Tourism
Why do visitors come to the National Parks?
Who are the visitors to National Parks?
How do visitors get to the National Parks?
What activities do visitors do in National Parks?
Find out about the survey this visitor information is from
Why do visitors come to the National Parks?
Most visitors' main reason to come to National Parks is to enjoy the beautiful scenery and landscape
About 58% of visitors come to enjoy the scenery and landscape, which makes this the main reason for visiting a National Park. Other reasons people visit National Parks are:
- Scenery and landscape
- Enjoyed a previous visit
- Peace and quiet
- Take part in an outdoor activity
- Easy to get to
- Visit friends and family that live in the National Park
- Own accommodation in the National Park
- Never been before
- Because it is a National Park
- Recommended to visit
- Come every year
The majority of Visitors to National Parks are families
Who are the visitors to National Parks?
About 68% of visitors are families, most coming in a group with under five people.
Only 7% of visitors come from outside the UK.
Most visitors come from the densely populated South-East region, near London or from the regions closest to National Parks.
There are two categories of visitors, day visitors and holiday makers. People on day trips come to the National Park from home to enjoy a day in the National Park. Holiday makers stay in accommodation in or nearby the National Park.
How do visitors get to the National Parks?
When National Parks were first created in the UK, John Dower recommended that they should be near enough for people who live in big cities to easily visit them. Their locations should be chosen so "that at least one of them is quickly accessible from each of the main centres of population in England and Wales."
Most visitors, 93%, travel to the National Parks in their own car.
Only 2% of visitors used public transport like a train or a bus.
Look at the map of National Parks, cities and motorways to see where people travel from.
What activities do visitors do in National Parks?
The most popular activities visitors do in National Parks are:
- Walking (40%).
- Driving around and sightseeing by car (19%)
- Relaxing (12%)
- Visiting towns and villages (10%)
A smaller percentage of people were involved in other outdoor activities like horse riding, climbing or kayaking.
Find out more about what there is to do in National Parks
This video shows the most popular outdoor activities in Exmoor National Park, from walking and mountain biking, to horse riding and sailing, and shows how we help people enjoy the area even more.
Visitor survey
The numbers given on this page are taken from a survey where thousands of visitors were asked about their visit to a National Park. The survey was done in 1994, which was before the New Forest, the Cairngorms and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Parks had been created, so they were not included.
Although there has not been another survey done recently, the findings from this survey are still valid today. Some National Parks have done local surveys more recently and their results give similar answers.
