Calls for better tourism promotion

MORE should be done to promote tourism away from the Dorset coast – with attractions in several towns not included in a Dorset Council visitor management plan.

More hould be done to promote tourism away from the Dorset coast – with attractions in several towns not included in a Dorset Council visitor management plan.

The claim comes from several councillors representing inland areas.

Cllr Belinda Bawden (Green Lyme Regis and Charmouth) said she was concerned that sustainable tourism had not been embedded adequately within tourism strategies for Dorset.

“Visitors are bypassing Dorset altogether because Cornwall, in particular, and Devon, had a reputation for being environmentally friendly and welcoming and that was what people wanted to do when they went on holiday,” she said.

“Dorset can show huge leadership here, we can put our policies into practice… this report misses an opportunity to highlight sustainable tourism,” she told the Places and Resources Overview committee.

The meeting heard that one of the messages from the study is that the unitary council will not be able to promote everything on its own – and will need the help of town councils and other organisations.

Other councillors told the Dorchester meeting that little mention had been made of towns such as Blandford, Shaftesbury and Gillingham, although Upwey and Broadwey councillor, David Northam (Lib Dem), moaned that Weymouth had been restricted to a mention about its award-winning beach, with no mention of its nature reserves, Nothe Fort and other listed buildings or the historic harbourside.

Said Cllr Piers Brown (Con, Cranborne Chase) “What we need to do is make sure that there is parity in marketing between coast and countryside… some of our countryside is the best in the world.”

He said Dorset could do more to persuade visitors to Cornwall from the Greater London area to have overnight stops in places like Sherborne or Shaftesbury.

He also called for more effort to be made in promoting specialist events in the county – pointing out that Tankfest attracted 10,000 visitors a day over three days.

Wimborne councillor Shane Bartlett (Lib Dem) said that a promise local members would be involved in almost everything to do with their wards seemed not to have worked in his case. He said he had not been invited to any meeting involving planning for tourism and had heard nothing about a market towns strategy since it was first mentioned.