Cumbria Coastal Route Viability Study Final Report
Expansion of the Cumbria Coastal Route
Viability Study Report
Prepared for Cumbria Tourism
February 2025
Title Here
Report completed/submitted by:
Proof check completed by:
Date: 12 February 2025
Report reviewed by:
Sheona Southern and Lauren Newby
Date: 12 February 2025
Sheona Southern, Lauren Newby, Richard Weaver, Chris Fox, Olivia Wilson, Amarilis Herrera and Harry Gover
Executive summary
Introduction
Cumbria Tourism (CT), Cumberland Council (CC) and Westmorland and Furness Council (WFC) commissioned GC Insight to undertake a viability study to explore and test potential opportunities to develop and expand the Cumbria Coastal Route (CCR), positioning it as a multi-user tourism ‘route’ of national and international significance and appeal, in turn supporting incremental economic growth along the coast and less well-known parts of the county.
Project Methodology
The project was conducted across six stages, outlined below. This viability report focuses on stages 5 and 6 and draws on the findings from the stage 3 Evidence Base Summary that is included in Appendix 1.
Report Scope
This study was developed in consultation with the Steering Group and wider stakeholder group outlined in Appendix 2. The report includes assessment, identification and prioritisation of development opportunities; prioritised key themes; business support needs; relevant target markets and key customer segments relevant to each theme; and concludes with recommendations.
CCR Background
Developing and expanding the CCR is a key strategic objective included in Cumbria’s Destination Management Plan (DMP)1, Cumbria Tourism is Cumbria’s Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and developed the DMP in partnership with key stakeholders and partners. The DMP is the LVEP’s plan to grow the visitor economy in the region and boost economic growth and opportunities for residents. The plan includes an action to further develop CCR and associated attractions, including upgrading and completing the King Charles III Coastal Path, and developing the Cumbria Motorhome strategy to support access and capitalise on the motorhome holiday market. This aims to increase benefits for areas less visited in Cumbria, and in particular outside the peak summer months.
Inception Desk Research & Analysis Consultation Evidence Base Summary Assessment of Potential Reporting
Figure 1: Cumbria Coastal Route Map
The CCR was launched in 2020 to target the motorhome, campervan and caravan market, which had increased in popularity since COVID, and attract them out of the core tourism area of the Central Lake District to explore some of the region’s hidden gems. The five stages of the CCR takes visitors on a journey from Arnside through Morecambe Bay up the Cumbrian coastline to Solway and the city of Carlisle. In 2023 two additional loops were added to the route to help motorhome and campervan owners explore a little further inland: from Carlisle into Hadrian’s Wall Country and from Penrith to Alston and the North Pennines. There are also plans for another loop to incorporate part of the Yorkshire Dales and Southern Lake District.
CCR Ambition
The future ambition for the CCR is to develop and position it alongside other, similar long-distance touring routes – such as: the Wild Atlantic Way2 in Ireland, a 1,600 km route across Ireland divided into 14 stages; the North Coast 500 (NC500) in Scotland, a 500 mile route around the North of Scotland; and international scenic touring routes such as the Hardanger Scenic Route3 in Western Norway.
Implications arising from the evidence base
Recommended key themes
The following key themes emerged from the evidence base report and are recommended to take forward to enhance visitor experiences, services and infrastructure, as well as supporting local businesses and communities:
Outdoor and Adventure Food and Drink Culture and Heritage Slow Tourism and Wellbeing Accessibility Visitor Services Sustainability
Potential development opportunities
Nine development opportunities were identified, through research, as key projects for the future development of the CCR as an inclusive multi-modal route. These collectively aim to provide a roadmap for enhancing the CCR’s offer while fostering sustainable tourism and socio-economic benefit:
• Route storytelling and branding
• Sustainable tourism
• Coordination of tourism asset clusters and integration
• Tourism-driven regeneration via collaboration and partnerships
• Marketing and promotion
Opportunity assessment: scoring matrix and critical success factors
Each of the nine development opportunities was scored against the six critical success factors listed below on a scale of 0-4, with 4 being strongest contribution and zero being negligible or no contribution.
• CSF1: Strategic alignment
• CSF2: Clear targeting and addressing of identified market demand and need
• CSF3: Potential to deliver regenerative socio-economic impact
• CSF4: Alignment with stakeholder aspirations for sustainable tourism
• CSF5: Scope to achieve wider social and community benefits
• CSF6: Development of a clear and coherent story, brand and profile for the CCR
Conclusions and recommendations
CCR Development is a viable proposition
Our overall conclusion is that the extension and development of CCR as an inclusive, multi-modal tourist route focusing on development opportunities outlined below is a viable proposition. Successful realisation requires a sustainable approach across all developments and comprehensive investment in infrastructure, brand and product development, promotion and visitor services. It was clear from stakeholder consultation that a community-based approach to develop the route would be required to avoid any negative effects It was also clear that promotion would need to be phased in and focus on itineraries and elements of the offer that would cope with increased visitor numbers.
Summary assessment of development opportunities
The total CSF assessment scores, prioritised for the nine development opportunities are provided below, alongside a high-level overview of likely costs, investment type, timescales and a ten-year ambition.
