Eden project report
Economy in the South West
The most economically productive areas in the South West are Bristol and Dorset, as they contain major travel links to the capital and the “M4 corridor.” Bristol alone accounts for almost one quarter of the region’s economy, and the counties surrounding it (Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset) account for over a quarter more. As you can see by the graphic, Cornwall accounts for the least amount of the economy in the South West, contributing only 7.4% of the region’s economy and the poorest county in the entire UK. This is due to a collapse in mining, agriculture and fishing and its geographical remoteness meaning travel to and from Cornwall can be difficult.
Tourism
The South West has the highest rates of domestic tourism in the UK, with over 22% of all tourism within the UK. Although the number of trips made to the south west by tourists decreased between 2012 and 2013, the amount spent on average by each tourist increased by three percent in the same time period. This is due to the increasing amount of disposable income per household in the UK.
Unsurprisingly, due to its significantly larger coastline to any other region in England, the South West is the most popular destination for seaside holidays. However, with the decline of traditional “Bucket and spade holidays,” seaside holiday destinations such as Torquay and Paignton in Devon have massively decreased in popularity. Instead of driving for many hours to get to the south west, many people are now favouring cheap flights abroad where weather is often more reliable.
UK visitors to the South West region
In 2009, UK visitors in the South West region spent in total £4.12 Billion pounds on tourism; 82 million nights were spent within the region throughout 21 million trips to the region, an average stay of four nights in the region. These 82 million trips made up 21% of all nights spent in the UK by tourists. Between 2009 and 2010, there was an increase in proportion of visitors from the South East and the Midlands and a decline in the proportion visiting from any other regions. Compared to all tourists within the UK, tourists visiting the South West had a lower proportion of Full Time workers, at 49%, and the South West region is home to the most second homes in the country. Due to its extensive coastline and beautiful countryside, the South West region has the largest percentage of internal tourists visiting for holiday or pleasure exclusively, although an additional 16% visit the area to visit friends and relatives.
% market share of GB tourism Expenditure (%) Nights (%) Trips (%)
West Midlands 6 5 7
East of England 6 8 8
East Midlands 5 5 6
London 10 6 9
North West 11 10 11
North East 3 3 3
South East 12 13 14
South West 19 21 17
Yorkshire and the Humberside 7 7 8
Scotland 13 12 10
Wales 6 8 7
Who visits the South West?
Visitors to the South West see to be made up more of families, married couples and people who own a car. For example, in 2014 69% of visitors to the South West were married, compared to a national average of 65%. Also, 92% of visitors to the South West owned a car, compared to a national average of 91%. This could be due to its relative remoteness from major cities.
Socio-Economic status
As you can see from the graph below, visitors in the South West of England have a lesser proportion of B and C1 economic groups, but a higher proportion of C2 visitors. With all the figures on who visits the South West and their socio-economic statuses, there is little or no annual change.
Employment status
Compared to all tourists within the UK, visitors to the South West had a smaller percentage of full time workers, and higher proportions of part time and other (mostly retired) workers. There is little change in this figure compared to previous years. Professor Stephen Page of Bournemouth University said in 2014, when asked about Britain’s town with the oldest population, Christchurch in North Dorset, that retired people move to or visit the South West in their later years to enjoy the picturesque beaches and sea, milder climate and beautiflu countryside. These traditional holiday destinations are less popular with younger people, and people such as full time workers who have less time to spend on a holiday and who would therefore probabaly want to experience a thrilling short break than a long sightseeing holiday around the South West.
Where do domestic tourists come from?
These figures are also represented in the graph below, which also shows the change in percentages between 2008 and 2009. As you can see, there is no huge change in any of the regions, but people are starting to travel to the South West from further afield. For example, in 2008 7% of tourists visiting the South West were from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, but in 2009 there was a 1% increase to 8%. Similarly, more people travelled to the south west from the West Midlands in 2009 than in 2008, again with an increase of 1%. However, the proportion of people from the South West holidaying in the same region has decreased, from 33% to 32%. The region which has seen the largest increase in tourism to the South West, however, is the South East, with an increase of 2% from 2008 to 2009. Most likely, the oscillating pattern in the percentages is simply down to random coincidence.
A (Brief) history of the Eden Project
In January 1995 the current site of the Eden project is a working china clay mine which is starting to exhaust its supplies. China clay extraction is beginning to seem less economically viable in the mine by the day. Tim Smit, the architect who restored the Lost Gardens of Heligan, wants a huge space to showcase an abundant selection of the world’s most important plants. Nearly two years on, in the October of 1996, and the first sketches of the proposed Eden project biomes are drawn- on the back of a napkin in the pub. The architect firm Ramshaw also started supporting the project at this point. Over time the design begins to develop into giant bubble-shaped domes, as they can be placed on any irregular surface without too much trouble. As the surface of an old clay mine is very uneven, the giant domes or bubbles seemed like a good idea.
