A Vision for Visitor Experience and Guiding Principles

Working on outdoor, weather-dependent events can often mean you’re standing about in the rain, giving all your time to the one determined visitor who kept their diary date. Visitor numbers are inconsistent and difficult to plan for. It was time to change.

Working at the National Trust in the Peak District, we made the move from a model of one-off events for visitors to a more engaging year-round programme, with nature as the core driver. I set out an approach to visitor experience in the Peak District and guidance for staff and volunteers. The strategy prioritises the natural richness of the places in the National Trust’s care and the context of their locations within the Peak District National Park, the local rural communities and the surrounding cities of Sheffield, Manchester, Derby and Stoke. All the elements of a visitor experience in the Peak District were brought together: pre-visit marketing, arrival and welcome, presentation, orientation, facilities, service, programme, catering and exit.

A simple footpath and invitation to explore a summer haymeadow at Longshaw

A simple footpath and invitation to explore a summer haymeadow at Longshaw

The result was a tool for everyone to work from, offering a consistent, high quality visitor experience across Longshaw, High Peak and White Peak areas for the National Trust. Visitor numbers increased through every season with greater spend on catering and membership. Increased spend means more investment in nature conservation, completing the access-resources-conservation circle for the National Trust.