1 About this report
Aims of the viability study
Cumbria Tourism (CT), Cumberland Council (CC) and Westmorland and Furness Council (WFC) commissioned GC Insight to undertake a viability study, aiming to explore and test opportunities to develop and expand the CCR, so that its potential as a key component of sustainable tourism in Cumbria can be maximised. The study must demonstrate the extent to which the CCR can be positioned as a multi-user tourism ‘route’ both nationally and internationally, so that the CCR is able to compete amongst a growing number of scenic touring routes, and thus contribute to stimulating tourism-related economic growth on Cumbria’s coastline, and in less frequented parts of the county. By comparison, the NC500 has boosted the Highlands economy by over £20 million per year5 , and tourism revenue on the Wild Atlantic Way has increased by 58% to €3billion per year in the 10 years to 2023.6
Study objectives
There are a number of objectives that this study wishes to pursue:
• Tapping into the growing market for touring routes by enhancing the CCR, which was extended and rebranded as part of the Year of the Coast 2023 to inspire motorhome and campervan owners to explore some of the region’s hidden gems.
• Developing a multi-faceted tourist attraction outside of the ‘core’ visitor area of Cumbria (i.e. the Lake District), that seeks to maximise the potential of less-visited parts of the region.
• Shifting the lens of the visitor economy, so that the peripheral, exterior parts of Cumbria benefit from Cumbria’s visitor economy.
• Helping to reduce the density of particular visitor segments (e.g. campervans) out of the central Lake District, whilst still enabling visitors to access attractions as well as others on the CCR
• Engaging communities to benefit from growth opportunities and enhance their pride in place and stimulate interest in participating in a strategically important sector for Cumbria.
Study approach
The approach to the study is outlined in Figure 1.1 across six stages. This viability report focuses on stages 5 and 6 and draws in the findings from the Evidence Base Summary Report that is included in Appendix 1 and covers finding from the first 4 stages.
Stakeholder consultation was an important consideration for this study to ensure that views of all stakeholders were taken into account Consultation methodology included 1-2-1 interviews, in-person workshops organised geographically to maximise participation, and a wider stakeholder survey distributed to a range of strategic partners and stakeholder channels across Cumbria
Remainder of the report
The remainder of this report is structured as follows:
• Chapter 2 provides a summary of the conclusions and implications drawn from the evidence base report to inform the development of the CCR including recommended key themes and potential development opportunities.
• Chapter 3 outlines the scoring approach taken to assess the potential of the development opportunities identified in the Evidence Base Summary report.
• Chapter 4 presents our conclusions and recommendations including considerations and next steps for taking forward the recommendations.
2 Implications arising from the evidence base
Key points arising from the evidence
The following SWOT analysis summarises the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats presented by the CCR:
Strengths
• High-quality natural assets including coast and landscape
• High proportion of tourist attractions and assets in Cumbria within 5 miles of the route, as well as the top 8-10 attractions in Cumbria within Westmorland & Furness
• Existing road and rail routes on which to build a multi-modal route
• Existing brand on which to develop the route proposition
• Coastal Cumbria is under-developed as a visitor destination – there is capacity to develop the route
• Strategic commitment through DMP and stakeholder intent to develop the route
• Offer on the route is particularly well developed at the southern end of CCR, around South Lakes peninsulas/Furness
• Clusters of new and ongoing development of visitor products along the route, e.g. in Maryport, Whitehaven and Carlisle
Opportunities
• Potential to develop the storyline of the route, something to glue the whole thing together
• Transforming the food and drink sector along the route to transform the offer and its quality
• Co-ordinating across assets and products to develop a critical mass of attractors
• Maximising natural environment, existing offer across culture, food and drink, etc. to develop a strong portfolio of products
• Wider socio-economic benefits and improvements
• Uplift and improvement to urban fabric through tourism-driven regeneration
Weaknesses
• Not currently viewed as an important visitor economy asset for Cumbria
• Significant ‘gap’ between Barrow and Ravenglass for active travel in particular, effectively preventing a multi-modal route
• Lack of critical mass in supporting infrastructure, services and accommodation to make the route a success
• Unreliability of public transport, and age of supporting transport infrastructure
• Quality of accommodation and service product is low at certain points along the route
• Limited availability of eTourism and online booking facilities to support trip planning
• Lack of travel-trade ready product
• Planning/consenting constraints for accommodating overnight stay/hook-up infrastructure and waste management
• Undeveloped nature of some products, e.g. food and drink
Threats
• Ongoing nature of perception of CCR
• Attainability of global route status for CCR, or just acceptance of lower status
• Position of tourism in list of commercial priorities for organisations
• Possible saturation of the marketplace for visitor/tourist routes in UK, and more widely
• Access to funding/financing in a period of ongoing public sector financial constraint, and competition for funds where these are available
• Negative perceptions of visitor routes based on experiences/evidence elsewhere
• Proximity to world-renowned tourism destination in Lake District NP/UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Impact of nearby non-tourism economic activity on the route’s attractiveness
• Current status as a dedicated motorhome route may act against its development as a multi-modal route
• Likely long-term nature of development project for route may actually hamper its promotion
• Potential visitor levy within the Lake District National Park may discourage visitors elsewhere in Cumbria
A comprehensive evidence base was undertaken which drew conclusions and implications to inform the development of the CCR. Key points include:
• A supportive policy environment: The prevailing policy environment illustrates the importance of pandemic recovery, sustainable tourism, and the need to spread the benefits (and impacts) of tourism across Cumbria. The CCR initiative responds to these policy imperatives and provides an opportunity to facilitate sustainable and equitable economic growth. Development of the CCR will support modal shift by visitors through improved public transport links and increased options for active travel. This will require infrastructure investment alongside wayfinding, promotion and flexible ticketing to encourage people to explore by non-car-based means. The inclusion of Cumbria in the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme presents a key opportunity to elevate the CCR as a transformational cross-boundary initiative that can deliver against economic development and transport aspirations
• A transformational opportunity to support growth in an important sector: Tourism presents a significant economic driver in Cumbria, accounting for £4.6bn in revenue (2023) and a major employer (19% of total employment in Cumbria). Some 42.2 million visitors came to Cumbria in 2023. New and enhanced visitor experiences such as the CCR can harness this driver of growth and spread the benefits across the region.
