South Downs National Park leverages visitor behaviour platform to help sustainably manage and allocate funding as popular trail sees increase in visitors

The South Downs National Park Authority has partnered with Place Informatics to utilise their visitor behaviour platform for the South Downs Way National Trail.

This collaboration aims to support the sustainable management of the popular trail as visitor numbers continue to increase and help to allocate funding effectively as the data highlights how and where visitors are using the South Downs Way. Place Informatics' detailed report provides insights on daily, weekly, and monthly trail usage, identifying the most frequented sections for each period. This data, which is crucial for sustainable management, has gained importance as the trail has seen a 15% rise in visitors in 2023 compared to 2022, equating to over 200,000 additional users.

The report also reveals visitor frequency, demographics and highlights which lengths of the trail are most heavily used to help tailor management strategies and funding allocations giving the team key insights to understand visitor behaviour. Accurate user figures and trends not only help trail managers, but also help inform business decisions of the hundreds of small rural businesses along the South Downs Way.

These new insights can now be shared with other National Park initiatives such as “Our South Downs” a community created to support local businesses in their pursuit of sustainability. It helps micro and small businesses connect and share and develop skills, learnings and resources around their common values.

The creation and development of this supportive community of like-minded businesses aims to help the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) achieve its environmental goals. Since 2015, Place Informatics has been at the vanguard of foot traffic data, answering business-critical questions about people’s interactions with various spaces such as town centres, retail outlets, tourist attractions, heritage sites, green spaces, events, and car parks.

By harnessing the power of cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning, the ‘big data’ solutions are helping to revolutionise the industry.

Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, commented, "We are thrilled to partner with Our South Downs and the South Downs National Park Authority. Our data-driven insights provide a deep understanding of visitor behaviour, allowing for more informed decisions that help balance visitor enjoyment with sustainable management. This collaboration highlights how our advanced platform can enhance the management of natural spaces, ensuring they remain vibrant and accessible for future generations."

Andy Gattiker, National Trails & Countryside Access Lead, added, "The data and insights from Place Informatics are invaluable. They have enabled us to make evidence-based decisions that enhance the visitor experience while ensuring the sustainability of the South Downs Way. This partnership is a significant step forward in managing our important natural asset effectively."