When does a tourist destination reach saturation? With the pressures this year on the voluntary mountain rescue teams and the ever-expanding hotel and tourist trade concerned about recruiting staff both now and after we exit the EU, the Lake District appears to be heading in that direction.
2017 has seen increases iIn visitors, due to a number of factors, including a favourable exchange rate for visiting foreign tourists, UK residents enjoying holidays at home because of the low pound Euro exchange.
This addition to the visitor numbers, of course, brings added revenue but also brings added problems of traffic congestion in tourist hot spots, litter, crime and added pressure on mountain rescue, emergency services and hospitals.
World Heritage Site status will encourage further visitors and will need careful planning and management by the Lakes' tourist industry.
The last thing needed with such saturation is that enforced control of tourists is required, as has happened in the cruise market, whereby ports are limiting the daily number of ships visiting.
Peter Gaukroger
Kendal
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