• Leveraging Cumbria’s key visitor themes: Key visitor themes include outdoor and adventure, food and drink, culture and heritage and health and wellbeing. The CCR presents an opportunity to leverage all of these key themes by developing a product offer to capture visitation and spend
• Mitigating key challenges: Analysis of products and themes along the CCR route identifies key challenges which pose a barrier to opportunity realisation. These include fragmented and poorquality infrastructure (transport, visitor services), poor accessibility, under-utilised strengths and assets, and a lack of coordination supporting integration and a seamless offer Addressing these challenges would enhance visitor satisfaction, promote sustainability, and maximise the CCR’s economic and cultural impact.
• A tailored and staged approach to the modal development of the route: The evidence base considered strengths and weaknesses by different modes of transport across each of the five stages of the route and identified the need for targeted investment for each stage, taking into account investment in the road network, walking and cycling infrastructure, public transport provision, provision of parking and facilities, and wayfinding and signage.
• Case Studies - Learning from experiences elsewhere: An assessment of comparable tourist routes and their critical success factors provides valuable insight for the development of the CCR route This assessment drew on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland and the Hardanger Scenic Route in Norway and highlights best practice which provides key learnings relevant to the CCR For example, this includes compelling branding and strategic collaboration, community engagement and ownership, sustainable tourism focus, diverse and dispersed visitor experiences, and a focus on accessibility and connectivity. This research also highlighted the challenges that required careful management including traffic congestion, illegal parking, wild camping, littering, strains on local infrastructure and risk of environmental degradation.
These key findings informed the development of key themes and development opportunities to realise the potential of the CCR
Recommended key themes
In any tourism landscape, destinations must adapt to the evolving needs of visitors and capitalise on their natural and built assets. The following key themes emerged from the evidence base report and are recommended to take forward to enhance visitor experiences, services and infrastructure, as well as supporting local businesses and communities. By investing in the CCR with outdoor recreation, accessibility, cultural engagement and sustainability Cumbria can be positioned as attractive, inclusive, and forward-thinking. Each theme outlined below builds on Cumbria’s existing promotional themes and offers a pathway to elevate the overall appeal of the CCR and resilience of the visitor economy across Cumbria:
• Outdoor and Adventure: Improve active travel options, including cycling and walking paths, with necessary infrastructure upgrades.
• Accessibility: Enhance access to the coastal area by expanding public transport, addressing uneven pathways, implementing integrated ticketing, information and wayfinding, and ensuring accommodation is inclusive along the CCR.
• Food and Drink: Develop and market a local food and drink experience, highlighting regional specialties and encouraging culinary tourism.
• Culture and Heritage: Strengthen the connection between cultural sites and travel routes, with a focus on local history, industrial heritage, and Roman assets.
• Slow Tourism and Wellbeing: Promote extended stays with wellness-focused and immersive experiences.
• Visitor Services: Expand modern services expected by visitors, including EV charging points, motorhome waste disposal, and quality amenities including accommodation and toilets.
• Sustainability: Foster partnerships for eco-friendly travel and infrastructure and adopting a regenerative approach to ensure low-impact tourism.
Potential development opportunities
Nine development opportunities were identified through the research as key projects for the future development of the CCR These development opportunities have been informed by desk research, stakeholder consultation through one-to-one discussions and workshops, and insight gleaned from the case studies of comparator tourist routes, as set out in the Evidence Base Summary report. Collectively, they aim to provide a roadmap for enhancing the CCR’s offer while fostering sustainable tourism and socio-economic benefit. They set out a hierarchy of individual and potentially collective developments that are suitable to act as attractors for visitors. The anticipated benefits from pursuing these development opportunities include:
• Economic Growth: Increase tourism-related businesses and jobs, enhancing local economies.
• Broadened Visitor Base: Attract diverse market segments and encourage visits to less central areas of Cumbria.
• Health and Wellbeing: Encourage physical activity through active travel and enjoyment of the natural environment.
The development opportunities are as follows:
1. Route storytelling and branding: Creating a unified brand for the CCR and a cohesive narrative to connect key attractions, emphasising the themes of slow tourism, heritage and cultural exploration, outdoor, natural environment and health benefits, and creating a compelling marketing strategy.
