The National Trust
Dunster Castle
Economic Impact
Research
REPORT
Autumn 2009
Contents
Contents
Page
Introduction
Objectives
Methodology
3
5
7
Executive Summary
8-14
MAIN FINDINGS – Quantitative
Sample Profile
Perceptions of the castle and its facilities
Perceptions of the village and its facilities
Catering Requirements
Reactions to the Castle Catering Proposals
15
16-22
23-31
32-39
40-46
47-56
MAIN FINDINGS – Qualitative
57
Desk Research
75
Conclusions & recommendations
80
2
Introduction
• Dunster Castle overlooks the medieval village of Dunster, near Minehead, Somerset. Situated in a dramatic location
above the village the castle has been of strategic importance to the Exmoor landscape for over 1000 years. The castle is
closely linked with the historic village itself which has over 200 listed buildings. Both the castle and village are important
visitor attractions in the west Somerset region.
• The castle was given to The National Trust in 1976, however, this did not include any endowment or estate to provide
for the properties upkeep. As a registered charity the Trust subsequently relies on visitor income to maintain the castle
and keep it open. Currently visitor income does not cover the running costs for the castle and in addition major repair
work has recently been completed with further work planned in the near future all of which will require additional funds.
• The castle averages around 116, 000 visitors per annum and the Trust is keen to maximise its income opportunities
from these attendees. A potential revenue stream could be the introduction of catering at the castle. Current visitors
regularly raise the lack of catering facilities as an issue.
• The Trust are proposing the introduction of catering at the castle and have currently 3 separate options that they are
considering:
1. An on-site self service facility – offering light lunches teas and drinks
2. A site 5-10 minutes walk form the castle offering same as option 1
3. A Kiosk in the castle grounds with bought in food & Drinks
• The Trust were keen to test and assess visitor feedback into the 3 separate proposals to gain insight into which, if any,
they would like to see at the castle. Furthermore the Trust will need to assess the economic impact of the proposals on
both the castle and the local village.
3
Introduction
• The research was also designed to consider a number of key Stakeholders who have an active interest in the proposals.
This includes members of the Trust itself, associated local authority / tourism associations and local traders and
representatives from the local community. This includes a group of Dunster businesses which have formed the Dunster
Action Group who are strongly opposed to the proposals of the development of a tearoom within the curtilage of Dunster
Castle as they believe ‘corralling’ of visitors will damage the local economic environment.
4
Objectives
The key purposes of the research have been identified as follows;
» To establish the economic impact that catering at Dunster Castle would have on trade in Dunster Village.
» To establish the economic importance of Dunster Castle to Dunster village and vice-versa.
» To examine ways of generating further income for the castle and for other businesses in Dunster other than through
catering at the castle.
Specific Areas to investigate include;
• Understanding the market for catering at Dunster Castle
o Establish the extra numbers of visitors likely to come to the castle for each of the three catering options.
o Establish the percentage of visitors to the castle that would consider utilising the catering options.
o Identify the number of visitors to the village before and after a visit to the castle, pre and post the introduction of
catering.
o Assess if there is currently an untapped market for catering.
• Understanding customer preference
o Assess levels of satisfaction with the proposed catering offers for the castle (what sort of refreshments do visitors
want e.g snacks to full lunch).
o Measure the demand from visitors in relation to those who want catering on-site or catering elsewhere and
specifically those that want NT catering (on or off site).
o Establish levels of awareness amongst visitors to the castle of what the village has to offer and vice versa.
o An assessment of catering in the village (focussing on accessibility, family friendly issues, hours and months of
operation, range of food available etc) to assess whether the NT offer will complement what is currently available.
5
Objectives
• Understanding visitor flow from car parks around the village and the castle
o Provide analysis of the flow of visitors between the castle and the village and understand what it is that
motivates visitors to each.
o Understand visitor demographics – where they come from, what motivated their visit, how long they
are staying in the area etc.
• Understanding how income could be generated in other ways
o Assess what other small towns, villages and organisations including those with NT properties have done
to attract visitors.
o Evaluate the significance of the castle as a marketing force for Dunster businesses and vice versa.
6
Methodology
Turquoise Thinking Ltd. utilised a dual research methodology consisting of both quantitative and
qualitative research methods.
Quantitative :
• Face to face, ‘on street’ questionnaires conducted at Dunster Castle and within Dunster
Village
• Aiming to achieve a total sample of 400.
• 200 per ‘site’ (Actual sample achieved: 394)
• Fieldwork conducted across a 2 week period (End of August including the Bank Holiday)
and beginning of September.
Qualitative :
• 10 Stakeholder depths of between 90-120 minutes duration.
• Included members of Dunster Action Group, National Trust Representatives (Castle and
Catering), Dunster Working Group, Exmoor National Park, Crown Estate, Businesses within
Dunster, and local Councillors.
Desk Research :
• Examining how other towns / villages have encouraged visitors.
• Exploring any catering trends evident currently
7
Executive Summary
8
Summary of visitor profile: a snap shot
• At the time of this research…..
• Visitor profile was broad in terms of gender and social
class, but slightly older (55+).
• Many came from SW and SE regions of the UK.
• Mainly day visitors or on a weeks break.
• Mainly couples, few families.
• Typically come to Dunster via the car. Most of the castle
sample and a third of the village sample parked at the
castle car park.
9
Summary of perceptions of Dunster castle
• Most know the National Trust owns the site
• 61% in total were first time visitors to the castle
• Typical length of stay at the castle was up to 2 hours,
with most coming to see both the castle and gardens and
visit the shop.
• Encouragingly, almost ¾ of visitors believe the castle
met all their expectations.
• Reasons for those claiming it only ‘met most of their
expectations’ was generally about opening more rooms
(19% of castle sub sample, 22% of village sub sample
stated this reason).
• Rating of the Castle facilities is very positive – overall
over 4 out of 5.
• Satisfaction scores are high as well – over 4.5 out of 5.
• Likelihood to revisit by almost 70%
10
Summary of perceptions of Dunster Village
• Quite a number of visitors knew about the different
places of interest in Dunster beyond the castle and
gardens.
• 82% of the castle visitor sample either intended or had
visited the village.
• 62% of the village visitor sample expressed no intention
to go to the castle.
• Overall, 60% overlap between the two sites.
• Again, duration of stay in the village was generally up to
2 hours, but there was more variation in the village visitor
sample.
• More visitors expressed they come to the village to ‘look
around’ than ‘take refreshments’.
• Likelihood to revisit by just over 70%
• Castle is a key draw for visitors to Dunster for 79% of
visitors who intend to go to both village and castle.
11
Summary of Catering Requirements
• 73% of the total sample claimed they were intending to
take / had taken refreshments in the village.
• Typically the requirement was for a drink and / or snack
(cake / sandwich) in a café environment.
• A broad range of establishments in the village were
visited.
• Rating of catering establishments was generally high.
• However, the castle sample generally rated most aspects
of catering provision lower than the village sample, in
particular the availability of local / seasonal food and
opening times.
12
Summary of National Trust Catering Proposals
• Just over half of the total sample (53%) expressed an interest in taking refreshments at the
castle.
• The type of refreshments desired by the majority were hot / cold drinks and snacks / cakes in
a café environment.
• The on site facility / proposal was preferred by almost two thirds to the other two proposals.
• 52% of visitors had a preference for eating at the castle. This was higher amongst National
Trust members (increased to 59%).