Construction began in October 1998, and it rained every day for the first months of construction. Due to this, 43 million litres of water weighing 4.3×104 tonnes, flowed into the pit, which sits 15m below the water table. When the frame of the biomes started to be built, 370 km of scaffolding was used, enough to reach London if lain end to end. This was a new world record for the amount of scaffolding used.
In March 2000, the fundraising for the Eden Project is finally complete. Loans, fundraising events and grants means that the Project now has the 50% match funding required to receive the very generous Millennium Commission grant that was originally promised in 1997. In May of the same year, Eden invites members of the public behind the scenes at the Eden project, as one of the United Kingdom’s Landmark Millennium projects. Visitors were clad in hard hats and high visibility jackets, and were able to see the so-called “Sky Monkeys,” the abseiling workers who lifted the hexagonal pieces into place.
August 2000 comes, and with the help of Reading University the people of Eden make 83,000 tonnes of soil, using minerals from local mine slag, and composted bark provides the nutritional element necessary for inside the biomes. For the outside biome, composted domestic waste was used as there was no need for long lived compost; as it could be replenished by the natural landscape.
In September 2000, the first plants arrived at the Eden Project. This space now holds over 1,000 different species of rainforest plants and trees. Most plants were grown from seeds or saplings in the Eden Project nursery, whilst others were transferred from botanic gardens, members of the public and other supporters.
March 2001 arrives, and the Eden Project opens its doors to visitors for the first time, on the 17th March. Thousands of visitors, staff and local people look onto the huge biomes. The Times called it at its opening “The Eighth Wonder of the World”. Within two months, over a million people have visited the Eden Project.
Music arrived at Eden in August 2002, with the launch of the Eden Sessions, the famed one-day concert at the Eden Project. The band Pulp headlined at the first of these festivals, but since then Eden has welcomed the likes of Amy Winehouse, Oasis, Muse and Paolo Nutini along with many others.
Fast forward two years to November 2004, an Eden is celebrating opening the first undercover ice rink in Cornwall, increasing employment and visitor numbers. The ice rink is open all year round.
Seven months after that, a giant robot named the WEEE Man is installed at the Eden Project. Short for Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment, the sculpture stands seven meters tall and represents the amount of electric equipment an average person discards to a landfill site in their lifetime. In September 2005 construction on a cutting-edge sustainable education center named the Core is complete, with hopes that it can be used to educate children on sustainable development and the importance of plants in our modern culture. In June 2006 the Queen arrives at the Eden project to officially open the Core, and gives Eden her royal seal of approval, saying “I am confident that the Eden Project will continue to encourage a better understanding of the planer on which we live, to offer a vision of hope for the future, and to inspire us all to work to make this world a better place for everyone.” A year later and the Seed, the centerpiece of the Core, carved from a solid piece of granite and weighing 167 tonnes, is lowered into the center of the Core.
Three years later, after having opened as a wedding venue to the public, the Eden Project celebrates its 10 millionth visitor. So far, the Eden Project has received almost 13 million visitors since opening, of an expected target of 9.75 million.
Like many other homes and small businesses in the St Austell region, Eden was severely affected by flooding in November 2010. This damaged many parts of the project, from the buildings and plants to the ice rink. After an estimated 1 foot of floodwater in places, all hands were on deck the next day to help clear up.
In January 2011, the architect of the Eden Project, Tim Smit, is knighted. In a statement he said “I would like to share this honour with all the fabulous friends and colleagues who have helped make […] the Eden Project a reality.” He received the knighthood in ‘Recognition of his services to public engagement with science.’
After the World Pasty Making contest held for the first time at Eden in March 2012, the television personality, naturalist and adventurist Ben Fogle flew the Olympic Flame through the rainforest biome strapped to a baloon, at the start of its 10 week journey across the country.
Since 2013, the focus has been on on-site accommodation, apprenticeships and learning and education. In October 2014, YHA Eden Project opened on site, with accommodation for up to 228 guests. In September 2015 the Eden Degree launched, run by Cornwall College and accredited by Plymouth University. Courses include design of Gardens, storytelling and horticulture. In the future the Eden project wants to develop a new Geothermal Energy Project, if it can secure funds from the government, along with plans for a new 115 bed hotel to be built on site.
The Eden Project on the Butler Model of tourist Development
The Butler Model of tourist development
The Butler Model of Tourist Development is a scale to investigate the way tourist resorts grow, develop and possibly become run-down. This scale is split up into seven different sections, which checkpoint its development. The first stage is exploration, or discovery. In this stage, a recently discovered tourist destination has very few visitors and therefore little or no tourism-related infrastructure. The next stage is involvement, where an area becomes better known; perhaps through advertising or word of mouth. Due to its increasing popularity, tourism in the local area is supported by the local people as jobs and tourism related infrastructure start to be developed. The Development stage is the next stage in the Butler model,