2. Sustainable tourism: Promoting off-peak travel and dispersing visitors to lesser-known areas; promoting health, wellness, and green tourism experiences; and encouraging eco-friendly infrastructure to minimise environmental disruption while ensuring high-quality visitor amenities.
3. Coordinate tourism asset clusters and integration: Joining up attractions based on geographic proximity, co-ordinating thematic clusters around the existing offer, whilst maximising the natural environment, to develop a strong product portfolio.
4. Tourism diversification and innovation: Encouraging development of varied activities aligned to themes such as outdoor adventures, cultural events, etc., enhancing transport routes and corridors with art installations, and integrating accommodation and travel packages.
5. Food and drink sector transformation: Encouraging the development and promotion of local food and drink offerings across the culinary coast, to create food trails and culinary experiences, including seafood and local produce.
6. Culture and heritage enhancement: Packaging cultural attractions according to visitor market segments to enhance the visitor experience, and to highlight the region’s industrial heritage, Roman history and other historic sites.
7. Infrastructure development: Enhancing transport and accommodation infrastructure to support low carbon and active travel, EV use, and expand accommodation choice across the Route, including specific investment on each stage of the CCR according to identified need.
8. Tourism-driven regeneration via collaboration and partnerships: Increasing collaboration amongst strategic stakeholders and fostering community involvement and buy-in, to increase ownership, pride and stimulate business growth.
Marketing and promotion: Focusing on slow and active travel options, create itineraries for outdoor and nature tourism focused on ‘visitor ready’ offer, targeted at domestic and international market segments, using digital platforms for targeted campaigns The following chapter assesses each of these development opportunities in turn to inform recommendations and conclusions.
3 Opportunity assessment
This chapter outlines the scoring approach and critical success factors which are used to assess the potential of the development opportunities that emerged from research and consultations, listed in the Evidence Base report
Critical Success Factors
The Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the development of the CCR were discussed and refined at a Workshop Session with the Project Steering Group. This session was based on discussion of feedback on the Evidence Base Summary. A draft list of CSFs was developed and subsequently refined and agreed with the Project Steering Group. The CSFs are:
• CSF1: Strategic alignment with the Destination Management Plan for Cumbria 2024-30 (DMP) and other relevant regional strategy, including with regard to sustainability objectives
• CSF2: Clear targeting and addressing of identified market demand and need
• CSF3: Potential to deliver regenerative socio-economic impact along the route, and particularly in less visited areas of Cumbria
• CSF4: Alignment with stakeholder aspirations for and intended benefits of sustainable tourism in Cumbria.
• CSF5: Scope to achieve wider social and community benefits, e.g. shared identity, pride in place, increased community participation and social inclusion, etc.
• CSF6: Development of a clear and coherent story, brand and profile for the CCR, and for less visited areas of Cumbria.
Scoring criteria
The following scoring criteria was used to assess each development opportunity against each of the CSFs outlined above. Each development opportunity is given a score of 0-4, based on the following criteria. The criteria were developed based on our experience of similar exercises undertaken for business case preparation and appraisal, feasibility and viability studies, and other options appraisal work.
A strong contribution to the achievement of the CSF is made by the development opportunity, with little or no dependency on other factors
The development opportunity makes a moderate contribution to the achievement of the CSF, either with some reliance on other factors, or some issues to resolve in order to realise the contribution 3
A modest contribution to achieving the CSF is possible through the development opportunity There may also be considerable reliance on other factors to realise the contribution.
The development opportunity makes a limited contribution to achieving the CSF in question. 1
Either a negligible or no contribution to achieving the CSF is made by the development opportunity. There may also be some negative social, economic or environmental impacts arising from pursuing the development opportunity. 0
Outline scoring matrix
Based on the above criteria, the following scoring matrix has been used to assess each development opportunity, based on the assessment of our research and consultations, with a maximum score of 24 possible for each opportunity Development opportunities have then been prioritised according to their overall scoring The scoring matrix was shared with the steering group to obtain feedback before completing the assessment.
Assessment of development opportunities
This section outlines our assessment of the impacts of each development opportunity for CCR identified against the scoring matrix criteria and considering critical success factors identified above that will demonstrate strategic fit and benefits to stakeholders.
Each opportunity has been assessed against the criteria to complete the framework, then opportunities have been prioritised based on an overall scoring. Levels of investment, business support and marketing requirements required for each opportunity have been identified.
This included the following insights which were then used to shape the critical success factors:
• Potential to attract visitors – and increase spend to outlying areas
• Potential to drive regeneration and create jobs, underpinning a resilient supply chain
• Potential to support place shaping, celebrating cultural, arts and heritage assets and to challenge and change perceptions and increase pride in communities
• Level of investment and funds required for infrastructure
• What business support and marketing would be required
Opportunity 1: Route Story Telling and Branding (20/24): This opportunity aligns strongly with CSF 1 (Strategic Alignment) and CSF 6 (Branding & Profile). Creating a unified brand and cohesive narrative for the CCR directly supports Cumbria’s Destination Management Plan by emphasising slow tourism, cultural exploration, and health benefits to visitors and also local communities to ensure they understand the benefits and feel that they are part of something bigger, facilitating a collective shared endeavour along the route. It also builds visibility and appeal for lesser-visited areas, helping to address CSF 2 (Market Demand). However, its contribution to CSF 3 (Regenerative Impact) is limited because storytelling alone does not necessarily translate to increased economic benefits in less-frequented areas.