• Likely impact of the availability of refreshments at the castle was……
– just over a third would spend more time at the castle
– for 1 in 4 visitors , it would increase their enjoyment of the visit (more typically true for 65+)
– 14% claimed they would visit again as a result of the catering facility.
• The impact of the NT catering proposal on visitor flow seemed minimal – Less than 10%
claimed they would be less likely to visit the village with 87% of castle sample claiming it would
have no impact on their visit to the village.
– but the castle could see increased numbers coming from the village. 10% of village sample
would be more likely to visit the castle, of which 63% came from those who had originally stated
they were not intending to visit.
Overall the key finding is that there would be very little effect on visitor flow to the
village, but there will be an impact on the catering establishments in the village.
13
Ideas for increasing visitor numbers
• Similar ideas from Stakeholders as to how visitor numbers can be increased.
• Events and festivals came through strongly both from Stakeholders and from the desk
research.
• Desk research has shown that there are a number of studies that have demonstrated that
events such as Food Festivals and Arts Festivals have high economic impact to local
communities.
• Success factors for events and festivals identified in this research, and from other studies,
includes:
• set up of tourism and marketing groups by the local community
• a strategic and unified approach to events
• communications strategy to keep local participants abreast of local opportunities
• inclusive working partnership model
• involvement of experienced event organisers (volunteer or other)
• support of District Council Tourism and Regeneration Officers
• planning of events to attract visitors to stay in the area for either the whole day or overnight
14
MAIN FINDINGS - Quantitative
15
SAMPLE PROFILE
16
Visitor Profile: a snap shot
• The visitor profile at the time the research took place (end of August / beginning of September) was fairly
broad in terms of gender and social class, but had a slightly older age profile (52% aged 55+).
• Most seemed to have come to Dunster from around the South West region (44% of the total sample) although
just under 1 in 5 (19%) came from the South East.
• In terms of the type of break they were on at the time of their visit, most had either come for a day visit
(32%) or were on a weeks break (37%). A further fifth were on weekend breaks.
• Typically the profile was couples (72% of total), and if they did have children, they only tended to have one in
their party on the day they were interviewed.
• From the Stakeholder interviews, there is acceptance that the Dunster visitor profile is broad and witnesses
changes throughout the year, with more families present in half term breaks and the height of the summer
holidays. Therefore this profile is a snap shot at the time the research took place (end of August beginning of
September).
• The majority of visitors seemed to have travelled by car (85% of the total sample), although there were some
differences noted by the different samples (please see following charts). Of those that had travelled via car, the
majority of the castle visitor sample had, perhaps not surprisingly, parked their vehicle in the castle car park
(92%).
• In terms of the village visitor sample, quite a number (33%) had parked in the castle car park as well, of which
27% had visited the village first but intended to visit the castle, and a further 27% were not intending to visit
the castle at all.
• Other car parks used and specifically cited by the village visitor sample were Dunster Steep (21%) and ‘town
car park’ (4%) – which could be Dunster Steep? A further 13% had managed to park ‘in a street / on the high
street’.
17
Visitor Profile
Gender
Fairly even split of gender
Age
Slightly older age profile
Social Grade
Broad social class
Disabled?
Mainly ‘abled’
individuals
18
Base: 394 Total sample
Visitor Profile
Where have they travelled from?
High representation from the
South West Region
Type of visit?
Mainly ‘day visitors’ or ‘weeks breakers’.
Some ‘weekenders’.
19
Base: 394 total sample
Visitor Profile: mainly couples without children
Number of adults in the party?
Typically couples
Number of children in party?
Generally without children
20
Base: 394 total sample
Visitor Profile: how they travelled and where they parked
How did you travel to the castle / village today?
The car is the key mode of
transport to Dunster
Where did you park for your village / castle
visit today?
The castle provides parking facilities
for castle visitors and village visitors
Base: 394 total sample
21
Visitor Profile: national trust membership?
Are you a National Trust Member?
• Perhaps not surprisingly, there were a higher proportion of National Trust members amongst the castle visitor
sample (63%) vs the village sample (34%).
Base: 394 total sample
22
PERCEPTIONS OF THE CASTLE AND ITS FACILITIES
23
The National Trust
Castle visitors
Were you aware that the National Trust owns and manages
this site?
Village visitors
• Visitors expressed high awareness levels of Dunster Castle being a National Trust site especially amongst the castle
visitor sample. Obviously there were higher numbers of National Trust members amongst this group, hence this
result would be expected.
Base: 196 castle visitor 24
198 village visitors
What was the reason for your visit here today?
Example of ‘other’
Responses
Castle
sample
Village
sample
Recommended by friend /
relative
4%
6%
• Many visitors offered a number of reasons for their visit to Dunster. The key reason for both samples was that
they were ‘looking for a day out in the area’.
• Almost equal proportions (around the 15-16% mark) stated that either the castle or the village had been the
draw i.e. ‘had wanted to visit it for some time’.
• Only a few individuals had come for a specific event or trail they had seen advertised. Dragons Trail and Raft race
were mentioned as well as ‘a clearance sale’ - perhaps in a village shop?.
Base: 196 castle visitor sample & 198 village visito
sample. Key responses > 5%
25
Is this your first visit to the Castle?
Village visitors
Castle visitors
Castle
visitors
last visit
Village
visitors
last visit
Within the last 6
months
28%
18%
Within the last
12 months
12%
14%
Within the last 2
yrs
12%
14%
More than 2 yrs
ago
44%
55%
Not specified
5%
• For the majority of visitors, it was their first visit to
the castle, although clearly amongst the castle visitor
sample, there were a significant proportion who had
previously visited (43%).
• Those that had visited before, had done typically
more than two years ago. However there were also a
good proportion who had visited within the last six
months.
Base: 196 castle visitors & 75 village visitors who
have visited / intend on visiting the castle
26
How long did they stay at the castle and what did they
visit today?
How long did they stay at
the castle?
• For the majority of the visitors to the castle,
the average stay was between 1 and 2 hours.
• Typically they were visiting both the grounds
and gardens, and the shop.
• Only a small proportion in each case visited
the grounds or castle only.
What did they visit?
Base: 196 castle visitors & 38 village
visitors already been to castle 27
How well did your visit to the castle meet your
expectations?
• Encouragingly, the castle seemed to largely meet visitor expectations (almost three quarters of visitors claimed
that the castle met all their expectations.)
• Most found the site to be a ‘in a beautiful area’, ‘have friendly staff’, ‘nicely presented’ and ‘interesting’. These
were the top answers given by the village visitor sample.
• The predominant answers given from the castle sample were; ‘loved it / enjoyed it’, ‘it was lovely’, ‘very well
presented’ and ‘lovely gardens’.
• In cases where the castle only delivered ‘most of their expectations’, the main common reason cited seemed to
be because they expected to see more rooms open (19% of the castle sub sample and 22% of village
subsample).
Base: 196 castle visitors & 38 village 28
visitors already been to castle
Perceptions of the castle?
How would you rate the facilities?
Overall levels of satisfaction with the castle visit
• In the main, the castle facilities and overall satisfaction ratings given for the castle visit were high amongst
both samples.
• The visitors gave their ratings out of a score of 5, where 5 was the top score. The above shows the
percentage of visitors giving the different scores, with most either giving it a 4 or 5. It also shows the mean
score achieved, which amongst both samples, was in the high 4’s.
