RECREATIONAL TRAIL GUIDELINES GETTING REGIONAL TOURISM BACK ON TRACK WORDS LISA CHEESEMAN, MARKETING AND PROJECT SUPPORT, TRC TOURISM
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RC Tourism (TRC) has recently released the Recreational Trail Planning, Design and Management Guidelines to help the outdoor tourism sector and regions with their recovery efforts post Covid-19. Free to download, these new global best-practice guidelines incorporate TRC’s 20 years’ experience and knowledge working with Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island’s highest profile nature-based tourism regions. Covid-19 has hit regional areas particularly hard, stripping millions of dollars of tourism revenue from economies and turning bustling regional hotspots into ghost towns. “Our hope is that the new guidelines will help the tourism industry and communities to develop compelling and sustainable recreational trail experiences to attract visitors back into their regions when we come out of Covid restrictions,” TRC Director Janet Mackay said. According to a SkillsIQ report, Nationwide Impacts of Outdoor Recreation, the outdoor recreation sector is a major pillar for Australia’s economy, with more than $11B estimated to be contributed nationally, $20B in estimated expenditure on outdoor recreation
nationally, and 16,000 to 30,000 fulltime equivalent (FTE) jobs attributable to outdoor recreation. “With increasing investment in trail infrastructure globally, upgrades and new developments need to be competitive to attract visitors, and to generate economic and employment opportunities in a region,” Ms Mackay said. Ms Mackay added that now is a good time for industry to get planning and invest in their regions, with considerable funding available for tourism and infrastructure projects in a bid to help the struggling tourism sector recover from the economic challenges of Covid-19. The TRC Tourism team is passionate about trails. As avid trail users, they have paired the right mix of tourism expertise and understanding of what constitutes a good trail experience to enable them to deliver the Recreational Trail Planning, Design and Management Guidelines. The Guidelines cover all aspects of trail planning including integrated regional trails strategies, mountain bike strategies, iconic multi-day walk product development, trail masterplans and feasibility studies, cycleway planning, rail trails, drive trails and assessments of the economic benefits of trail development.
18 AUSTRALASIAN PARKS AND LEISURE | Summer 2020
The guidelines are not just about creating new trails, they are about understanding and evaluating the existing experience. Can it be improved or enriched? Do you know who your current trail users are and is there an opportunity to grow through aligning with target markets? Is there potential to link and package your existing trail experiences to create a trail network? Are the assets, facilities, location values, packaged needs, management and maintenance, marketing and promotion fit-for-purpose? Are your trails and the environment they travel through the most sustainable they can be and have you considered the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? The Guidelines are a free resource created to provide best practice guidance to the outdoor recreation industry, local community groups, regional councils and others to help regional centres provide best practice solutions and develop world-class experiences. For a copy of the Guidelines visit trctourism.com/services/recreational-trails
WHO BENEFITS The Recreational Trail Planning, Design and Management Guidelines will be especially useful for: • Park and reserve managers • All tiers of government • Trail planners, designers and builders • Community groups and trail volunteers • Trail managers • Trail users • Clubs and associations that use trails • Land owners through which trails pass • Traditional owners and their corporations
