UK national parks bring in £6bn
Hadrian’s Wall west of Housesteads.©The Hadrian’s Wall Trust
England’s 10 national parks offer great economic benefits, contributing £6bn a year in added value to the UK – as much as the aerospace industry – according to new research.
The parks’ scenery and wildlife help attract 95m visitors a year who spend about £3bn.
The parks, which span the UK are also home to 22,500 businesses, providing 141,000 jobs in sectors ranging from farming, forestry and tourism to professional, scientific and building. These businesses have a combined turnover of £10.4bn a year, says a report by National Parks England.
As well as their rural richness and tranquillity, the parks are distinctive because of their historical heritage.
A key example is the central, most scenic section of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire, built in AD 122. Thursday is the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail, an 84-mile coast-to-coast route, walked each year by 11,000 people.
The 10 parks cover 9.3 per cent of England’s total land area but are home to just 0.6 per cent of its population – 321,000 people. The impact of low population density on services and businesses is among the challenges facing the parks, says the report. But it warns that with park authorities facing cuts to their current government funding of just under £50m a year, support for economic growth could be at risk.
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