Forest

National Park.

The average salary figure is derived from the 2011 Survey of Hours and Earnings.

In order to gain a better understanding of the process and the factors affecting the pattern of retention and leakage

associated with visitor spending in the countryside, the Countryside Agency commissioned an initial scoping study in 2004.

Carried out by Geoff Broom & Associates, the study involved extensive business surveys among rural businesses to identify

the breakdown of business turnover, and establish the proportion of turnover re-spent in the local area on local salaries and

suppliers and the proportion which ‘leaked’ out.

approximately 30% of local jobs are filled by employees who reside outside the South

Downs National Park.

8.3.10 Excluding employees living outside the South Downs, it is estimated that visitor

expenditure supports approximately 4,883 full-time equivalent jobs and 8,194 actual jobs,

an increase of 13.5% compared to 2003/4.

Table 52: Total employment supported by visitor expenditure

FTE jobs Actual jobs

Total direct jobs supported by visitor expenditure of which:

6,976 11,706

30% supported outside South Downs 30% 30%

Jobs supported outside South Downs 2,093 3,512

Jobs supported inside South Downs 4,883 8,194

Jobs supported inside South Downs in 2003/4 4,137 7,218

% change compared to 2003/4 18.0% 13.5%

9 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1 Importance of tourism to South Downs economy

9.1.1 The majority of those visiting the South Downs are attracted by the qualities it has to offer

– the opportunity to get fresh air and enjoy the great views, to ‘slow down’ from the hectic

pace of modern living, to spend quality time with friends and family, as well as to enjoy

the space on one’s own.

9.1.2 Whilst drawn to the above, most people visit to carry out recreational and leisure pursuits.

The most common activity is walking followed by visiting an attraction. Other significant

activities include visiting tea rooms, restaurants, and pubs.

9.1.3 Based on the data gathered by this study, it is estimated that just over 46 million visitor

days were spent in the South Downs in 2011/12, of which around 6.4 million were more

informal leisure visits made by local residents.

9.1.4 The net economic benefit comes from visitors travelling from outside the South Downs.

Visitors will spend money in village shops, local attractions, tea-rooms, pubs and

restaurants and in market towns. A proportion of those staying overnight will do so in

hotels or inns, bed & breakfast establishments, self-catering accommodation, or on

caravan parks or campsites, thus generating income for the accommodation sector.

Based on the data gathered by this study it is estimated that around £464.4 million was

spent by visitors (excluding residents) during their visit to the South Downs in 2011/12,

supporting approximately 8,194 local jobs.

9.1.5 This places the South Downs as the national park generating the third largest visitor

expenditure output (see Table 55 overleaf) after the Lake District (£952m) and the

Pembrokeshire Coast (£498m). The actual volume of visits to both the Lake District and

the Pembrokeshire Coast is significantly lower than the South Downs. However, both

these national parks attract mostly visitors who stay overnight for one or more days. In

fact the expenditure figures presented in Table 53 suggest that most other National Parks

must attract a relatively large volume of overnight visitors. In general, staying visitor

expenditure is much higher per head than day visitor expenditure. With the South Downs

being surrounded by a large urban population, it is a key destination for day visitors

whose spending will be lower than staying visitors.

9.1.6 Based in the South Downs are 386 commercial accommodation businesses, over a

hundred visitor attractions/places of interest, along with over 400 other businesses from

golf courses, cafes/tea-rooms to petrol stations which provide important services to

visitors and in turn benefit from their custom. This study found that businesses see the

South Downs National Park as having a key role in helping them harness the economic

benefits generated by visits to the South Downs. The two top priorities for businesses are

the marketing/promotion of the South Downs and the provision of visitor information.