• In terms of how the castle could increase their satisfaction, amongst both samples, the key answer was
‘nothing’ (34% castle visitor sample and 41% village visitor sample). Where improvements were mentioned,
the most commonly cited response was ‘café / refreshments / tearoom’ (14% of castle sample and 8% of
village sample). Other responses were given, but this was only by one or two individuals in each case.
Base: 196 castle visitors & 38 village
visitors already been to castle
29
Likelihood to visit the castle again (pre catering proposal
exposure)?
• Likelihood to revisit the castle averaged around the 3.7 mark, so in both cases there was quite a high
proportion who claimed they would visit again 69% and 62% of the castle visitor sample and village visitor
sample respectively (includes combining those stating ‘likely’ and ‘very likely’). Likelihood to revisit increased
amongst those who were day visitors.
• About 20% claimed they were unlikely to visit again. Typically this was due to the fact that they either
‘lived too far away’ or that they felt they had now ‘seen it and done it’.
Base: 196 castle visitors & 38 village
visitors already been to castle
30
Summary of perceptions of Dunster Castle:
• Most know the National Trust owns the site
• 61% in total were first time visitors to the castle
• Of those who had been before, a good proportion (28% castle sample
and 18% village sample) had done so within the last 6 months.
• Typical length of stay at the castle was up to 2 hours, with most
coming to see both the castle and gardens and visit the shop.
• Encouragingly, almost ¾ of visitors believe the castle met all their
expectations.
• Reasons for those claiming it only ‘met most of their expectations’ was
generally about opening more rooms (19% of castle sub sample, 22% of
village sub sample stated this reason).
• Rating of the Castle facilities is very positive – overall over 4 out of 5.
• Satisfaction scores are high as well – over 4.5 out of 5.
• Likelihood to revisit by almost 70%
31
PERCEPTIONS OF THE VILLAGE AND ITS FACILITIES
32
Awareness of what Dunster Village has to offer
Castle visitor sample
village visitor sample
• When visitors were asked about their awareness of what Dunster offered (both spontaneously and then with a prompted
list), similar patterns of what individuals within the different samples were aware of emerged. At a spontaneous level,
greatest awareness was evident for the ‘castle and gardens’, ‘selection of eateries’ and ‘wide choice of shops’.
• Those from the village sample, not surprisingly, seemed more generally aware of places of interest in the village at a
spontaneous level. Awareness amongst those within the castle sample who were yet to visit the village, was lower than the
average across places of interest. Therefore spontaneous awareness of the castle sample per se of the wide choice of
catering and shops was buffered by those who had already been to the village prior to the interview taking place.
Base: 196 castle visitor & 198
village visitor
33
Intention to visit the village or castle
Intention to visit the village
Castle visitor sample
• In the main those questioned at the
castle site had already been (49%) or
were intending to visit (33%) the village
at some point. Therefore 82% of those
visitors at the castle would visit the
village.
• On the contrary, of those questioned in
the village only 38% were planning to, or
had visited the castle. 62% were not
intending to visit it at all.
• Overall there was 60% overlap between
the castle and the village.
Intention to visit the castle
village visitor sample
• Typically those castle visitors not
planning to visit the village were
more typically 25-44 yrs or older 65+ day
visitors. Most of these gave the rationale
that they had previously visited the
village on other occasions.
• Those village visitors claiming no
intention of visiting the castle were
more likely to be day visitors and either
younger (18-24 yrs) or older (55+). Most
expressed that they did not have enough
time (32%) or had visited the castle on a
previous occasion. There were also a
proportion who were simply not
interested in it (9%).
Base: 196 castle visitors &
198 village visitors
34
How long did they / do they intend to stay in the village and
what did they / are they planning to visit in the village today?
How long do they intend
to stay in the village?
• For those interviewed on the castle premises, most claim
they will spend up to 2 hours in the village. Village
visitors were generally more varied in their response.
• In the main, visitors are drawn to the village to look
around (61% castle sample and 88% village sample),
followed by refreshments (48% castle sample and 69%
village sample). Only 12% of the total sample stated they
went to the village for ‘refreshment only’.
Why did they / do they
intend to visit the village?
• Interestingly, of those castle visitors who had visited or
were intending to visit the village after the castle, only 20%
of this group went for ‘refreshments only’. This finding
challenges the thoughts that castle visitors only come to the
village for refreshment.
• For those intending to visit the village to shop, most had
either been or intended to go to the gift and craft shops. A
smaller, but significant proportion, also claimed the galleries
and delicatessens / grocery stores were of interest (>20%).
• Of those who came to shop (99 visitors in total), 56% had
purchased something. Mean spend varied between samples,
with those village visitors spending almost double their
counterpart sample. (mean spend of £41 cf £24.50.)
Base: 161 castle visitors who intend / have
visited the village & 198 village visitors
35
How well did your visit to the village meet your
expectations?
• Encouragingly, the village seemed to largely meet visitor expectations (over 80% of visitors claimed that the
village met all their expectations.)
• Most found the site to be a ‘lovely place’, ‘’been before / know the village’, and ‘beautiful place’. These were
the top answers given by the village visitor sample.
Base: 198 village visitor sample
36
Likelihood to visit the village again in the future (pre catering
proposal exposure)?
• Intention to revisit the village was high amongst both visitor samples, in fact slightly higher than that
witnessed for the castle. 67% and 75% of the castle and village sample respectively claimed they were either
‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to revisit. This was typically higher amongst the 55-64 yr olds, and day visitors.
• Reasons for not revisiting again revolved around distance from the area i.e. they don’t live in the area.
Base: 161 castle visitors who intend / have
visited the village & 198 village visitors
37
Main reason for the visit today?
castle visitor sample
village visitor sample
• Of those visitors who had been or were intending to go to both the village and castle, the main reason for them
visiting Dunster had been the castle. This was more true of those interviewed on the castle site.
• Hence the castle is an important part of the overall visit to Dunster.
Base: 161 castle visitors who intend / have visited the village & 75
village visitors intending to go / already been to castle
Summary of perceptions of Dunster
Village:
• Quite a number of visitors knew about the different
places of interest in Dunster beyond the castle and
gardens.
• 82% of the castle visitor sample either intended or had
visited the village.
• 62% of the village visitor sample expressed no intention
to go to the castle.
• Overall, 60% overlap between the two sites.
• Again, duration of stay in the village was generally up to
2 hours, but there was more variation in the village visitor
sample.
• More visitors expressed they come to the village to ‘look
around’ than ‘take refreshments’.
• Likelihood to revisit by just over 70%
• Castle is a key draw for visitors to Dunster
39
CATERING REQUIREMENTS
40
Have you / do you intend to take refreshments in the
village today?
If no, why not?
No
Yes
If yes, what type of refreshments did
/ do you intend to have?
(109 people)
castle visitors
Village visitors
(154 people)
Drink in a cafe
53%
56%
Sandwich / snack /
cake in cafe
39%
38%
Lunch in restaurant
13%
12%
Lunch in pub
12%
8%
Pasty / cake /
sandwich from
shop
6%
10%
Other
6%
11%
• When exploring intention to take refreshments in the
village, over two thirds claimed they were intending to (73%
of total sample). Typically this would be in the form of a
drink in a café and / or a snack of some description, whether
it be a cake or sandwich.
• If they weren’t intending to take refreshments, most stated
they had bought their own or they were going on elsewhere.
These were the most commonly cited reasons by a group of
individuals. Other reasons were given by smaller numbers of
people e.g. they were going home, or they didn’t have time
or simply that they were just not planning on eating.