➢ Overall, this opportunity is very well aligned with CSFs and should be amongst the prioritised development opportunities
Opportunity 2: Sustainable Tourism (22/24): This opportunity addresses CSF 1 (Strategic Alignment), CSF 2 (Market Demand), and CSF 3 (Regenerative Impact). Promoting eco-friendly infrastructure, off-peak travel, and wellness tourism supports the DMP’s sustainability goals while catering to growing demand for green travel experiences. Its regenerative potential is high, particularly for quieter areas where dispersed visitation can reduce pressure on hotspots while boosting local economies. However, achieving CSF 5 (Community Benefits) depends on meaningful local engagement to ensure that tourism initiatives align with community needs and foster pride in place.
➢ Overall, this opportunity is very well aligned with CSFs and should be amongst the prioritised development opportunities
Opportunity 3: Coordinate Tourism Clusters (18/24): Tourism clusters align strongly with CSF 1 (Strategic Alignment) and CSF 3 (Regenerative Impact). By grouping attractions geographically or thematically, this approach supports visitor flow, particularly in under-visited areas, and maximises the potential of existing assets. It also fosters stakeholder collaboration (CSF 4) by creating synergies among businesses and attractions. Its contribution to CSF 5 (Community Benefits) is moderate, as clusters often focus on established attractions rather than actively integrating community participation or local narratives.
➢ Overall, this opportunity is well aligned with most CSFs and should be considered alongside the prioritised development opportunities
Opportunity 4: Tourism Diversification and Innovation (16/24): This opportunity aligns to a degree with CSF 2 (Market Demand) by introducing varied activities and creative offerings, such as art installations or integrated travel packages. However, its contribution to CSF 3 (Regenerative Impact) and CSF 5 (Community Benefits) is limited without significant investment and planning. Diversified activities often require robust infrastructure and stakeholder buy-in (CSF 4) to be effective, and their success depends on careful integration with existing themes and visitor preferences. This opportunity also has limited contribution to overall branding, and to have improved alignment diversification opportunities would need to be specific and brandable.
➢ While this is an important opportunity, it lacks a degree of alignment to the CSFs, so is not likely to be an immediate priority relative to others.
Opportunity 5: Food and Drink Sector Transformation (18/24): The food and drink opportunity has a strong alignment with CSF 2 (Market Demand), as the opportunity for food and drink business creation will likely stimulate local and visitor demand. While there is demand for local food experiences this offers moderate contribution compared to the majority of the other CSFs, the exception is the lack of strategic alignment and if this is to be a top priority strategic support would be helpful.
➢ While this is seen as an important opportunity for visitors and stakeholders, without increased strategic alignment it is not likely to be a top priority relative to others.
Opportunity 6: Culture, Natural Capital and Heritage Enhancement (19/24): This opportunity is strongly aligned with CSF 1 (Strategic Alignment), and CSF 6 (Branding & Profile). Cultural assets such as Hadrian’s Wall and industrial heritage sites are key to Cumbria’s tourism appeal and support the DMP’s focus on heritage and place-making. Thematic packaging of attractions by visitor segment can also regenerate quieter areas (CSF 3) by audiences to less-frequented cultural sites. Its community benefits (CSF 5) are less aligned and would require further engagement to ensure local involvement in interpretation and programming.
➢ Overall, this opportunity is well aligned with several CSFs and should be considered alongside the prioritised development opportunities
Opportunity 7: Infrastructure Development (23/24): Infrastructure development is critical for all CSFs. This opportunity has a strong contribution to CSF 1 to 5 and a moderate contribution to CSF 6 (Branding and Marketing). Investments in low-carbon transport, EV infrastructure, and expanded accommodations can significantly enhance accessibility and sustainability across the CCR route. This opportunity will help to meet market demand for improved infrastructure for visitors while also easing pressure on local infrastructure for residents and commuters.
➢ Overall, this opportunity is very well aligned with CSFs and should be amongst the prioritised development opportunities
Opportunity 8: Collaboration Partnerships (19/24): This opportunity aligns well with CSF 1 (Strategic Alignment) and CSF 4 (Stakeholder Alignment), as effective collaboration is essential for achieving sustainable tourism goals and fostering cross-sector cooperation. It also has high potential to deliver on CSF 3 (Regenerative Impact) by integrating local businesses and attractions. Due to the less visible nature of this opportunity being more collaborative rather than marketing focus it makes a limited contribution to CSF 6 (Branding and marketing)
➢ Overall, this opportunity is well aligned with most CSFs and should be considered alongside the prioritised development opportunities
Opportunity 9: Marketing and Promotion (20/24): This opportunity supports CSF 1 (Strategic Alignment) and CSF 6 (Branding & Profile) by raising the visibility of the CCR and emphasizing its themes, such as slow tourism and nature-based travel. While marketing campaigns can address CSF 2 (Market Demand), their impact on CSF 3 (Regenerative Impact) will be limited unless tied to broader strategies, such as promoting lesser-known areas or engaging local communities in storytelling and branding efforts and crucially centring sustainability as a key theme for marketing and promotion To be most effective, promotion will focus on elements of the CCR offer that are more ‘visitor ready’ and will thrive on increased visitor numbers.
