Recreational Trail Guidelines

RECREATIONAL

TRAIL GUIDELINES

GETTING REGIONAL TOURISM BACK ON TRACK

WORDS LISA CHEESEMAN, MARKETING AND PROJECT SUPPORT, TRC TOURISM

TRC Tourism (TRC) has recently released the Recreational Trail Planning, Design and Management Guidelines to help the outdoor tourism sector and regions with their recovery eff orts 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 Pacifi c Island’s highest profi le 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 benefi ts of trail development.

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 fi t-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

ABOUT TRC TRC is based in Jindabyne, an area heavily reliant on outdoor and naturebased tourism. The consultancy has offi ces across Australia and New Zealand. The TRC team works across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacifi c and Asia. TRC is renowned for its signifi cant experience, out-of-the-box thinking, and passion for the tourism and recreation sector.

TRC off er a professional, holistic approach with innovative, creative thinking to provide integrated solutions. The team works extensively on all aspects of trail planning, including integrated regional trails strategies, mountain bike strategies, iconic multiday walk product development, trail masterplans and feasibility studies, cycleway planning, rail trails, drive trails and assessments of the economic benefi ts of trail development. The TRC team are experienced in planning for all the features of successful trails — the right products, distinctive market positioning, quality infrastructure, support services and workable management and investment arrangements.

Many of TRC’s projects have been successful in attracting grant funding. The team has also assisted with major repairs and upgrades to existing trails and conservation areas, and developed governance and funding models for the sustainable future of trail projects.

A great example of TRC developing a trail governance model is the NZ Wellington Regional Trails Strategic Framework project. TRC worked with 7 local governments and regional government in Wellington to develop a strategy that would underpin the development and promotion of Wellington as a trails destination. The region wanted to achieve economic benefi ts from trail tourism and its associated revenue, employment and business opportunities, overall increasing the broader tourism off er. The strategy adopted a classifi cation of trails of national, regional and local signifi cance to prioritise investment and ensure optimal funding that would create the greatest benefi ts of growing visitors to the capital.

TRC love trails so much that they developed the very fi rst Australia and New Zealand Sustainable Trails Conference in 2017 to share their knowledge, while learning from trail experts across Australia, New Zealand and beyond. For more information about this year’s conference visit trctourism.com/sustainable-trailsconference-2021

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