New approaches to sustainable tourism in Devon

Abstract

Devon can lay claim to being one of England's favourite counties. It possesses an outstanding environment, and also serves as a year-round premier tourism destination. Devon County Council (DCC) is adopting innovative approaches to providing high-quality sustainable tourism. These approaches promote year-round sustainable tourism through initiatives such as a new customer-focused tourism web portal, managing England's first natural World Heritage Site and integrating tourism and economic development in a remote rural area. Devon is also enhancing opportunities for people to enjoy access to the countryside. Linked to DCC's status as a Centre of Excellence for Transport Planning, the county council's sustainable travel initiatives include improving facilities for walking, cycling and leisure travel by public transport. This paper assesses the successes and challenges of strategic approaches to sustainable tourism with particular emphasis on transport networks.