Lake District National Park Case Study - Tourism - Geog GCSE

The Lake District has:
Stunning Scenery
-such as mountains and lakes 

Many Activities:

• ferry cruises on the lakes
• small boats are allowed on many lakes
  -for example, can hire rowing boats or go windsailing
• fishing is very popular
• walking is one of the most popular attractions

 Cultural Attractions:

• Many writers and artists lived in the area - such as John Ruskin
• Many people visit Beatrix Potter's and William Wordsworth's houses 

There are many more tourists than residents in the National Park - with 12 million tourists a year compared with 42000 residents
There are both negative and positive impacts

Traffic Problems:

• Most tourists travel by car to the Lake District, often for just a day trip
• Many of the roads are narrow and winding
• Buses, coaches and delivery vehicles have to use the roads, too
• Queues are a common problem - particularly at the end of the day when tourists are going home
• Many of the towns were not built for heavy traffic and so congestion and parking are serious problems
• Even though a new car park has been built in Bowness and another has been extended, it is still inadequate
  -This can lead to people parking on grass verges at the sides of roads, which can cause damage.

Honeypots:
The Lake District has a number of honeypot sites which can attract hundreds of visitors daily, such as:

• Beauty spots
• Small shopping centres
• Historic houses

These attractions help the local economy and provides jobs to locals, who could run things such as hotels, cafés and restaurants, gift shops and boat hires.

Some footpaths become eroded - such as on Cat Bells as this a small mountain, so is easy to climb.

• Several areas across the national park have a scarred landscape

Environmental Issues:
Water sports are not allowed on some lakes as wash from faster vehicles can erode the shore. Fuel spills also occur - which is polluting.

Tourism puts Pressure on Property:

20% of the property is either a second home or holiday let accommodation

Some people can make a good income by letting property

Issues:

• The holiday accommodation and second homes are not occupied all year round
• Holiday makers don't always support local businesses
• Demand for property from tourists increases the property prices. 
  -This causes problems for locals who want to buy property but can't afford it, so have to leave the area. 

The park aim to limit tourist impact rather than discourage visitors

Traffic Solutions:

• Good roads to move traffic in and out of the district as efficiently as possible
• Roads to link towns and honeypots
• Traffic can be slowed down, e.g. with a speed limit
• Heavy lorries should be kept off scenic roads or smaller/narrower roads

• Public transport could be improved in the area, for example by making bus lanes - however the narrow roads limit this.
• Park-and-ride schemes encourage people to leave their cars at the edge of the National Park and take the bus. This is also cheaper than town car parks

Footpaths:

• Repair footpaths - improves appearance and encourages people to stick to them
• Reinforce path surfaces - reduces future damage
• Signposting routes reduces the number of paths

Parking:

• Fence off roadsides so verges aren't damaged
• New car parks developed - hidden by tree planting (more attractive)
• Reinforce car park surfaces - prevents damage

Litter:

• Bins should be provided and regularly emptied
• Designated picnic areas means litter is in fewer places
• Signs encourage people to be responsible with litter

Property prices:

• Management strategies can't control house prices
• Local authorities could build more houses for rent
• Developers could build more low cost houses for sale

Environmental Issues:

• Speed limits for boats can limit the amount of wash caused
  -To prevent all erosion from occurring, the speed limit would have to be very low - however this goes against the pleasure of the sport
• Some of the noisiest and most damaging sports can be limited to a certain part of the lake

Farming:

Tourism and farming can be conflicting:
-tourists can trample crops

However, they can also be beneficial
-Farmers can make money from B&B accommodation, holiday cottages from barn conversions, caravan and camping sites

Employment:

Many jobs are created through tourism

Business can thrive and make a profit
-however this can be seasonal and visitor numbers can be unpredictable