Our aim is to manage recreation in the National Landscape so that any negative impact of visitors on the natural environment is reduced. We want to connect people to place and nature; establishing a much needed link to our natural heritage in today’s modern society.

There are nearly 10 million day trips and 1.5 million staying trips to the Dorset National Landscape every year. Tourism supports nearly 9,500 full time equivalent jobs in the Dorset National Landscape and visitor spend contributes £7.5 million to the local economy (2022 figures).

Dorset’s outstanding landscape is the main reason most people visit the area. It underpins our tourism based economy and plays a huge role in supporting local services.

Our role is to manage the impact of visitors so that the National Landscape retains its natural beauty and special qualities and is passed on to future generations in at least as good condition as it is currently. Helping people enjoy and understand the area establishes an appreciation and engagement with the place, which in turn creates a desire to protect the environment.

Dorset National Landscape also has responsibility for visitor management and tourism related work along the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

Help local people and visitors explore, understand and engage with the landscape; encourage sustainable tourism; work with a wide range of partners, communities and businesses.

The sort of projects we work on:

Making beautiful spaces

Improving the aesthetics of places where visitors congregate to find information or to simply ‘be’, through sensitive re-landscaping and introducing local beautiful features; for example, dry stone walls or artist-designed seating.

Reducing clutter along the coast and countryside …

By reducing, rationalising and improving interpretation. A single panel will have a far more impact than a cluster of panels saying the same thing in different ways. With so much digital access to information we don’t need to overwhelm people with static words in the landscape.

Access for All

With financial support from Defra, we have been able to improve Access for All by upgrading rights of way and creating new routes which are accessible to everyone, including wheelchair users and people with limited mobility.

The first two years of funding improved access routes in and around Bridport and West Bay, as well as Hilfield Nature Reserve. Future funding will allow for better access for all at Lulworth, Kingcombe National Nature Reserve, Brownsea Island and the Piddle Valley.

For more information about Tourism, Access and Visitor Management work, please contact Sally King, Dorset National Landscape Visitor, Tourism and Access Manager.