Table 53: Comparative visitor volume and value figures across the National Parks

National Park name

Area (sq

kilometres) Population

Trips a

year

(million)

Visitor

days a

year

(million)

Visitor

spend a

year

(£million)

Brecon Beacons 1344 32,000 4.1 5.1 £220

Broads 305 5,721 7.2 11.3 £419

Cairngorms 4,528 17,000 1.5 0.1 £185

Dartmoor 953 34,000 2.4 3.1 £111

Exmoor 694 10,600 1.4 2.0 £85

Lake District 2,292 42,200 15.8 23.1 £952

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs 1,865 15,600 4 .07 £190

New Forest 570 34,400 12.3 13.5 £123

Northumberland 1,048 2,200 1.5 1.7 £190

North York Moors 1,434 25,000 7 10.7 £411

Peak District 1,437 38,000 8.4 10.4 £356

Pembrokeshire Coast 621 22,800 4.2 13.0 £498

Snowdonia 2,176 25,482 4.27 10.4 £396

South Downs 1,624 110,400 44.7 46.4 £464

Yorkshire Dales 1,769 19,654 9.5 12.6 £400

Note:

Trips is the number of visits made, whilst a visitor day is the number of days spent during the trip. For

example, an overnight visit of 5 days in the Park counts as 1 trip and 5 visitor days. A day visitor will count as 1

trip and 1 visitor day. For the South Downs, based on the average length of an overnight visit of 5 nights, the

1,992,000 visitor days generated by overnight trips to the South Downs, represent approximately 398,000

overnight trips. This figures added to the other day trip figures, provides a total figure of 44,714,000 actual trips

and 464,388,000 visitor days.

Source: Published on http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/learningabout/whatisanationalpark/factsandfigures.

For many of the National Parks, visitor numbers and visitor spend figures have been taken from STEAM

reports, mostly from 2009. We are unable to verify whether the STEAM figures are for direct expenditure only,

or whether they also include indirect expenditure. Thus we would advice that the comparative figures are

treated with a degree of caution. The figures for the New Forest are derived from a volume and value study

carried out by TSE Research/Geoff Broom in 2005. The 2011/12 South Downs figures have been added.

9.1.7 Despite the economic importance of visitor expenditure, a sustainable tourism industry

cannot be predicated on economic factors alone. A key imperative of the Park Authority is

to examine the impact that tourism has on the host community as a whole and the

individuals who make up that community. The community, as hosts to visitors travelling

from outside the park boundary, is vital in the visitor experience and may affect tourism

development by its willingness, or otherwise, to support the tourism industry.

9.1.8 Local resident views of the impacts of tourism was gathered as part of the study and

found that overall there was strong support for tourism. The role played by tourism in

generating jobs and preserving rural services is widely recognised and just over half of all

local residents are likely to support a Visitor Payback Scheme (47% likely and 12% very

likely).

9.1.9 There are concerns, however, among a significant proportion of the community, about

damage to the landscape caused by visits including disturbance to livestock, erosion of

footpaths, dog fouling and litter. Relatively simple actions like providing more visitor

information along footpaths, providing more litter bins and dog bins were perceived to be

needed to tackle these problems.

9.1.10 Damage to wildlife and disturbance of stock as a result of visitors walking off public rights

of way/footpaths or letting their dogs off their leads, along with dog fouling and litter were

also key concerns among land managers and managers of nature conservation and

cultural heritage sites in the South Downs. Many felt that visitor management in the South

Downs could be improved and some of the negative visitor impacts reduced through

better signage of public rights of way and improved education about the meaning of

public access with both visitors that travel away from home and those that live locally.

Currently only 20% of nature conservation and cultural heritage sites produce

interpretation materials which explain the impact of visitors have on the environment,

indicating that further support is needed is widening such provision across these sites as

well as with many other businesses across the South Downs.

9.1.11 The provision of these and other measures to manage visitor impacts will need support

from the National Park Authority. From the perspective of many businesses based in the

South Downs, the National Park Authority will play a key role in developing the South

Downs as a sustainable tourism destination as well as providing support and information /

advice on sustainability for individual businesses.

9.2 Monitoring the future

9.2.1 In order to understand how the South Downs National Park area continues to perform

economically, socially and environmentally (as required by the VERB sustainable tourism

approach) it will be necessary to maintain an up to date record of key performance

indicators and regular data collection will necessary for this.

9.2.2 The frequency of data collection will of course depend on resources available. It is not

expected that resources will be available in the near future to cover the breadth and

depth of data gathering which took place for this particular research exercise. Instead the

recommendation is to channel smaller budgets into core areas of data needs, and when

more resources are available to explore other research areas which may be for specific

management and/or performance reporting tasks in specific contexts but where there is

no advantage in collecting such data on a regular basis.