➢ Overall, this opportunity is very well aligned with CSFs and should be amongst the prioritised development opportunities
4 Conclusions and recommendations
This section presents our conclusions and recommendations, including considerations and next steps to take forward the recommendations
Conclusions
CCR Development is a viable proposition
Our overall conclusion is that the extension and development of the CCR as an inclusive, multi-modal tourist route that focuses on the prioritised development opportunities outlined in Chapter 3 is a viable proposition. Successful realisation of the CCR as an inclusive multi-modal tourist route requires careful consideration and implementation Due cognisance must be given to alignment of each development opportunity identified through this work to the stated CSFs, and to the strategic ambition of Cumbria as cited through the Cumbria DMP. Consideration must also be given to careful management and mitigation of potential negative impacts through branding, communication and community engagement.
Development and actions must be sustainable
Lessons from case studies were outlined in the Evidence Base and have been considered and drawn upon in selecting and assessing development opportunities for the CCR. It is important to outline the issues and challenges experienced by other successful routes, summarised below, to highlight the context supporting the recommendation for a sustainable approach across all opportunities and actions for the future development of the CCR that will help to mitigate against experiencing similar issues.
While the Hardanger Scenic Route in Norway gained significant popularity among tourists, it also experienced several negative consequences, such as heavy traffic, illegal parking, wild camping, littering, and pollution. These issues led to increasing visitor dissatisfaction, particularly during peak periods. Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) and Innovation Norway took several steps to prevent overtourism, including not marketing, promoting low-emission local transport and activities, refraining from financing non-sustainable projects, and improving destination management.
Similarly, the popularity of Wild Atlantic Way has resulted in negative consequences including increased traffic congestion in the most popular parts and during the peak periods, negatively affecting visitors’ experiences and resulting in strains on local infrastructure and risk of environmental degradation and wildlife disturbance Fáilte Ireland, in order to achieve more balanced regional tourism development, promoted off-peak tourism and less-visited parts of the route. Destination and Experience Development Plans were co-created by local and national stakeholders to create sustainable tourism destinations through actions that disperse tourists across each destination.
The need for a community-based approach to develop the route is highlighted in the case studies as well as in the findings of the stakeholder consultations. The development and implementation plans for CCR need to be phased to align promotion towards itineraries and thematic offer along the route to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities can cope with increased visitor numbers and that visitors receive a quality experience that is sustainable
Comprehensive investment is essential
The case studies highlighted that successful routes secured comprehensive investment and support for infrastructure and product development and maintenance as well as marketing and branding, wayfinding, business support and visitor experience enhancement This was the situation for the development of the Wild Atlantic Way where Fáilte Ireland invested €12 million in capital infrastructure, including route signage and orientation in the first 2 years
What will differentiate CCR from other routes?
Factors that will differentiate the CCR from other routes include the following:
• A truly sustainable approach to developing CCR through the actions set out in Table 4.2 as a multi-modal route will set the route apart from others created in the UK and match the best routes across the globe. The natural environment is a real asset as the route is set against one of the most natural and remote seascapes in England and the route wraps around the most scenic National Park in the country
• The rich collective visitor offer of cultural and heritage attractions and outdoor activities is another clear asset, providing almost half of all the visitor attractions in Cumbria / The Lakes within a 5-mile radius of the route.
• There is already a train line that provides a public transport route and a primary A-road providing car and motorhome connectivity
• The creation of a complete safe active travel route option with visitor services tailored for all mode visitors and enhancement to the food offer will also help to create the step-change to achieve the ambitions of a quality visitor offer.
• A change of name for the route should be considered to create a more appealing and descriptive brand for the route and can be included in the brand development process
Summary assessment and ambitions of prioritised opportunities
Table 4.1 sets out an assessment summary of each development opportunity based on the total assessment score, alongside a high-level overview of likely costs, timescales and a five-year ambition, summarising what success could look like if actions for each development opportunity were delivered
Estimated costs are provided, which have been assessed as low (below £100K), medium (£100-500k) and high (£1m+) An indication of the capital and revenue implication anticipated is also given.
Estimated timescales for each opportunity to be developed and implemented are provided with short term envisaged to be within years 1 and 2, medium term being deliverable within 2 to 5 years and long term 5 years and beyond
Complete safe routes for all travel modes: active travel, public transport & road supported by quality visitor services
Sustainable visitor management and dispersal across the route. Increased sustainability awareness and an increase in the number of active travel visitors
of CCR as an authentic sustainable visitor multi-mode route recognised as the best in the UK
visitor spend exceeding expectations
Visitors stay for longer to enjoy multi-day experiences 3.
thematic clusters and geographic hubs that drive footfall, spend and create jobs
Local food and drink offer and provenance becomes one of the top visitor motivators and increased spend
ecosystem of strong public and private sector partners around a shared vision
visitor services and experiences developed and launched to fill non-peak periods and gaps in offer
Recommendations and next steps
Phased implementation
It is recommended that the prioritised opportunities identified above are progressed and implemented in a phased schedule of strategic priorities with focus initially on short term priorities that can deliver quick wins, including curation of the overall CCR story and branding, packaging and targeted marketing of the existing visitor offer. Establishing collaborative partnerships, cluster work with investment in itineraries then developing and focussing promotion on what is in place already are also short-term priorities.
