Learning about the impacts of tourists

First year International Tourism Management BA(Hons) students recently visited the National Trust property Batemans.

The field trip was led by lecturer and course leader Dr Nigel Jarvis and was organised so students could learn about the impacts tourists have on the site. Batemans is a Jacobean house and was formerly owned by The Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling.

Gary Enstone, Historic Buildings Conservator and House Manager of the property provided a 30-minute talk for the students upon arrival. He discussed the fine balancing act that heritage properties have to manage to bring in revenue but without causing too much damage to the building with excessive visitors.

The students came away with some interesting facts:

• Lucy learnt that “well visited National Trust locations help subsidise less popular attractions…and how the breath of visitors can cause damage in some rooms.”
• Reece said he learnt about “seasonality issues and how the property has to deal with 10 visitors on some winter days to over 1,000 on busier days.”
• Sarah said she did not previously know that “the radiators are turned up on warm days to reduce the humidity caused by visitors…that was a revelation!”