Base: 161 castle visitors who intend / have visited
the village & 198 village visitors
For those who have taken refreshments already, where
did you go?
• A broad range of eating establishments had been used / were intending to be used by visitors. Those from the
village sample typically cited ‘Castle Coffee House’, ‘Tessa’s Tea Rooms’ and the ‘Mill Coffee Shop’.
• Of those visiting the Mill Coffee Shop (9% = 7 people) in the village visitor sample, there was an almost even split
of customers who had visited the castle prior to going to The Mill and those who weren’t intending to visit the
castle at all on their visit.
• Those from the castle sample were slightly different in their choices, which included ‘The Snack Box Kiosk’, ‘Castle
Coffee Shop’ and ‘Dunster Hotel.’
Base: 69 castle visitors sample, who have been to
village and taken refreshments and 77 village
visitors
42
Rating of catering establishments in village
• Overall visitors rated the catering establishments on offer in the village well, with most mean scores achieved
being over 4 out of 5.
• However differences were noted between the different samples. Higher ‘top box’ scores (i.e. given 5 out of 5)
were given by the village sample compared to the castle sample.
• The castle sample appeared to rate the provision of village catering on availability of ‘seasonal / local food’
and ‘opening times’ lower than the village sample. These are therefore areas that the National Trust proposed
catering offering could capitalise on.
43
Rating of catering establishments based upon experiences
(5 point scale used, 5 = most positive and 1 = most negative)
castle visitor sample
Base: 69 castle visitors
sample, who have been to
village and taken refreshments
44
Rating of catering establishments based upon experiences
(5 point scale used, 5 = most positive and 1 = most negative)
village visitor sample
Base: 77 village visitors
sample, who have been to
village and taken refreshments
45
Summary of Catering Requirements:
• 73% of the total sample claimed they were intending to
take / had taken refreshments in the village.
• Typically the requirements was for a drink and / or snack
(cake / sandwich) in a café environment.
• A broad range of establishments in the village were
visited.
• Rating of catering establishments was generally high.
• However, the castle sample generally rated most aspects
of catering provision lower than the village sample, in
particular the availability of local / seasonal food and
opening times.
46
REACTIONS TO THE CASTLE CATERING PROPOSALS
47
Likelihood to have refreshments at castle if they were
available?
If ‘likely’, why? (129 castle sample and 80 village
sample) (key responses)
castle village
• Overall, if you look at the total sample of 394, just over
half (53%) were interested in taking refreshments at the
castle if they were available.
• Those more adverse to the idea were the village visitor
sample, whereby almost half (48%) claimed they
wouldn’t be interested. However it must be remembered
that quite a proportion of this sample were not intending
to visit the castle anyway, which was the most common
reason given.
• Those more interested in the proposition (higher than
the average) were older (55+). Reasons for interest
surrounded ‘ease and convenience’ and the fact that it
was ‘usual for the NT to provide these facilities’.
Base: 196 & 198 sample
‘would be nice’
24%
14%
‘convenience / ease’
26%
10%
‘because NT usually have tea rooms’ /
catering
11%
8%
‘more picturesque / nice surroundings’
7%
4%
‘saves bringing food or going into village’
5%
3%
‘being looking for a tea room at the castle’
3%
1%
Other
22%
56%
If ‘unlikely’ why? 52 people
CASTLE SAMPLE (key responses)
‘brought our own’
31%
‘lots of places to eat in village’
15%
‘would take trade from village’
13%
‘just wouldn’t have them’
10%
Other (mostly singular
responses)
26%
If ‘unlikely’ why?
(94 people VILLAGE SAMPLE (key
responses)
‘’no intention to visit castle’
19%
‘NT prices too high’
14%
‘would take trade from village’
14%
‘brought our own’
4%
Other (mostly singular
responses)
36%
48
Refreshments desired at castle catering facility
• Although the above chart depicts the differences between the two samples, the overall picture is consistent in
that the desire is for provision of ‘snack type’ of food i.e. afternoon cream teas / cakes, snacks and hot and cold
drinks in a café type of environment (see below chart).
Base: 144 castle visitor & 104 village visitors
those interested in catering at castle
49
Preferred catering proposal
• When exploring which of the castle catering proposals was preferred, we have used a combined sample of 235
i.e. those interested in the catering from both samples.
• The on site facility seemed to gain the most positive reaction, with the site in the village (5-10 minutes away)
being the second best option.
• Those more likely to be favourable towards the on site proposal were typically older (55+), likely to be interested
in wanting to take refreshments at the castle, and more likely to be on a weeks holiday or on a short term break.
Base: total sample of 235 i.e. those interested
in catering at castle from both samples
50
Overall preference to eat at castle or away from the
castle?
castle visitor sample
If away from the castle, where would you
prefer?
Castle
Village
Sample
Sample
Dunster village
62%
84%
Home
2%
1%
Another village
2%
Bring our own
2%
Facility near car park
2%
Away from tourists
2%
Other
2%
4%
Not specified
21%
5%
6%
village visitor sample
• In total, 52% of visitors had a preference to eat at the castle,
with a further 45% preferring to eat away from castle (of
which 77% would go into Dunster village to eat). Typically the
preference for eating at the castle was higher amongst
National Trust members (59%).
• For those preferring to eat at the castle, again it was more
about ‘ease and convenience’, and ‘the setting’ that motivated
people to prefer this option.
• Clearly from the above, it can be seen that there were
differences noted by sample whereby almost two thirds (61%)
of the village visitor sample would prefer to eat away from the
castle. The rationale for this, also bearing in mind previous
comments regarding the lack of intention in visiting the castle,
was as follows: ‘more choice in the village 22%’, ‘good in the
village / prefer village 16%’ and ‘it would take trade away
from the village 13%’.
• Other responses were given. But by fewer numbers of
individuals.
Base: 196 castle visitor sample & 198
village visitor sample
What impact would the availability of refreshments at the
castle have had on your visit today?
• Again, more robust numbers have been utilised here by combining samples that were relevant i.e. the whole of the 196
castle visitor sample and 39 from the village sample who had visited the castle already (total 235).
• For most, the impact of catering was not felt to have an impact on the various aspects of a persons visit.
• However, certainly for just over a third (35%), they would have spent more time there (presumably because they were
eating there and therefore spending more time there?).
• Equally for about 1 in 4 visitors to the castle, their enjoyment of their visit would have increased if refreshments were
available. This was more typically true of the over 65’s, where perhaps mobility is more difficult. (65+’s account for 23% of the
total sample in this survey – just under a quarter of all visitors surveyed).
• 14% claimed they would come again as a result of catering being available at the castle = potential of 14% repeat visits.
Base: Total base used – 235 – 196 castle sample
and 39 village sample who had visited
52
Impact of castle catering on visiting Dunster village /
castle
Base: 196 castle visitors,
198 village visitors
• When probed about what impact castle catering facilities would have on visitor flow to either their visit to the village (if
they were from the castle sample) or the castle (if they were from the village sample), an overwhelming majority claimed it
would have no impact.
• Interestingly the ‘lack of impact’ increased from 87% (amongst the castle visitor sample) to 89% in those who were
intending to visit the village after the castle. Equally, of those castle visitors claiming it would have no impact on their visit to
the village, almost 70% claimed a preference to take refreshments at the castle hence indicating that although there would
be an affect on catering businesses if the proposals went through, there would be very little affect on the visitor flow from
the castle to the village. As we have seen before, people want to come to the village to look around, not simply to take
refreshments.
