Market Towns
...tourisms role in rural regeneration
Traditionally small rural towns have been at the heart of rural life in England, acting as focal points for commercial, social and recreational activity. However these rural towns and villages have seen a decline in fortunes as a result of various economic and social changes.
Rural towns and villages represent a great tourism resource in the South East. They can act as a base for accommodation, shopping, places to eat and drink and other visitor services. They are a gateway to the surrounding countryside through information and transport links and are often an attraction in their own right through their character and heritage.
Tourism South East aims to promote the vitality and viability of small rural towns and villages through tourism, offering support and advice in tackling the challenges they face in developing their tourism potential.
Tourism can provide the impetus for the revitalisation of rural towns and villages, helping to support prosperity, generating spend, creating employment and supporting the viability of a wider range of facilities and services for local communities.
Tourism development needs to be carefully researched, planned and managed in order to minimise any negative social or environmental impacts from increased visitor numbers. TSE in partnership with the Countryside Agency (now Natural England), has produced a tool called the Rural Town Tourism Guidance Notes for rural towns to enable local groups/partnerships to understand, research and exploit the potential for their town as a tourism destination.
The step by step guidance notes are being used by town partnerships both across the South East and nationally as a key tool to develop their towns' appropriate tourism potential. The guidance helps towns to develop effective partnerships, outlines the necessary steps that should be adopted to maximise the tourism potential and provides advice on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Finally bringing everything together to create a tourism vision and action plan.
We welcome your feedback on the tourism guidance notes, as well as any case studies that you may like to share from your expereinces. Please contact the Development Team.
Details of TSE supported small rural towns and villages can be found here. TSE supported small rural towns and villages.