9.2.3 To get the greatest value for money out of budgets we recommend considering research

methods which are significantly cheaper than face-to-face interviews and household

surveys. To generate a view of the volume and value of tourism at regular intervals,

existing ‘off-the-shelf’ modelling approaches can be utilised. Both the Cambridge Tourism

Impact Model and the STEAM Model draw on a relatively limited set of local data

including accommodation capacity and structural details of the local tourism economy,

coupled with occupancy surveys and results from national tourism surveys, to generate

estimates of visitor numbers, revenue and employment.

9.2.4 To obtain data on visitor experiences, information needs, perceptions of the South

Downs, reasons for not visiting, and general levels of awareness of the South Downs,

online survey panels offer a relatively simple and affordable research method, with the

additional benefit of a very fast turnaround from survey delivery to the reporting of results.

9.3 Types of data collected

9.3.1 Data that should be collected fall into two broad categories: core and supplementary. It

is our recommendation that core data should be collected on a regular basis, at least

every three to four years, using a nationally consistent, standardised methodology, and

should focus on establishing visitor numbers and the economic value of the South Downs

visitor economy.

9.3.2 In contrast to core data, supplementary data needs are best dealt with on an ad hoc

basis in response to a specific and fairly immediate need that is recognised at the time

and/or in relation to a particular management activity. For example, a specific research

exercise could focus on visitor information requirements conducted at a time when the

South Downs is reviewing its website design and information.

Table 54: Core and secondary visitor data collection

Core data needs Supplementary data needs

• Aggregate number of visitors and visitor days • Spatial patterns of use within the South Downs

• Number of staying visitors

• Visitor information requirements (pre-visit and

on-site)

• Number of leisure day visitor from holiday

accommodation elsewhere

• Visitor experiences (deeper level of

understanding)

• Number of leisure day visitors from homes

outside South Downs

• Determinants of satisfaction/quality or

experience, including:

• Number of leisure visits made by local residents - Importance of park/services/facilities/attributes