• 9% of the castle visitor sample stated they would be less likely to visit the village as a result of the catering proposal, of
which 71% came from those who had visited the village prior to the castle.
• 10% of the village sample claimed they would be more likely to visit the castle if catering was available and of this,
63% came from those not intending to visit the castle in the outset, implying that there maybe be some increase in visitors
to the castle from this previously disinterested group.
53
How could the National Trust raise more money to keep
the castle going? (spontaneous)
Ideas mentioned:
• 28% didn’t answer / didn’t know
• 16% ‘more catering’
• 20% ‘more events’ e.g. concerts, prom nights, mouse hunts,
Victorian Country Fayre, Historical events
• 5% ‘fundraising’
• 2% ‘more retail’ e.g. plants etc
• 2% ‘more guided tours’
• This was a spontaneous question asked of visitors, and as perhaps might be expected there are a reasonable high
proportion who can’t answer.
• However there were quite a number who did put some ideas forward, with ‘catering’ mentioned by 16% of the
total sample and ‘more events’ mentioned by 20%.
Base: 394 total sample
54
Summary of NT Catering Proposals:
• Just over half of the total sample (53%) expressed an interest in taking refreshments at the castle.
• The type of refreshments desired by the majority were hot / cold drinks and snacks / cakes in a café
environment.
• The on site facility / proposal was preferred by almost two thirds to the other two proposals.
• 52% of visitors had a preference for eating at the castle. This was higher amongst National Trust members
(increased to 59%).
• Likely impact of the availability of refreshments at the castle was……
– just over a third would spend more time at the castle
– for 1 in 4 visitors , it would increase their enjoyment of the visit (more typically true for 65+)
– 14% claimed they would visit again as a result of the catering facility.
• The impact of the NT catering proposal on visitor flow seemed minimal – Less than 10% claimed they
would be less likely to visit the village with 87% of castle sample claiming it would have no impact on their visit
to the village.
– but the castle could see increased numbers coming from the village. 10% of village sample would be more
likely to visit the castle, of which 63% came from those who had originally stated they were not intending to
visit.
Overall the key finding is that there would be very little effect on visitor flow to the village, but
there will be an impact on the catering establishments in the village.
55
Summary of impact of castle catering upon visitor
flow
CASTLE VISITORS PER ANNUM = 116,000
82% castle visitors have visited / will visit the village
= 95,120 will visit the village
86% (of the castle sample who would go to the
village) claim it will not impact upon their visiting
habits to the village i.e. they will still go
= 81,803 visitors will still go to the village
7% claim to be less likely to go the village
= 6,658 less visitors to village
QUALITATIVE STAKEHOLDER RESEARCH
57
Dunster visitor profile…
• Stakeholder views on the Dunster visitor profile were consistent and highlighted the breadth of people that
come to Dunster.
• In the main the profile is largely thought to be nationals although anecdotally, around 10% this year are
believed to be international, however this has witnessed an increase this last year from Northern Europe, in
particular Holland, perhaps due to the Euro to sterling exchange rate. (These figures are based on gut feel
rather than hard evidence and will also slightly vary business to business).
• The visitor profile changes throughout the year, with distinct patterns emergent. Families are present
throughout the school holidays – Easter, half term breaks and the summer, with the older generation
representing a high proportion of visitors outside of the term times, in particular September and October.
Couples are also believed to be the mainstay of the profile. This was found to be broadly in line with what the
visitor research has shown us, and also highlights that the profile achieved is a snap shot at the time the
fieldwork took place.
• Most Stakeholders view the season as starting in March and ending around November, although Candlelight in
December creates a huge following. January and February are probably perceived to be the quietest months by
Stakeholders, although some have created all year round business for themselves, being entrepreneurial with
regards to their offering.
• Repeat visitors are estimated to represent approximately a third of the visitor population, but again this varied
by individual.
• There seems to be mix of both day visitors (i.e. those coming from within the South West area and those
perhaps basing themselves somewhere else such as Minehead and coming to Dunster for the day) and those
coming for 2 or 3 night stays.
58
Why do visitors come to Dunster?
• The belief by most is that people are attracted to Dunster because of the whole ‘package’  the castle AND the
medieval village. However, the castle undeniably acts as a draw given its ‘beacon’ like presence and position on
the hill, something many feel the castle could exploit better (see later).
• ‘it’s an attraction as a package, rather than individual parts of it…..the 2 main reasons for people to visit
Dunster are the medieval village and the castle as a package.’
• ‘I believe they come to see both the village and the castle’
• ‘…the castle is the draw…you see it quite clearly from the A39’
• ‘I think it’s (Dunster) got a huge amount to offer….. for anyone interested in history and heritage it’s a
fascinating place to visit and explore.’
• In terms of visitor flow, different stakeholders possessed slightly differing views on this. However, interestingly,
and drawing on their view that people come for ‘the package’, most believed that there was quite a lot of overlap
between those visitors that visit the castle and those visiting the village.
• ‘I’d say there was about 60% overlap’
• ‘it’s our impression that of the people who visit the village, probably 80% have come to visit the village and
only 20% will go on to the castle, but at a guess I would say 60% come from the castle down to the village’.
• Overall the above sentiment broadly reflected the research visitor findings.
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A more unified approach is needed…
• Encouragingly there was a unified belief that much more of a concerted effort should be made to promote ‘Dunster
as a whole package’ and grow the market. Current marketing, if any, is predominantly viewed as highly individual.
• ‘I don’t think the village does much in the way of marketing. The National Trust obviously do their own and some
of the individual businesses do as well, but beyond that, there isn’t much’.
• ‘There needs to be a unified approach to promoting and marketing the place (Dunster) .’
•‘businesses organise mini events and don’t tell the visitor centre what is going on. So people come to the centre
and say “what’s going on?” and they (the centre) don’t know. So even though that’s the place where most people
will go to find out about things and what’s going on, still people who organise these events don’t tell them, which
just shows you that everything is disjointed’.
• At the moment there is a feeling of a ‘them and us’ mentality that exists amongst some of the Stakeholders (Castle
and village). However, interestingly, all recognise the need for the differing parties involved to work together and be
creative in ways to increase visitor numbers that will benefit the whole. This includes the Dunster business
community, Exmoor National Park, Crown Estate and The Castle.
• ‘Everybody that is involved or has a stake in Dunster needs to work together and really sell the place and what it
can offer’
• ‘It needs one vision and one team’
• ‘If all the visitors to the village went to the castle and all the castle visitors went to the village we would all be
winners. Now that ‘s not going to happen, but if we aim for that.
• ‘I think there could be a lot to gain by Dunster businesses, the National Trust, Crown Estate and National Park
collaborating around a locally lead information provision, booking service, event organisation, promotions and
marketing effort’
• ‘’if they channelled their energies into more productive areas, that would be great’
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The challenge ahead
• What was evident from the Stakeholder interviews was the fragmentation that exists, not only between the National
Trust and some of the business community of Dunster, but equally within the business community itself.
• There seemed to be a perceived lack of direction behind some of the organisations that have been set up to promote
Dunster, but much of this seems to have stemmed from the ‘organisation by committee’ type structure in place. There
was mention of some members of Visit Dunster stepping down as a result of the recent fragmentation.
• ‘…the village organisation is very difficult to deal with, they always seem to be rowing with one another, and nobody
actually gets up and does things’
•‘There are a lot of businesses in Dunster and to get them to act corporately, when they all have individual views is
quite difficult. People want to put differing amounts of effort in and some have different priorities, so its difficult.’
