A year ago Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority became the first UK National Park Authority to broadcast its meetings live online. Now the National Park Authority is set to lead the way again with an interactive web chat to canvas views on the upcoming Visitor Management Plan.
The Authority’s Visitor Management Plan is designed to consider how to balance the needs of visitors with their impact on the National Park’s protected landscape, and will be one of the main topics for discussion during the meeting broadcast live at www.breconbeacons.public-i.tv/core/ from 10am on Friday, July 12.
For the very first time viewers will be able to contribute to a live discussion using one of three social media plugs-ins available on the webcast; Twitter, CoveritLive and Disqus. The trial live web chat will give those watching online the opportunity to debate or ask a National Park Authority representative questions about the Visitor Management Plan. Registration to take part in the web chat is free.
Richard Tyler, Sustainable Tourism Manager for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, said: “The Visitor Management Plan aims to select the right strategies to find a balance between encouraging visitors to enjoy the National Park and supporting visitors contributing to the local economy, while also being mindful that we have a duty to protect the landscape from the damage heavy footfall from visitors can cause. We’re opening this conversation up using the web chat to gain as many views as possible during this extensive consultation.”
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority Member Melanie Doel, who sits on the Authority’s Communications Working Group, added: “It is a year since Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority became the first UK National Park to stream its meetings live online, and once again the organisation is at the forefront of open governance with this interactive pilot web chat.
“The Twitter, CoveritLive and Disqus channels give our webcast viewers the opportunity to play an active role in the discussions about the Visitor Management Plan. This new service is really easy to use, and I would encourage everyone to log on this Friday, July 12th and have their say on this important topic.”
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority’s webcast programme is part of an 18-month pilot project made possible thanks to financial support from the Welsh Government’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.
The Visitor Management plan is financially supported by the National Park Authority’s COLLABOR8 Interreg IVB NWE project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Welsh Government’s Targeted Match Funding programme. This project aims to work with local businesses on initiatives that promote what’s local, distinctive and special about our National Park and help visitors discover the best of the local area.
Users wishing to take part in the Friday, July 12th meeting through Twitter should use the #BeaconsVisitors hash tag.
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