• Average spend per day for each of the

categories of visitors described above - Sources of dissatisfaction

• Number of local jobs supported by visitor

expenditure

• Detailed study on reasons for not visiting

including identifying barriers/impediments to

visiting

10 APPENDICES

10.1 Appendix 1: Copy of Business Attitude Survey Questionnaire

10.2 Appendix 2: Copy of Resident Survey Questionnaire

10.3 Appendix 3: Full set of responses for last location visited by county

of residence

Name of location last visited Number Proportion

Base 2356 100.0%

St Catherine's Hill 328 14.9%

Queen Elizabeth Country Park 184 8.3%

Petersfield 112 5.1%

Harting Down 97 4.4%

Petworth 96 4.3%

Butser Hill 73 3.3%

Lewes 68 3.1%

Midhurst 68 3.1%

Arundel 60 2.7%

Twyford Water Meadows 50 2.3%

Ditchling Beacon 47 2.1%

Old Winchester Hill 38 1.7%

Cowdray Ruins 38 1.7%

Alfriston 30 1.4%

Goodwood Country Park 27 1.2%

South Downs Way 24 1.1%

West Meon 24 1.1%

South Harting 23 1.0%

East Dean 22 1.0%

Beachy Head 22 1.0%

Singleton 22 1.0%

The Trundle 22 1.0%

Devil's Dyke 20 0.9%

Pulborough Brooks 19 0.9%

Amberley 19 0.9%

Uppark House 17 0.8%

Stanmer Park 17 0.8%

Birling Gap 16 0.7%

Chanctonbury Ring 15 0.7%

Itchen Abbas 14 0.6%

Firle Beacon 13 0.6%

East Meon 13 0.6%

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum 12 0.5%

Stansted House and Gardens 12 0.5%

Cissbury Ring 12 0.5%

Liss 12 0.5%

Bury Hill 11 0.5%

Kingley Vale 11 0.5%

Storrington 11 0.5%

Seaford 11 0.5%

Seven Sisters Country Park 11 0.5%

Bignor Hill 10 0.5%

Selborne 10 0.5%

Glynde 9 0.4%

Heyshott Down 9 0.4%

Jack & Jill Windmills 9 0.4%

Ditchling village 8 0.4%

Cocking 8 0.4%

Liphook 8 0.4%

Continued overleaf

Slindon 8 0.4%

Lavant 8 0.4%

Buriton 7 0.3%

Alresford 7 0.3%

Ringmer 7 0.3%

Iping Common 6 0.3%

Duncton Hill 6 0.3%

Fernhurst 6 0.3%

Fulking 6 0.3%

Hassocks 6 0.3%

Cuckmere Haven 6 0.3%

West Dean 6 0.3%

Findon 6 0.3%

Steep 6 0.3%

Black Cap 6 0.3%

Winnal Moors 6 0.3%

Chichester 6 0.3%

Kingston 6 0.3%

Plumpton Green 5 0.2%

Milland Valley 5 0.2%

Blackdown 5 0.2%

Meon Valley 5 0.2%

Wickham 5 0.2%

Upham 5 0.2%

Patcham 5 0.2%

Shoreham 5 0.2%

Hawkley Hangers 4 0.2%

Keymer 4 0.2%

Whiteways 4 0.2%

Durford Wood 4 0.2%

Mount Caburn 4 0.2%

Rodmell 4 0.2%

Alice Holt 4 0.2%

Shawford Down 4 0.2%

Hambledon 4 0.2%

Steyning 4 0.2%

Clanfield 3 0.1%

Hinton Ampner 3 0.1%

Stedham 3 0.1%

Graffham 3 0.1%

Lodsworth 3 0.1%

Chawton 3 0.1%

Denton 3 0.1%

Bepton Down 3 0.1%

Treyford 3 0.1%

Eastbourne 3 0.1%

Spring Head 2 0.1%

West Burton 2 0.1%

Fittleworth 2 0.1%

Beacon Hill 2 0.1%

Saltdean 2 0.1%

Upper Waltham 2 0.1%

Burpham 2 0.1%

Cheesefoot Head 2 0.1%

Houghton 2 0.1%

Stoughton 2 0.1%

Continued overleaf

Lavington 2 0.1%

Colden Common 2 0.1%

Sutton 2 0.1%

Friston 2 0.1%

Rottingdean 2 0.1%

Rackam Hill 2 0.1%

Tilton Hill 2 0.1%

Morestead 2 0.1%

Ebernoe Common 2 0.1%

Five Bridges Lane 2 0.1%

Alton 2 0.1%

Haslemere 2 0.1%

Lamport Bottom 2 0.1%

Sheffield Park 1 0.0%

Grittenham Farm 1 0.0%

Hooksway 1 0.0%

Sturrington Warren 1 0.0%

Hesworth Common 1 0.0%

Nymans Gardens 1 0.0%

Clayton Windmills 1 0.0%

Cowfold 1 0.0%

Peacehaven 1 0.0%

West Moors 1 0.0%

St Giles Hill 1 0.0%

Overton 1 0.0%

Staunton Country Park 1 0.0%

Sheet 1 0.0%

The Burgh 1 0.0%

Rogate 1 0.0%

Offham 1 0.0%

Southover Grange 1 0.0%

West Harting 1 0.0%

Hollingbury Park/Hillfort 1 0.0%

Kithurst Hill 1 0.0%

North Chapel 1 0.0%

Droxford 1 0.0%

North Stoke 1 0.0%