•‘ My overriding view is that everybody is working in isolation’
• The other clear finding from the interviews was that whilst there is recognition that a more unified and ‘professional’
approach is required to market Dunster, there are differing views on ‘who’ should be driving this forward.
• ‘..everyone else has got ideas about what everyone else should be doing, and they have plenty of ideas as to what
they think they should be doing, but we say this is our remit and role, but we want to support the initiative and in the
end it will only succeed if it comes from the community’.
• The above aspects seem to be the greatest challenge for Dunster to overcome in order to work with other
stakeholder organisations in a unified promotional venture.
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Ideas put forward for increasing visitor numbers to
Dunster
• All Stakeholders contributed and had some positive and constructive ideas of what could be done to increase visitor
numbers. In addition, there is a willingness to try and drive these ideas forward. Therefore, what seems to be lacking
presently is a forum for which these ideas can be shared with the relevant people and then driven forward.
• One of the key areas that seems to crop up consistently is the need to grow the overall market to Dunster, providing a win
win situation for all concerned especially if visitor flow is improved. In particular, increased events were thought to be one of
the key ways to increase visitor numbers.
• ‘there is one market and we need more of it. We need to grow the cake.’
• It is recognised that the Castle do a number of events, but little is done in the way of a consolidated joint effort or by the
village itself. The example always put forward as testament to how well Dunster can do things, if the Castle and village work
together, is Candlelight. However above and beyond this event, there is little else that the village and castle do on a united
front. As seen previously many other ‘mini events’ are organised on a more individual basis.
• Some businesses do work very well in partnership with the castle and seem to have a good rapport and relationship.
Generally these businesses seem to appreciate the symbiotic nature of the relationship required.
• ‘(For) the Rohan event …….they came along and expected to be business partners’
62
Ideas put forward for increasing visitor numbers to
Dunster
Some suggestions cited that could increase visitor numbers and increase flow
between castle and village:
• Concerts / prom afternoon / operatic evenings using the castle grounds.
• New festivals: ‘starlight festival’, ‘walking festival’, ‘wood fair’, ‘Railway Festival’, ‘Bavarian Market’, ‘Book
Festival’  events that capitalise and look at new untapped markets, and capitalise on Dunster’s unique
location….’Gateway to Exmoor’
•‘mountain trail bike riding is a big untapped market’
• ‘Bring back the firework display……it’s a community thing that brings people together…not sure why it stopped.’
• Audio / guided village and castle tours / historic walks: pick up / return headsets at Visitor Centre or Castle?
• Spring / Autumn events – outside of peak summer period, whereby the capacity is probably at a maximum for
Dunster.
• Perhaps close off the high street as with Candlelight for some events.
• Duration: 2 or 3 day / half day events that maximises visitors exposure to Dunster.
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Other thoughts and ideas…..
Things the castle could do….
• Floodlighting the castle at key times across the year: spring and autumn, Friday / Saturday nights – changeover nights for most
accommodation businesses .
• ‘We’ve been asking the Castle for ages to floodlight and they always come up with a reason not to.’
• Increase village promotion at castle. Increase signage in car park / castle area?
•There was a feeling that this is only just starting to happen, but perhaps more could be done. ‘There’s nothing to tell you the shops
and things that you can see in Dunster up there (at the castle) and there should be’.
• Equally it is about showing engagement with the village, thus showing commitment to Dunster economy as a whole. This would be
perceived to aid the relationship with the village and help reduce the ‘them and us’ mentality that currently exists.
• Open more rooms? Make it more experiential e.g. working kitchen etc – ‘ bit more life’.
• Increase retail : plant sales, local produce farm shop (a perceived gap in the market) – could tie in with catering facility and use of
locally sourced produce?
• Make it more experiential? ‘why not have a working kitchen?’, ‘it’s a bit dead .. it’s not alive’, ‘have more for kids to do’, ‘medieval
banquets’
•‘the castle quite frustratingly were not keen to display an orientation board that we have got displayed in other parts of the village,
which shows the parts (village) that people can go and see, so unless it was there you would probably think that was it if you had
visited the castle. So I think that isn’t as good as it could be’
Things the castle and village could do better……
• Cross promotions: village and castle
• Signage / information board on the A39
• Car parking: joint parking for village and castle
•‘there should be one car park for Dunster…the castle flirted with the idea, but never committed to it. If they could do this and flag
people through the village high street, people would be more amenable.’
• Exploiting Butlins? Providing buses from the site to Dunster?
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Other thoughts and ideas…..
Things the business / village community could do better…….
• Perhaps look to increase opening hours of some businesses….look at evening trade in peak seasons, if
not already.
• Perhaps engage with some of the coach companies ……. Look at how they can work in partnership to
ensure Dunster is part of a day trip etc.
•‘it gets to about 4.30 / 5pm and some businesses are shutting up shop’
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Reactions towards the catering proposal: the debate
• Clearly there are high levels of emotion that surround the debate of the castle catering proposals. The key issue, as well
documented from opposing bodies, is that an on site facility would result in the drastic reduction of castle visitors coming to the
village and therefore affecting businesses across the board.
• ‘I have 2000 signatures in my shop, over half of them are NT members and as they are signing they are saying, thank
goodness there wasn’t a café there because we would have just gone there and gone home…..60% in our survey’.
• Generally there was no opposition for the second option of a National Trust tea shop in the village. For some this would seem
to be the compromise.
• ‘we do not have a problem with the National Trust having a tea room in the village as a competitor to us because
people can make a choice. It’s the location.’
• ‘….(the Mill) would seem to be of all the possibilities, the most viable in planning terms…..and probably the most
acceptable locally as well.’
• Much of this belief stems from their perception that ‘people only come to the village after the castle for refreshment. Once
they get there and see how lovely the village is, then they stay and look around.’
•This view is held by a number of businesses in the Dunster Action Group and a few other public bodies.
• Equally there is concern amongst this group of individuals that the catering proposal is the ‘easiest option’, and that there has
been no other attempts by the National Trust to explore other ways in which visitor numbers could be increased both to the
Castle and / or village.
• ‘You need to look at increasing the growth overall. At least if the cake was bigger, at best the position is more neutral’
66
Reactions towards the catering proposal: the debate
• However, there are equally as many individuals that air the other side of the coin in this debate, who are businesses outside
the Action Group and members of local community organisations. As a number of individuals claim, ‘the Dunster Action Group
don’t speak for the majority of businesses in Dunster. They are a small, but very vocal group.’
•‘some (visitors) are going to stay up there, but the ones that want to come down into the village will do anyway’.
• ‘I wouldn’t say it would stop people coming down to the village, it might prevent them buying another cup of tea, like I
said a lot of people that come specifically to see the castle wander to the village for refreshment, but a lot of them are in
an ambling around, sight seeing mood, so they are going to go to see what’s in the village if they have time’.
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Reactions towards the catering proposal: the impact
• There are two issues in terms of potential impact of the catering proposal…..
• The first is that of the impact upon visitor experience.
• It is believed that the provision of the on site facility will cause a more divisive rift between some members of the business
community and the National Trust, and ultimately this will have an impact on visitor experience.
• This is something that is believed by a number of Stakeholders to be happening at the moment with the intensity of the
current Action Group campaign.
