A new website, BeNorfolk.co.uk, has been launched to inspire visitors and locals to try out more than 300 activities and experiences showcasing the best of Norfolk’s nature and culture.
It aims to encourage off-season visits with a variety of free and paid-for experiences, with many of them providing experiences for people with additional physical, sensory, and cognitive requirements.
Ranging from guided walks to new cycle paths, craft activities to Champing (camping in historical churches) or stargazing in the Broads, the website is part of the EXPERIENCE project managed by Norfolk County Council.
Visitors and residents can explore the BeNorfolk interactive website to find events tailored to their interests and location. Users can pick from an extensive menu of options to design their own itineraries to get out and about across the county, meet new people and try something different. People are encouraged to explore the website as new activities are added.
EXPERIENCE Project
The project will harness the experiential tourism trend to extend the season (October – March), generating new visitors delivering sustainable economic growth.
Experiential Tourism
Experiential tourism is a growing travel trend, centred on promoting authentic visitor experiences that are personalised and more attuned to local nature and culture. Traditionally, tourism marketing has focussed on highlighting mass-market locations during peak season, known as ‘destination tourism’. In recent years, data has shown that travellers are increasingly demanding experiences in which they feel a sense of adventure and discovery. They are seeking to immerse themselves in new cultures and explore local foods, activities, and arts and actively try to avoid any negative impacts on host environments and communities. This new demand is the inspiration for the EXPERIENCE project, which works with the traditional and alternative tourism sector to shift from a summer ‘destination’ to a more sustainable all year round ‘experiential’ tourism approach.
EXPERIENCE in Norfolk
Within Norfolk, the project is developing, and marketed 300 new experiential tourism activities and 100 new itineraries based on the unique natural and cultural assets of the county. Many are accessible for people with additional physical, sensory and/or cognitive requirements. The project supports experiential off-season events, such as the Love Light Festival and Fire on the Water, and infrastructure developments including improvements and upgrades to sections of the Bure Valley Path.