The Hangers 1 0.0%

Lancing Ring 1 0.0%

Newhaven 1 0.0%

Arlington Reservoir 1 0.0%

Horndean 1 0.0%

Bramber Castle 1 0.0%

Parham 1 0.0%

Iron Hill 1 0.0%

West Chillington 1 0.0%

Halstead 1 0.0%

Litlington 1 0.0%

Bo Peep 1 0.0%

West Tisted 1 0.0%

Ashdown Forest 1 0.0%

Woolbeding 1 0.0%

Don't recall/too many to mention 234 3.9%

10.4 Appendix 4: Full list of responses from residents of actions which

will encourage visits

Number of times mentioned

1 Better signage on pathways/more maps 75

2 More dog bins 66

3 Better maintenance of pathways 61

4 Better public transport 51

5 More rubbish bins 43

6 Extra car parking 34

7 More benches 33

8 Better control of dogs/dog fouling/more signs 15

9 Provide toilets 15

10 Empty rubbish bins 11

11 Special tracks for horses and bikes 10

12 Better advertising 9

13 More rangers 9

14 Better maintenance of car parks/mark bays 6

15 More organised coach trips 6

16 More public information about events 6

17 Put walks/maps on internet 6

18 Improved access for disabled/pushchairs 5

19 Maze needs maintenance 5

20 More tea rooms 5

21 Signs on entering and leaving National Park 5

22 Weir clearing 5

23 Guided walks 4

24 Control building 3

25 Free parking 3

26 More picnic areas 3

27 More toilets 3

28 Water tap in car parks for dogs 3

29 Areas to lock bikes 2

30 Fence weir off for safety 2

31 Higher penalties for dog fouling 2

32 Less signage/bureaucracy 2

33 Number to dial for ranger 2

34 Restrictions on where can cycle 2

35 Stiles are awkward for a lot of people/install gates 2

36 Traffic congestion 2

37 Better vehicle access 1

38 Car park permit to cover multiple car parks 1

39 Charges for dog walkers 1

40 Don't fence areas off 1

41 Drop off points for visitors 1

42 Higher penalties for fly tippers 1

43 Improve fencing onto farmland 1

44 Improve toilets 1

45 Increase amount of hedgerows 1

46 Keep livestock under control 1

47 Less commercialism 1

48 Less restriction on activities 1

49 More bike hire locations 1

50 More campsites 1

51 More parking with views 1

52 Signs to say about closing gates 1

53 Stiles need repairing 1

54 Stop pheasant shooting 1

10.5 Appendix 5: Copy of Visitor Survey Questionnaire

10.6 Appendix 6: Full list of visitor place of residence split by county

All

Holiday-

maker

VFR

visitor

Leisure

day

visitor

Short

trip day

visitor

Other

visit type

Hampshire 29.4% 4.6% 12.4% 36.2% 34.8% 23.0%

West Sussex 20.3% 3.3% 13.0% 22.3% 30.0% 24.9%

East Sussex 17.2% 5.2% 11.3% 18.0% 26.2% 20.6%

Surrey 10.1% 7.2% 7.6% 12.7% 4.4% 10.5%

Greater London 5.2% 12.2% 9.6% 4.0% 1.5% 5.7%

Kent 3.4% 7.4% 5.6% 2.8% 0.8% 5.7%

Essex 1.5% 6.2% 2.3% 0.6% 0.3% -

Berkshire 1.4% 2.5% 1.7% 1.3% 0.7% 0.5%

Somerset (including Bristol) 0.7% 2.5% 3.7% 0.2% - 1.0%

Hertfordshire 0.7% 3.3% 1.1% 0.2% 0.1% -

Dorset 0.6% 1.4% 2.5% 0.4% 0.2% 0.5%

Oxfordshire 0.6% 1.7% 2.3% 0.3% 0.2% -

West Midlands 0.5% 3.3% 0.8% - - -

Lancashire 0.4% 2.5% 0.8% - - 0.5%

Devon 0.4% 1.9% 1.1% 0.1% - 1.0%

Cheshire 0.4% 2.0% 1.4% - - -

Norfolk 0.4% 2.0% 0.8% - 0.1% -

Buckinghamshire 0.4% 1.0% 0.6% 0.2% - 1.0%

Suffolk 0.4% 1.8% 0.8% 0.1% - -

Yorkshire - West 0.3% 1.8% 0.8% - 0.1% -

Cambridgeshire 0.3% 1.1% 1.4% 0.1% 0.1% 1.0%

Leicestershire 0.3% 1.9% 0.3% 0.0% - -

Nottinghamshire 0.3% 1.7% 1.1% - - -

Wiltshire 0.3% 1.2% 0.3% 0.2% - 0.5%

Scotland 0.3% 1.4% 1.1% - - 1.0%

Gloucestershire 0.3% 1.6% 0.3% 0.0% 0.1% -

Yorkshire - South 0.3% 1.5% 0.6% 0.0% 0.1% -

Bedfordshire 0.3% 1.1% 0.8% 0.1% 0.2% -

