The second principle of rural tourism is that tourism development in the countryside should assist conservation and recreation, by bringing new uses to historic buildings, supplementing the income of framers and aiding the reclamation of derelict. This is achieved in North Devon via farm diversification. Farm diversification schemes involve farms branching out and offering other services to supplement their incomes and this has lead to the creation of new tourist services. The two biggest examples of this in North Devon are, The Big Sheep and The Milky Way. These are fairly big theme park, tourist attractions but they used to be redundant barns until the farms were diversified. This aided the recreation of tourists, brought new use to old buildings, supplemented the farmers income and also reclaimed land which would otherwise only have been used for farming. There are also many farm shops and farmhouse B&B’s in North Devon where farmers have diversified but not to the same level as creating a theme park. Also in North Devon the national trust has reclaimed lots of historic properties such as Watersmeet and has totally restored them. This shows that North Devon conforms to the second principle of rural tourism.
The third principle of rural tourism is that the planning designing, sitting and management of new tourism developments should be in keeping with the landscape and wherever possible seek to enhance it. In general this is true in North Devon as the majority of tourist functions are either due to farm diversification, so will in keeping with the environment, or are in the national park or Heritage coast and therefore will also be in keeping with the landscape and environment as strict rules ensue this. Although the tourist facilities that are located in the rest of Devon do not all conform to this trend. For example Atlantic City is a huge shopping centre with adventure playground, which isn’t in keeping with the area, or environment although it is position in a semi-urban area so doesn’t completely spoil the environment. Also in the rest of Devon there are a lot of family attractions such as theme parks, Once upon a time, and other facilities, Watermouth castle and the Gnome reserve. These are not as in fitting with the landscape or environment as they have become considerably more commercial and are even owned by an investment consortium (bigger firm). Although in general I feel that North Devon does conform to this principle.
The fourth principle of rural tourism is that investment in tourism should support the rural economy while encouraging a wider temporal and geographical spread. The majority of tourism investment in North Devon comes from companies such as the National Trust and the countryside commission, which then use the money to improve the rural area and protect the heritage, and culture of Devon, such as Watersmeet and Clovelly. Also farms that invest in tourism to extend their own business plough their profits back into the rural economy and local business to maintain them and to improve the sustainability of the industry. This makes up for the majority of the tourist industry and they all support the local rural economy. Although there other larger investment consortiums which buys facilities, such as the Watermouth castle attractions to make money form them. Then very few of the profits go back to the local area and the areas are not maintained as well and they consequently damage the environment and the landscape. Overall it is difficult to judge whether North Devon follows this principle as it can’t be proved how much of the investment and profits from tourism go into the rural area. The fifth principle of rural tourism is closely linked to the fourth, it states that those who benefit from rural tourism should contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the countryside. The national trust who benefit from their properties profits, do contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the countryside. This can be shown by the high quality and attractiveness of Watersmeet and the surrounding area. It was very nicely maintained and managed, with traditional fences and bridges and the paths through the immediate woodland. I believe this is also the case on the Heritage coast were money from tourism is used to maintain footpaths, stiles and sign posts. Although on the other hand with the large investment consortium that owns the Watermouth castle facilities, not much of the profits would go into the environment or conservation of the area as the company just wants the profits.
The sixth principle of rural tourism states that the tourist industry itself should seek to develop the public’s understanding and concern for the countryside and of environmental issues generally. This is true in North Devon as there are a wide variety of leaflets and handouts for such companies as the National trust, countryside commission as well as attractions like footpaths and the Tarka trail, that attempt to convey the importance of the environment and why the general public should help them protect and conserve it. Although as before this is not true for the entirety of the tourist industry as the theme parks and more commercial attractions don’t advertise the importance of conservation.
Overall I feel that the majority of Devon does follow the sixth main principles of rural tourism although there are exceptions to this rule but they are in the minority.