Some of the longer-term priorities should start to be progressed to instigate the programme of work for later phases and build CCR ambitions and development requirements into other relevant strategic activity. Initial focus should be given to start to establish the ambition for CCR development, gain support for the medium and longer-term opportunities that require higher levels of investment and embedding in policy. In particular, resource will be required to secure funding for opportunities that need capital investment. For example, transport infrastructure and product enhancement required to fill gaps in the visitor offer e.g. the food offer, creative heritage and natural capital interpretation and installations as well as tourism diversification such as creation of visitor parking and service areas from disused land and property
Partnership delivery approach
Suggested organisations to take the lead to progress each opportunity are provided in the tables below along with the main supporting partners. A collaborative partnership approach is critical to develop and deliver against the strategic priorities, steered by the Cumbria DMP CCR Sub-Group with input from existing partnership organisations. Local Authorities (LAs) refer to Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. Transport organisations include Northern Rail, Stagecoach and other relevant transport providers. Landowners and custodians are also key to support and drive delivery including LDNPA, National Trust, and Forestry England
Short, medium and longer-term priorities
Short-term: 1 – 2 Years
Summary priorities and lead organisations for the four short-term development opportunities recommended for immediate short-term focus during the first year are outlined in Table 4.2. Cumbria Tourism is identified as playing a lead role in the short term, raising the profile of the CCR programme and facilitating the process to secure buy in, encouraging key partners to identify their leadership roles within the development opportunities
1.Route storytelling and branding 20 ▪ Curate overarching unified brand for CCR including overall brand vision, key emotional and rational brand attributes. Consider sustainability as underpinning proposition with potential aligned route name change
▪ Develop a cohesive narrative with key messaging that includes key attractions and assets and emphasise themes of slow tourism, heritage and cultural exploration, outdoor, natural environment and health benefits. Include wider assets, attractors, links to other routes/pathways (e.g. Coast to Coast), and extension of route when relevant, e.g. Lake District Peninsulas, Hadrian’s Wall, and with community consultation/support
▪ Develop brand toolkit and communicate / distribute to partners
▪ Develop route waymarking for the CCR to accompany branding and ensure early establishment of the route.
9.Marketing and promotion
20 ▪ Create compelling marketing strategy with digital promotion, domestic and international marketing campaigns, for target markets.
Cumbria Tourism (VisitEngland, DMP CCR Subgroup and
Table 4.2: Actions for short-term opportunities
Cumbria Tourism (LAs, LDNPA)
8.Collaboration and partnerships
▪ Develop multi-mode visitor facing campaign including bookable product. Focus on slow and active travel, outdoor and nature tourism targeted at domestic and international market segments.
▪ Deliver campaign including partnership support / toolkit to distribute campaign via their channels.
Map tourism businesses & organisations around geographic hubs, themes and travel modes/transport hubs including safety audit of current transport provision to ensure it is fit for purpose and marketing is aligned to the offer
▪ Coordinate thematic clusters, maximise natural environment, existing offer across culture, food and drink to develop a strong portfolio of products.
▪ Create nodes around public transport hubs to disperse visitors effectively
▪ Establish CCR Partnership as a DMP sub-group to support CCR development & implementation plans including
▪ Drive business growth through tourism-driven business development and support.
▪ Foster local community confidence and involvement to build ownership and pride.
▪ Elevate profile of CCR in the delivery of LA economic strategies, as well as a transformational cross-boundary initiative aligned to devolution aspirations. This will support casemaking for investment.
Cumbria Tourism (LAs, LDNPA)
Cumbria Tourism (DMP CCR Subgroup, LAs, LDNPA, Business Support services/agencies, Civic Society, local tourism partnerships, e.g. Western Lake District Tourism Partnership
Medium-term: 2-5 years
Summary priorities and suggested lead organisations for development opportunities assessed as being deliverable over the medium-term are outlined in Table 4.3 Greater involvement will be required from a wide range of partners to deliver these opportunities The opportunity presented by the inclusion of Cumbria in the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme presents a key mechanism for unlocking funding and powers This presents a significant opportunity to elevate the CCR as a transformational cross-boundary initiative that can drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth and regenerative impact across Cumbria and secure investment to deliver against a shared vision.
2. Sustainable
22 ▪ Align CCR sustainability aims with relevant strategy/policy
▪ Embed sustainability as an underpinning thread in CCR brand
▪ Promote health, wellness, and sustainable activities like walking trails and wildlife tours as well as off-peak travel and lesser-known areas (e.g. Solway coastline) to ensure visitor numbers are managed
LAs/Enterprising Cumbria (Cumbria Tourism, Transport organisations, LDNPA)
Longer-term: 5+ years
▪ Develop and deliver improved marketing of multi-modal options e.g. train, active travel including bike hire combinations
▪ Encourage eco-friendly infrastructure such as rest areas and signage to minimise environmental disruption while ensuring high-quality visitor amenities.