Yorkshire - North 0.3% 1.4% 0.6% 0.0% - 0.5%

Derbyshire 0.3% 0.7% 2.0% 0.0% - 0.5%

Isle of Wight 0.3% 1.0% 0.6% 0.1% 0.1% -

Lincolnshire 0.3% 1.4% 0.6% - - 0.5%

Wales - South 0.2% 1.1% 0.6% 0.0% - 1.0%

Warwickshire 0.2% 1.1% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0.5%

Cumbria 0.2% 0.6% 1.4% 0.0% - -

Northamptonshire 0.2% 0.9% 0.8% 0.0% - -

Shropshire 0.2% 0.6% 1.1% - - -

Staffordshire 0.2% 0.9% 0.6% - - -

Merseyside 0.1% 0.4% 0.8% 0.0% - -

Cornwall (and Scilly Isles) 0.1% 0.3% 1.1% - - -

Worcestershire 0.1% 0.5% 0.6% - - -

Durham 0.1% 0.5% 0.3% - - -

Greater Manchester 0.1% 0.5% 0.3% - - -

Tyne & Wear 0.1% 0.4% 0.6% - - -

Northern Ireland 0.1% 0.6% - - - -

Channel Islands 0.1% 0.3% 0.6% - - -

Northumberland 0.1% 0.2% 0.6% 0.0% - -

Yorkshire - East 0.1% 0.4% 0.3% - - -

Cleveland (Tees Valley) 0.0% 0.1% - - 0.1% -

Herefordshire 0.0% 0.2% - - - -

Isle of Man 0.0% 0.2% - - - -

Wales - Mid 0.0% 0.1% 0.3% - - -

10.7 Appendix 7: Full list of visitor place of residence split by country

All

Holiday-

maker

VFR

visitor

Leisure

day

visitor

Short trip

day

visitor

Other

visit type

Country live in 325 255 36 9 3 22

Germany 16.9% 18.4% 11.1% 11.1% - 13.6%

Netherlands 14.2% 16.5% 2.8% - - 13.6%

Australia 9.5% 7.8% 25.0% - 33.3% 4.5%

France 9.2% 8.2% 8.3% - - 27.3%

United States 8.0% 7.5% 13.9% 11.1% - 4.5%

Belgium 5.5% 6.3% 2.8% - - 4.5%

Switzerland 3.1% 3.9% - - - -

Italy 2.8% 3.1% - 11.1% - -

New Zealand 2.2% 2.0% 2.8% - - 4.5%

Japan 2.2% 2.0% - - - 9.1%

Republic of Ireland 2.2% 2.4% 2.8% - - -

Sweden 1.8% 2.4% - - - -

Norway 1.8% 2.0% - - 33.3% -

Canada 1.5% 1.6% 2.8% - - -

Spain 1.5% 1.2% 2.8% - - 4.5%

Korea 1.5% 1.6% - 11.1% - -

Austria 1.2% 0.8% 2.8% 11.1% - -

Denmark 1.2% 1.2% 2.8% - - -

Portugal 1.2% 0.8% 2.8% 11.1% - -

China 1.2% 1.2% - 11.1% - -

South Africa 1.2% 1.2% 2.8% - - -

Brazil 0.9% 0.8% - - - 4.5%

Hong Kong 0.9% 0.8% 2.8% - - -

United Arab Emirates 0.6% 0.4% - - 33.3% -

Czech Republic 0.6% 0.4% - - - 4.5%

Hungary 0.6% 0.4% 2.8% - - -

Mexico 0.6% 0.8% - - - -

India 0.6% 0.4% - 11.1% - -

Finland 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Greece 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Turkey 0.3% - - - - 4.5%

Oman 0.3% - 2.8% - - -

Poland 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Slovakia 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Chile 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Bermuda 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Guyana 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Jamaica 0.3% - 2.8% - - -

Russia 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Zimbabwe 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Thailand 0.3% - 2.8% - - -

Kenya 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Mozambique 0.3% 0.4% - - - -

Philippines 0.3% - - 11.1% - -

10.8 Appendix 8: Full list of responses on reasons for visiting split by

visit type

MAIN REASON All

Holiday-

maker

VFR

visitor

Leisure

day

visitor

Short trip

day

visitor

Other

visit type

Go for a walk 29% 22% 23% 31% 35% 15%

Take the dog for a walk 8% 3% 4% 5% 29% 3%

Walk or ride the South Downs Way 3% 8% 2% 2% 1% 3%

Meet up with friends/family 5% 4% 33% 4% 3% 1%

Relax and find peace/tranquillity 3% 5% 3% 3% 3% 1%

Get fresh air/enjoy great views 9% 15% 7% 9% 6% 5%

Go to be inspired and generally feel better at end 0% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0%

Get to easily from home/close to home 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% 1%

