What is a Visitor Management Plan?

A Visitor Management Plan (VMP) is a living document that helps site and destination managers guide the visitor journey to the site and manage visitor flows and behaviours across a range of sites, from National Nature Reserves through to country parks, National Parks, museums, historic houses, and wider destinations. At the same time, VMPs can focus on single issues such as managing motorhomes at outdoor recreation sites.

Why prepare a Visitor Management Plan?

Some sites and destinations are reporting ever-increasing visitor numbers, which are impacting on the quality of the visitor experience and generating negative impacts on the natural environment and host communities.

A well-thought-out VMP will help to create a memorable, enjoyable and safe experience for visitors. At the same time, it will help to manage and minimise negative impacts on the natural environment, the built heritage and host communities. Intelligent use of trend data and appropriate investment can help ‘future proof’ sites.

What is included within a Visitor Management Plan?

Sections typically included within our VMPs are:

Defining the core objectives

Identify what the VMP aims to achieve – objectives and the vision of success are agreed.

Baseline assessment

A baseline assessment helps to identify where we are now. This will include a description of the site (or area) to be covered by the VMP, identify how many people are visiting, when and why they are visiting, seasonal visitation patterns and visitor flows alongside key issues and challenges. Importantly, the site’s carrying capacity should be defined in terms of infrastructure, visitor experience, ecological constraint, etc.

Strategic context

The VMP cannot be considered in isolation. Local, regional and national policies will influence the plan and should be considered. Examining strategic trends in visitor numbers, demographics, digital behaviours, AI, decarbonisation policies, etc will give weight to a ‘forward look’.

Case studies and change plans

Relevant best practice case studies offer useful insights into structures and approaches. Change plans can address possible governance, staffing, investment, and funding options.

Engagement

Identify and meaningfully engage with key stakeholders and host communities. This is essential as views from stakeholders and the host community will help to shape the VMP. This will also help ensure consensus and buy-in, as well as commitment to delivery in the future. Funders may seek reassurance that sufficient empathy with stakeholder views and opinions has been established.

Action Plan

To deliver the VMP, a SMART Action Plan will need to be developed, which is likely to include:

• Opportunities to enhance the visitor experience
• Supporting infrastructure, for example, trails, paths, bridleways, car parks, toilets, etc
• Traffic management and active travel to help decarbonise the visitor journey
• Visitor safety
• Visitor behaviour
• Community, for example, the public realm, methods to ensure that economic benefits remain in the community
• Timescales and possible funding options

Delivery – management and resourcing

An appropriate governance structure will be required. The VMP needs the capability to respond to market changes, the evolving needs of host communities, legislative and policy changes, and the budgetary and resource demands most organisations experience.

Measuring success – data collection

Identify key indicators and metrics for visitor activity and impacts. Shape a straightforward, low-resource-based approach (RAG – Red/Amber/Green, for example) enabling the VMP to be reviewed and monitored.

VMP project examples we have worked on

Find out about the visitor management planning projects we have worked on here.

Added value – managing visitor sites

Our sister company, Planning Solutions Limited, manages a number of visitor sites including CONKERS, a 120-acre site in the National Forest, Kent Life, a heritage farm park and the Cotswold Country Park and Beach. We find this ‘hands-on’ operational experience helps us to prepare robust, pragmatic and deliverable VMPs.

Ready to discuss your Visitor Management Plan?

Speak directly with Richard Linington, our lead VMP consultant, about your site or destination on 07866 742628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk