Planning and Developing Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 179

Table 6.4 Rationale behind the development of the Thornbury Millennium Trail, UK

Social Cultural Economic Environmental

To explore,
understand, record
and celebrate
character and
diversity

To contribute to
the perception
of South
Gloucestershire
as being a good
place

To encourage
sustainable
tourism

To encourage,
promote
and provide
sustainable
physical and
intellectual access
to the heritage

To ensure that
links between
heritage and
tourism are
exploited

To develop a
sense of cohesion
and community
identity

To value everyone's
heritage
To support
and build on
heritage activities
undertaken
by voluntary
organization

To celebrate and
promote heritage in
new and imaginative
ways

Source: Modifi ed after Hayes and MacLeod (2008).

Planning and Developing Trails and Routes

There are two overarching goals associated with planning and developing
all types of trails. These are to provide access to outdoor resouurces and to
protect those resources, including the trails themselves, from the negative
impacts of nature and visitor overuse. Although some observers throughout
the years have noted the difficulty of carrying out this seemingly opposing