Find amenities like public loos/ice cream van 0% 0% - 0% 0% 3%

Visit an attraction 19% 29% 14% 22% 3% 8%

Have a picnic 2% 1% 2% 3% 1% 1%

Go on a special shopping trip 2% 2% 2% 2% 3% 3%

Visit a pub 1% 0% 2% 1% 1% 1%

Visit a tea room/restaurant 4% 4% 2% 4% 3% 8%

Cycle around 3% 1% 1% 4% 3% 0%

Ride my/a horse 0% - - 0% 0% -

Observe wildlife/fauna & flora 2% 1% 2% 3% 1% 3%

Go canoeing/other watersports 0% 0% - 0% - 0%

Go fishing 0% - 0% 0% - -

Go paragliding/hang gliding 0% 0% - 0% 0% -

Take part in other sports 1% 0% 1% 1% 2% 1%

Attend an event 3% 1% 2% 3% 2% 7%

None of the above 0% 0% - 0% 0% 7%

Other 2% 2% 1% 2% 1% 27%

OTHER REASON All

Holiday-

maker

VFR

visitor

Leisure

day

visitor

Short trip

day

visitor

Other

visit type

Go for a walk 28% 29% 33% 31% 18% 26%

Take the dog for a walk 7% 4% 7% 7% 12% 1%

Walk or ride the South Downs Way 6% 4% 4% 6% 6% 8%

Meet up with friends/family 17% 9% 26% 19% 14% 13%

Relax and find peace/tranquillity 35% 32% 25% 38% 33% 23%

Get fresh air/enjoy great views 56% 48% 48% 60% 60% 36%

Go to be inspired and generally feel better at end 26% 21% 20% 30% 22% 19%

Get to easily from home/close to home 20% 3% 7% 26% 26% 9%

Find amenities like public loos/ice cream van 14% 14% 11% 15% 13% 15%

Visit an attraction 10% 9% 10% 11% 6% 7%

Have a picnic 17% 8% 12% 22% 12% 7%

Go on a special shopping trip 4% 4% 3% 4% 3% 3%

Visit a pub 18% 15% 19% 19% 17% 10%

Visit a tea room/restaurant 44% 45% 39% 49% 31% 41%

Cycle around 6% 2% 1% 9% 5% 2%

Ride my/a horse 1% 0% - 1% 0% -

Observe wildlife/fauna & flora 24% 19% 18% 27% 20% 14%

Go canoeing/other watersports 0% 1% - 0% 0% -

Go fishing 1% 0% - 1% 1% 1%

Go paragliding/hang gliding 0% - - 0% 0% -

Take part in other sports 1% 0% 1% 2% 2% -

Attend an event 5% 2% 2% 6% 4% 3%

None of the above 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 3%

Other 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 5%

10.9 Appendix 9: Full list of responses on information uses used split by

visit type

Sources of information used to plan visit - Visiting as part of a holiday

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 29%

Radio/TV 1%

Printed press 9%

Websites 34%

Specialist publications 16%

Social media networks 3%

Visitor Information Centre 8%

Signage 6%

Maps 25%

Satellite Navigation/GPS device 12%

Friends/relatives/contacts 12%

Mobile phone app 1%

Other 5%

Sources of information used to plan visit - Visiting whilst seeing

friends/relatives

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 54%

Radio/TV 1%

Printed press 2%

Websites 16%

Specialist publications 5%

Social media networks 1%

Visitor Information Centre 2%

Signage 3%

Maps 9%

Satellite Navigation/GPS device 5%

Friends/relatives/contacts 32%

Mobile phone app 1%

Other 2%

Sources of information used to plan visit - Visiting from home for a leisure day

out

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 74%

Radio/TV 0%

Printed press 2%

Websites 14%

Specialist publications 5%

Social media networks 1%

Visitor Information Centre 2%

Signage 4%

Maps 10%

Satellite Navigation/GPS device 5%

Friends/relatives/contacts 4%

Mobile phone app 0%

Other 1%

Sources of information used to plan visit - Visiting from home for a short trip

Did not use any/relied on personal knowledge 88%

Radio/TV 0%

Printed press 1%

Websites 5%

Specialist publications 1%

Social media networks 0%

Visitor Information Centre 0%

Signage 2%

Maps 7%

Satellite Navigation/GPS device 2%

Friends/relatives/contacts 2%

Mobile phone app 1%

Other 0%