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Audit your destination resources
Additional to the workshop exercise where you have asked the community to review the resources in the area, you may wish to carry out a destination audit that is done from the visitor’s point of view.
Ask for volunteers from the community or local organisations to assist you.
Using a checklist something like this. Approach your destination as if you had never been there before.
For example if the public toilets are clean, tidy and well maintained but there is only one block in the whole destination then rate the number as poor or very bad and the quality as good or excellent.
You may wish to take photographs of the resources particularly if something is either ‘Very Bad’ or ‘Excellent’.
Evaluate your findings
Take the results from each audit and create an average result for each resource by adding up all of the scores for that resource and dividing the total by the number of audits. If there are any vast differences between scores for a particular resource discuss why that might be.
Look at the resources that are rated highest, think about who is responsible for those resources and why are they perceived to be excellent.
Look at the resources that are rated lowest, again think about who is responsible for those resources and why they are failing.
Certain resources may be excellent but have been rated low because there are not enough of them. Others may have been rated low because although the resource is excellent, people were unaware of it or unable to find it.
Where are the gaps?
What are the key visitors which are missing from your destination?
Who is responsible for those resources?
How can the working group assist with the development of new resources or improvement of old resources?
Draw up a report which can be included in your action plan.
In South West Wales a partnership has carried out a coastal recreational audit which not only includes user numbers for activities but also relevant infrastructure information on slipways, toilets, easy access, moorings, beach awards, dog ban areas etc. More details of this project and its uses can be found here and in the video below.
Video Case Study: Why has the National Park Authority developed a recreational audit