The Brecon Beacons National Park

Activity and Research 4

4. The Impacts of Tourism in the Brecon Beacons National Park

Positive Economic Impacts
A large number of businesses within the national park rely directly on tourism for their income.  There are over 100 outdoor pursuits’ centres and operators as well as accommodation providers and attractions.  One of the biggest sources of employment for people living in the national park is in hotels and catering.  It is calculated that tourism is worth over £126 million to the local economy each year – about £4,000 for each person living within the national park.  

Jobs such as rock climbing instructors are created through the number of visitors coming to the area to take part in this activity.

Many shops and other businesses also sell a range of products to tourists and cannot rely solely on the trade from people living in the national park.

Also, since much of the tourist activity takes place in the summer months many of the jobs related to tourism tend to be seasonal and some people are not employed all year round.

Negative economic impacts
As in other National Parks, more people are buying second homes.  (A second home is bought by someone who has their main home outside of the National Park and only visits for weekends and holidays).

 

The demand for second homes means that property prices within the National Park increase and not all local people can afford to buy their own home. 

Positive Social/Cultural impacts
Like in many National Parks, some traditional activities and events are kept alive mainly through tourism.  Some of the hotels in the area will serve local foods and produce.

Negative social/cultural impacts
There is a concern that if the number of second homes continues to raise, communities in villages within the national park will suffer.
There may be less young people and children; schools may close and the Welsh language may suffer.

 

Positive Environmental Impacts
It is not easy to identify the positive impacts of tourism on the environment.  In some cases increased tourism interest leads to buildings being preserved and restored. Also, it could be argued that if visitors understand and respect the landscape they are less likely to damage the landscape.

Negative Environmental Impacts 

In the upland areas of the national park the most common impact is erosion caused by walkers.  Walking boots cause damage to the vegetation and walkers compact the soil as the walk over the ground.  When it rains puddles form it the paths so walkers tend to walk to one side, making the path wider and causing more erosion. 

Work has been undertaken to repair footpaths and to protect the landscape from further erosion.

Sightseeing by car is the most popular activity in the Brecon Beacons National Park.  Large numbers of cars impact on the environment and the quality of life of the people living in the area.

Also, car parks can damage the landscape and cars cause air pollution through exhaust emissions.

.Activities and Research 4

1. Imagine you are a young local resident who cannot afford to buy a house.  Write a letter to the local paper, outlining your problems and say why the number of second homes should be reduced.

2. Design a poster aimed at walkers suggesting how they can reduce their impact on the environment of the Brecon Beacons. 

3. Summarise the impacts of tourism in the Brecon Beacons in a PowerPoint presentation.