A Cumbrian farm will be playing an integral role in an exchange of tourism best practice, as eight ambassadors of Cumbrian tourism share their experience with peers in Poland, between August 3-10.
Farm owners Mr and Mrs Trafford, of Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria will play host to the winners of a media competition that will run in the Polish media, in support of the tourism exchange.
The prize will allow a couple to travel to England to stay at the farm that has raised funds for the maintenance of the Cumbrian fells, through a voluntary visitor payback scheme on accommodation.
This competition will support the work of the representatives of Cumbrian tourism engaging in the STEEP (Sustainable Tourism Educational Exchange Project), funded by the European Union¹s Leonardo da Vinci programme and by partner organisations within and without Cumbria.
The group will be visiting the Polish National Parks of Biesczady and Pieniny to study eco and sustainable tourism, believing it imperative to develop a sustainable tourism offering within Cumbria, if the area is to continue to thrive during the 21st Century.
The Polish National Parks provide tourists with an excellent product, including opportunities to see wolves, bears, beavers and lynx in their natural environment. This sort of tourist experience will be the competition for Cumbria in the near future, as the area competes with other far-flung areas, in an age of globalisation and cheap airline fares.
The eight representatives travelling to Poland are: Martin Varley (Friends of the Lake District); James Rebanks (Rural Regeneration Cumbria); Claire Stott (Tourism and Conservation Partnership); Katie Read (Cumbria Tourist Board); Dave Muir (Cumbria Wildlife Trust/Wealth of Wildlife Project); Phil Gray (East Cumbria Countryside Project); Shane Harris (North Pennines AONB) and Helen Houghton (Lake District National Park Authority).
The party will share best practice with Polish colleagues, with the Poles keen to learn about Cumbrian development, particularly payback schemes run by The Tourism and Conservation Partnership, the activities of the Traffords being shining examples.
Katie Read, the Cumbria Tourist Board STEEP representative says: "The group is extremely excited about the prospect of studying eco-tourism in such a fantastic way, if a little worried about the prospect of coming face to face with wolves, lynx, wildcats and vipers.
"We believe we can exchange best practice with our Polish colleagues in a mutually beneficial manner. Hopefully, we can return with suitcases bulging with inspiration and new ideas, to be shared with other interested parties in the UK and transplanted into the Cumbrian tourism environment. The competition prize offering the opportunity to stay at Peter House Farm will certainly assist our mission of spreading best practice overseas."
