Sustainable development, tourism & coastal access

EXPERIENCE

0

activities created

£0m

estimated spend generated

EXPERIENCE was a sustainable tourism project to boost visitor numbers in autumn and winter with inspirational local experiences.

As part of the project, EXPERIENCE (led by Norfolk County Council) and the Norfolk Coast Partnership teamed up to offer some free Dark Skies Festival events in 2022/23.

Plus, our activity planner, Be Norfolk, also originated from EXPERIENCE.
This interactive website inspires visitors to try out a range of authentic Norfolk experiences. Coastal activities include: Lost Worlds of Ice and Mammoths; Driving a Norfolk Steam Train; Wartime Spies, a Windmill and Winston; and Norfolk Landscape Photography Workshops.

EXPERIENCE achievements in Norfolk:

  • EXPERIENCE offered training and networking to hundreds of local organisations and people, including some with niche skills, such as foresters and artisans. From this, 350 experiences were created, along with 100 themed itineraries (of which 33% are accessible).
  • Autumn and winter events supported by EXPERIENCE attracted more than 174,000 visits, generating an estimated £12.1 million in local spend
  • The EXPERIENCE strategy is an experiential tourism model that regions across the world can use and tailor to their own destinations

EXPERIENCE was a €24.5 million EU-funded project that involved Norfolk and five other areas in England and France.

Date

September 2019 – June 2023

Funded by

The Interreg France Channel England Programme (European Regional Development Fund) & EXPERIENCE partners

Partners

Norfolk County Council
Agglomération de la Région de Compiègne
Office de Tourisme communautaire Baie de Morlaix
Brittany Ferries
Côtes d’Armor Destination (CAD)
Cornwall Council
Cycling UK
Département du Pas-de-Calais
Kent Downs AONB
Morlaix Communauté
Office National des Forêts
Pas-de-Calais Tourism
University of Surrey
VISIT KENT