• ‘ I do believe it gives off a fragmented image ‘
• ‘I think it could damage relations between the Trust and the village for certainly the next generation and I’m not
being gloomy about it’
• ‘I’m concerned about how we work together, and there has been certain activity going on in the village itself,
negative press about the castle, which I think, even if its not negatively impacting on numbers that are coming, your
impression as you walk around, if there are pink signs up everywhere, saying down with the castle, it doesn’t portray
a very good happy feel to the visitor’.
• ‘People are complaining that come to the village because they are confronted with petitions etc …at the end of the
day they are on holiday..they don’t want that.’
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Reactions towards the catering proposal: the impact
• The second is the impact on the local economy by the potential lack of visitors that would come through as a result of the
on site facility. Obviously this is the concern raised by those that oppose the proposals.
• ‘the Mill has done its figures and 75% of their turnover is from the tearoom and not the Mill, so 80% of there people
are National Trust members coming to the village from the castle. If they are to lose a significant number of those
people coming down to eat with them they, will lose their business.’
• ‘Over Easter Dunster Castle had a food wagon, selling Cornish pasties and drinks, and our village shop, that makes
their own Cornish Pasties, their takeaway turnover was down by 75%’
• ‘we left a survey on every table (self completion) asking people who had come from the castle to our tearooms, if
there was a facility there, would you have used it, and the answer was 60% yes’
• The nature of the research conducted by the Dunster Action Group in terms of sample base and
full results has not been provided to Turquoise.
• ‘It will ruin any relationship there is. People will see it that the castle are looking after themselves and to heck with
the village…it will be very sad.’
• However there are also those Stakeholders that believe whilst there will be some affect on some catering facilities, this will
be more of a competitive impact rather than anything else.
•‘I think that if they are established and they offer good quality food and service , they would have built up
their business and I don’t think they will be affected…..it will be the ones at the lower end or where the quality
isn’t up to scratch or the service isn’t where it needs to be when the people will go elsewhere.’
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Option One: on site facility
• Many of the stakeholders (typically within the village community) remained quite neutral on the different options.
‘Neutral. I don’t have a preference, it’s entirely up to them. They are in business like everyone else. I wouldn’t want any of
the other traders to come to me and say “you can’t do this, or you can’t do that,” and I don’t think we should be saying that
to the castle’.
Positives:
• From a National Trust catering perspective:
• ‘It’s a good location..it’s got other things around it for people to look at and enjoy as well’ (NT)
• ‘good access for deliveries’ (NT)
• Potentially the highest revenue earner  ‘you work out visitor numbers to the castle and an average
transaction value (ATV), and you work out the conversion of how many visitors you think will visit the tea room
and the conversion factor for the first option will be greatest, because its closest to the car park’
• Allows the older, less mobile visitors to have refreshments  ‘we think there is an untapped market for those
who come to the castle and aren’t leaving and gong to the village because it’s just too much for them’. (NT)
• ‘a lot of National Trust members are fairly elderly and they don’t go down to the village because they can’t
physically make it. They park up in the car park and get a little buggy to take them up to the castle’
• An all year round offering that could serve other evening castle events as well  ‘if its on site it will stay open
the length of time our shop stays open, which has about 3 weeks closure in January and it will stay open until
5pm …so effectively it will stay open for 11 months of the year. So it could be used for evening events as well
like the bat walks. Also many of the tea rooms within the village are closed on Thursdays throughout the year
and there is a very limited offering in the Wintertime’.
• ‘I would like it to be disabled accessible’.
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Option One: on site facility
Negatives:
• The most controversial from some perspectives.
• ‘the one that is likely to have the greatest impact in terms of competition from café to café’
• ‘it will be very detrimental to the village and those coffee shops in the village to survive. It would break down
any relationship, not that there is one now at the moment ’
• Planning and conservation issues …
‘it is contrary to local plan policy, so even if it is supported, its not going to be straight forward in planning terms.’
71
Option Two: village facility
Positives:
• Perceived as probably the best compromise if it was a facility in the village because
of the following…….
• The least opposed option.
• ‘they already have a place in the village on leasehold …why can’t they shuttle
people there?’
• Potentially no planning and conservation issues.
Negatives:
• Will not fulfil the needs of the less mobile / older groups discussed earlier.
• Lower conversion rate and therefore potential revenue  ‘experience will tell you
that people won’t go as far.’
72
Option Three: a kiosk
The least positive comment was made for this option.
• perceived as more of a temporary measure by visitors?
• ‘you can already get a drink etc in the shop I think’
• ‘we are doing this at Tyntesfield, and have been doing that for at least 4-5 years
whilst we redevelop the whole site, before we put a proper catering outlet in and
visitors have been very supportive, but this year we have noticed they have left,
because it’s drinking out of paper cups, it’s bought in food, it’s not sitting sown
inside, so its weather permitting. We would normally look at this as a secondary
option to the main outlet for ice cream and cold drinks, stuff like that.’
• weather dependent
• ‘I just don’t like the idea of a kiosk…it’s a bit tacky I think..I just wouldn’t want to
see that type of thing there.’
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Summary of qualitative Stakeholder research
• There were roughly equal numbers of those who were neutral about the castle catering proposal as
there were those who were negative towards it (without the Trust members involved in the research).
• The castle and village are perceived to be a complete package and experience for the visitor. The castle
acts as a draw for National Trust Members, but is also a natural ‘beacon’ due to its position and location.
• There is a large perceived overlap between visitors to the village and castle and it is therefore a shared
market.
The key issues raised included…..
• There is a need to grow the overall visitor market to Dunster via a cohesive, unified plan involving
various parties: the business community, National Trust, Exmoor National Park and Crown Estate (+
West Somerset Council)
• There needs to be one vision, one team
• The forum for this cannot be allowed to be run via committee.
• The catering proposal with the least opposition was the village facility, however the on site facility was
perceived to have the greatest potential for revenue for the castle and greatest negative effect on the
village.
• The key belief from those opposed to the on site facility is that the location of this option will result in
visitors not coming to the village. However again, there are as many, if not more, who believe that it will
have no effect on visitor flow from the castle, but may affect some catering establishments in terms of
revenue.
74
DESK RESEARCH ON NATIONAL TRUST CATERING
75
Examples of uplifts in visitor numbers by the introduction
of catering facilities to sites
• Experience at the Trust, over many years, demonstrates that properties around the country which introduce or improve
catering and other visitor facilities leads to an increase in visitor numbers.
National Trust examples of uplifts in visitor numbers when the
introduction / improvement of a catering facility and other
visitor facilities has been implemented
• Courts at Holt
increased annual visitor numbers from
25,000 to 40,000.
• Croome Park near Pershore
increased from 40,000 to 75,000 with a
temporary facility and then again to
100,000 when a new more permanent
facility was introduced.
• Sizergh
increased from 68,000 to 90,000
• Lytes Carey
increased from 31,000 to 41,000
76
Catering facilities would look to source local produce to
enhance the local economy and offering
• Most of the catering facilities that the Trust has opened in the Wessex region, use locally sourced produce.
• helps local economy
• potentially provides a different offering to other catering facilities in Dunster and meets a need identified
earlier with regards to provision of local / seasonal food?
• ‘Living la vida locavore’ :  this is a trend that has been identified as 4th in the The Food Channel’s
Top Ten Trends for 2009 and is all about the following……
• Is all about eating locally from a restaurant that buys from local farmers.
• Eating seasonally, since local food equates to fresh
• could tie in with a retail proposition of local ‘farm type shop’ offering locally sourced food eaten in the
catering facility for retail?
