Plans are being put in place to ensure that Dartmoor not only has a staycation summer boom this year, but that visitor numbers and economic recovery continues throughout the autumn and winter.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, 70 per cent of Dartmoor businesses had either reduced or temporarily ceased trading, with 96 per cent of tourism and leisure business and 79 per cent of retailers saying it had negative or severe negative impact on their business.

But with ongoing restrictions on travel abroad and consumer confidence still low on overseas travel, the Dartmoor National Park Authority is expecting the Moor to be very busy over the summer season with a ‘staycation boom’ predicted.

Last Friday’s authority meeting though heard that the volume of visitors might not necessarily equate to footfall in local towns, businesses and hospitality venues, and also has the potential to create a mini ‘boom’ over the summer months followed by flat shoulder months either side of this.

But a plan to support the economic recovery on Dartmoor has been put in place to ensure that they not only extend the tourist season, but also provide ongoing, regular local footfall through businesses, providing much needed support for what has been a very difficult year.

And members of the authority also asked officers to look into putting in place a formal policy to cope with the arrival of motorhomes on to Dartmoor this summer as they expect to be inundated with them.

Sam Hill, head of communications and fundraising, said: ‘We are looking at a staycation boom over the summer with places filling up nicely, so we have to think of the lessons we have learnt, as could have high footfall over the summer in Dartmoor, so how do we spread it out so all businesses benefit, not just a few, and then extend it into autumn and winter so we don’t have the mini boom and then it all falls off again.

‘Lots of people asking about what to do and where to go and what to see so we are heartened that people are planning their visit, and through the pandemic we have seen significant behavioural change in local and national consumer activity, shifts in personal priorities and a will to capture those changes which have been positive and ‘build back better’ as lockdown continues to ease.

‘We will continue to pursue projects and initiatives as resources allow, building upon the increased level of engagement with businesses through local network development.

‘We will listen to businesses and use our communications resources to continue to develop opportunities to support them, to ensure our communities thrive as we emerge from the pandemic.’

Developing the existing offer visitor centres at Postbridge, Princetown and Haytor

During the past year the visitor centres have experienced the same levels of ‘revolving door’ closures as all the non-essential businesses on Dartmoor, closing each time there has been a lockdown.

But the extension to the Postbridge Visitor Centre was completed and our ambition remains to use it as a catalyst to support getting people to stay longer and spend more in the area, Mrs Hill said.

She added: ‘The new centre provides state of the art interpretation that we hope will increase visitor dwell time in the area, year-round, to the benefit of the local and wider Dartmoor community.

‘Though the Moor Than Meets The Eye project, several new and improved accessible walking trails are now available from the centre and in the wider area.

‘This improves the visitor offer for tourists arriving looking for ‘things to do’, our visitor centre staff only happy to help them with ideas and suggestions. Hopefully after a long walk, then needing to seek refreshments in local food and drink establishments in the area.