▪ Enhance visitor education about conservation to minimise the environmental impact of the CCR
▪ Secure funding for eco-friendly transport infrastructure along the route to meet the needs of electric vehicles and charging, in close proximity to accommodation.
▪ Coordinate suppliers/partners/stakeholders to provide ecofriendly travel offer that links between accommodation, activities, and services
▪ Undertake feasibility work and casemaking to make the case for investment in enhanced public transport provision along the route.
▪ Explore feasibility of tourism levy schemes to provide a funding mechanism for investment in places along the route, being mindful of timeliness of introducing any schemes whilst the project is in a development phase
▪ Coordinate packaged authentic cultural and nature-based multi-day itineraries and experiences highlighting natural assets as well as industrial heritage, Roman history, and historic sites. Include active travel and train components, and maximise the benefit of existing itineraries along/around the route.
▪ Investigate slow tourism and health and wellbeing experience opportunities and identify suppliers to develop visitor packages and itineraries
▪ Audit existing offer and develop CCR food and drink experiences, itineraries/trails, with focus on regional specialties, seafood and local produce. Include active travel opportunities to support packaging and itineraries
▪ Promote Food and Drink offer via specific Culinary Coast campaign and / or part of Cumbria Food and Drink promotions, and Cumberland Food and Drink project, encouraging culinary tourism.
▪ Encourage accommodation and attractions to develop and promote local food offer and integrate "food tourism" experiences (e.g., culinary workshops, foraging tours)
Cumbria
(Transport, LAs, LDNPA)
Cumbria Tourism (LAs, Business Advisers and Suppliers)
Cumbria Tourism (LAs, Food & Drink business cluster)
Summary priorities and suggested lead organisations for development opportunities assessed as being deliverable over the longer-term are outlined in Table 4.4.
6. Culture, natural capital and heritage enhancement
Tourism
5. Food and drink transformation
7. Infrastructure development 23
▪ Develop a comprehensive investment approach covering route development and maintenance, marketing and branding, business support, and visitor experience enhancement.
Transport & Connectivity
▪ Expand EV charging network along the route in close proximity to visitor hubs, accommodation and attractions
▪ Improve frequency, reliability and quality of public transport options and integration to support non-road route users.
▪ Improve safety for active travellers away from motor traffic, could include paths, disused railways, quiet lanes, minor roads or road widening and crawler lanes at pinch points e.g. near Duddon Bridge (A595).
▪ Complete traffic-free active travel routes along the entire CCR (e.g. in NCN72, and between this route and NCN70) and / or provide public transport for walkers/cyclists
▪ Make the case for rail connection developments and improvements (listed on p11 in Evidence base) outlined in the Cumbria Transport Infrastructure Plan that improve the visitor offer as well as providing resident benefits
• Support and secure specific infrastructure investment for each CCR stage to improve accessibility, reliability, capacity and quality visitor experience, including:
o Morecambe Bay to Ulverston – Targeted investment in walking and cycling infrastructure to connect the route.
o Ulverston to Haverigg – extension of the King Charles III path around the estuary to improve the walking offer. Improved visitor infrastructure aligned to new projects such as the Community Hubs project in Barrow. Walking and cycling infrastructure investment alongside the Grizebeck Bypass to improve connectivity.
o Haverigg to Seascale – investment across all transport modes including improvements to wayfinding for walking and cyclists, integrated public transport and provision of parking and facilities for motorhomes, as well as enhancements to the Esk crossing
o Seascale to Maryport – continued investment in the road network, improvements to parking/facilities for motorhomes and to walking and cycling infrastructure
o Maryport to Carlisle – wayfinding and visitor services for walking and cycling routes
Visitor Services, Facilities & Wayfinding
▪ Develop accommodation offer across the route including “glamping” to support farm diversification
LAs (Transport, Cumbria Tourism, LDNPA, Sustrans, NHLF, Borderlands Partnership, VisitEngland)
LAs (Transport, Cumbria Tourism, LDNPA, Sustrans, NHLF, Borderlands
▪ Improve visitor services, fill gaps in particular in the middle and northern sections and support active travellers e.g. solar showers.
▪ If motorhome traffic increases, additional facilities will be required e.g. waste disposal points, parking and overnight facilities.
▪ Increase accessibility by introducing signage and rest facilities, especially across the more rural sections of The England Coastal Path and National Cycle Route 10.
▪ Explore funding for sustainable infrastructure that integrates with the natural landscape e.g. eco-friendly rest areas, conservation of natural habitats and low-impact lighting
Work with suppliers / partners to encourage development of new activities aligned to themes such as outdoor adventures, cultural events, wellbeing activities and wild swimming.
▪ Identify sites and suppliers with potential to develop/fill required gaps in services along the route e.g. pop-up campsites, visitor services and parking solutions.
▪ Explore integrated transportation, ticketing, and accommodation packages. Incentivise and promote off-peak travel and lesser-known areas to manage tourism flow.
▪ Explore creative opportunities to enhance and encourage visitation on walking and cycling routes e.g. sculptures trails and river crossings with integrated art installations