• ‘For example, we would look to source all or dairy, meat, bakery, fruit and veg, bottled drinks, ice cream. We
would look to source things locally, as much as possible, and seasonally as well, and we would aim to build
relationships with local producers.’
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What have other places done to attract visitors?
• Desk research conducted has shown that events and festivals seem to be key to attracting visitors to villages /
towns. Some examples include………
• Food Festivals:
• Wellington Food Festival saw an attendance of 5000 people and a total spend of £100K (average
spend per head £20) (Somerset Market Towns Forum – ‘Promoting our market towns feasibility study
2007’).
• Llangollen Food Festival / Narbeth Food Festival / Wrexham Food Festival (Contribution of
Community Festivals and Events to the Local Areas and the Welsh Economy 2006)
• Heritage Open Days / Festival (Cirencester) – walk through tour.
• Arts Festivals (Arts Festivals and the Visitor Economy: Their Contribution and their Potential in the West
Midlands Region (2005) – showed that visitors to arts festivals have a much higher economic impact than
other tourists, even cultural tourists. Comparison with the figures for the UK Tourism Survey seemed to
demonstrate that visitors to festivals spend more and stay longer than other cultural festivals.
• Festival of Walking (Langport International Festival of Walking).
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What have other places done to attract visitors?
• However there have been a number of key success factors of these types of events that have been highlighted in
the various reports disclosed on the previous slide which include…..
• The set up of tourism and marketing groups by the local community (e.g. Axbridge, Langport and Somerton
are local examples of where this has taken place in Somerset)
• Strategic approach to events e.g. marketing, planning
• Conversion of an ‘event experience’ into a ‘tourist experience’ – linking and signposting of local attractions
that may appeal.
• Communications strategy to keep local participants abreast of local opportunities (greater local economic
benefits are derived from maximising local suppliers.
• An inclusive model of local partnership working involving local businesses.
• Involvement of experienced volunteer event organisers or employment of experienced events organisers.
• Support from District Council Tourism and Regeneration Officers.
• Plan the event to attract visitors to stay on the area for the whole day / overnight – encouraging pre
booking
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CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
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Conclusions & Recommendations
Overall:
• The castle is an important economic draw for Dunster with 79% of those visitors visiting both the castle
and village stating that the castle was the main reason for their visit.
• The research also highlighted that there are 60% of visitors who visit both the village and castle. This is
even higher for the castle sample (82%). Therefore whilst an important draw, visitors do come for all
rounded experience (castle and village).
• Almost ¾ of visitors take refreshments (either had or were intending to). This was generally in the form
of a snack of some description (hot / cold drink and cake / sandwich).
• Rating of the village catering establishments was generally high. Areas of opportunity would seem to be
in opening times and local / seasonal food provision.
• Most visitors explore the village to ‘look around’ and /or refreshment.
• Amongst those castle visitors intending to go to the village, only 18% stated they were going for
refreshment only.
• Visitors therefore come to the village to explore and not simply to take refreshment.
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Conclusions & Recommendations
The Castle Catering Proposal:
• Reactions towards the castle catering proposal was positive with over half indicating interest in taking
refreshments there and, more importantly, 52% preferred to take refreshments at the castle.
• Typically interest and preference increased amongst older visitors 55+ and National Trust members.
• The on site facility at the castle gained the most interest with 62% rating this as their preferred option.
• The on site facility again gained greater preference amongst 55+’s.
• The impact of catering at the castle would see a positive affect:
• increase enjoyment amongst 1 in 4 visitors.
• increase time spent at the castle by 35%
• instigate a repeat visit by 14% (~16,000 visitors)
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Conclusions & Recommendations
Impact of the castle catering proposal on the village:
1. There is no proof from this research that a café within the castle grounds will significantly reduce numbers
of castle visitors going to the village.
2.
Experience at the Trust, over many years, demonstrates that properties around the country which
introduce or improve catering and other visitor facilities leads to an increase in visitor numbers.
•
•
•
•
Sizergh numbers increased from 78,000 to 90,000
The Courts from 25,000 to 40,000 p.a.
Croome Park near Pershore from 40,000 to 75,000 p.a.
Lytes Carey from ~ 31,000 to 41,000
3.
However there is evidence to suggest that catering at the castle would have an impact on
Dunster catering establishments.
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Summary of impact of castle catering upon visitor
flow
CASTLE VISITORS PER ANNUM = 116,000
82% of castle visitors have visited / will visit the village
= 95,120 will visit the village
86% of castle visitors (who have visited / will visit
the village) claim provision of castle catering will
not impact upon their visiting habits to the village
i.e. they will still go
= 81,803 visitors will still go to the village
7% claim to be less likely to go the village
= 6,658 less visitors to village
Conclusions & Recommendations
Stakeholder Research Conclusions:
• Although there is a huge amount of emotion surrounding the castle’s catering proposal, it would seem that there
are as many neutral views as opposing ones.
• The clear and consistent themes that came through via the stakeholder depths were as follows……….
• Given the large overlap between the village and castle in terms of shared market, the stakeholder view of a
more unified and cohesive strategy to increase and grow the Dunster market, would seem a valid argument.
•There is a need to ensure that there is one vision and one team progressing and driving initiatives forward.
This needs to be a collaborative forum for the National Trust, Exmoor National Park, Crown Estate and
Business community. It should be viewed as a ‘Dunster Working Partnership’ with collective responsibility.
• However Turquoise believe that this cannot be allowed to be run by committee – given the diversity of
businesses and personalities involved, there should be a representation of the business community on it,
of which the business community needs to decide the representatives.
•There were a number of constructive and positive ideas put forward to increase visitor numbers by Stakeholders as
detailed in the report, with events and festivals seemingly the most obvious.
• Festivals and events also seem have been proven by other towns / villages as having the most positive
impact upon local economies as seen in the desk research.
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Conclusions & Recommendations
• There were also a number of things that non National Trust stakeholders believe the Trust should take on board
from this research….
• They need to be seen to be engaging more with the village as a whole e.g.
• by promoting the village on the site via improved signage
• floodlighting?
• consider unified parking?
• Another key issue raised by Stakeholders is the current division and fragmentation that exists, and that seems to be
snowballing with the current proposals on the table and the Dunster Action Group Campaign. It is believed that this
will ultimately affect Dunster visitor experience and therefore ultimately all of Dunster will be affected.
•This is something that all parties need to take on board and may ultimately be the key economic impact.
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Conclusions & Recommendations
• Ultimately Turquoise believe that should the on site option proceed, there will be an impact on local catering
businesses in Dunster, with indicative figures showing just over half may opt to use the facility. However the effect on
visitor flow would be significantly less.
• With this share being taken from the local catering economy, there will be a need to increase visitor numbers to
Dunster.
• Festivals and events have been highlighted as successful ways to achieve this.
• However critical key success factors for these events have also been identified through other research in this area and
ultimately it requires a more unified and collaborative venture to drive forward and ensure a more holistic vision and
promotion of Dunster.
• As part of this venture the Trust will need to ensure that they put measures in place to assure and demonstrate
that they are committed to growing the market.
• From Dunster’s point of view, all stakeholders involved in this process need to understand the potential effect that the
current fragmentation may have on visitor experience in the future. There is a need for all to appreciate and
understand the role that both the castle and village have in providing a great visitor experience  ‘The Whole is
Greater than the Sum of its Parts’.
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T: 01271 337100 F: 01271 379480
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