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Tourism, recreation and cultural heritageTourism is becoming an important source of income for a growing number of countries, regions, cities, and rural areas. What are the opportunities for tourism in a given region, how can these be utilised to the maximum extent, what is the tourists’ opinion – and how does the local population feel about tourism development? These are examples of issues addressed in our projects. We are involved in a wide variety of tourism and recreation projects. Although tourism has an economic dimension, it is also closely related to culture and cultural heritage, the landscape, and quality of living conditions. Our projects can focus on large-scale leisure developments – or on (often small-scale) initiatives for rural tourism or cultural tourism. We combine an innovative and creative approach with a realistic assessment of economic feasibility and the chances of success. Alongside our domestic work we are engaged in international sustainable tourism projects in developing countries and Interreg-subsidised projects. We are specialised in:
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Zuyderzeerand – countering depopulation
by developing recreation and tourism The Zuyderzeerand area boasts a rich history: the former coastal area is home to age-old mercantile towns, ruins of noblemen’s castles, intricate waterworks, and various other sites of interest. However, with the disappearance of the sea (in 1942 the Noordoostpolder was developed, as one of the biggest land reclamation projects in Dutch history) the area lost much of its tourist appeal. A lack of economic prospects means that the area will probably suffer negative migration and depopulation in the near future. Cooperating municipal and provincial authorities are looking to
give the region’s economy a boost, and have identified several
means to do so. One of these is to develop tourism and recreation,
possibly with a ‘return of the water’. BUITEN has analysed
the region’s tourist potential as a means to create jobs and
stop depopulation. We developed growth scenarios and spatial development
maps and provided practical do’s and don’ts from governmental
perspective. |
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Strategic Dialogue Outdoor Recreation
BUITEN advised the Ministry of Agriculture and Nature on the implementation of the "Strategic Dialogue on Outdoor Recreation". The Minister wished to promote a public debate on the future national recreation policy. The central question was: what does it take to create an attractive leisure environment for all, and what role should the national government and the Ministry have in achieving this? A series of interviews and workshops with entrepreneurs, interest groups, local and regional governments yielded an abundance of insights, ideas and visions. The policy consequences have been incorporated in the policy document "Genieten van Buiten" (29 June 2009). One important conclusion is that a more demand-driven approach to planning for recreational areas and facilities is required. As part of the implementation of this approach, BUITEN is now working on a brochure and website offering inspiration for demand-driven and "low budget" recreation: recreation 2.0. |
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Vision for the development of the Ring of European
Cities of Iron Works The Ring of European Cities of Iron Works (the Ring) was founded at the start of this century. The Ring is a collaboration of 16 municipalities whose history and future are closely bound up with blacksmithing and metal working. The Ring has executed several projects in recent years, but most were bilateral and rather low-profile. The cities of the Ring have agreed to the need for an overall vision and a set of common goals that connect local opportunities to shared challenges and enable an effective and efficient use of resources and human capital. The Ring members asked BUITEN to develop such a vision for the development of their network. We developed four scenarios that add more meaning and relevance to the Ring’s activities and that identify opportunities in the field of economic development, innovation, identity and image building. Based on the four scenarios, the mayors of the municipalities decided on the vision’s basic requirements at a meeting in Dusseldorf. We subsequently developed the vision for the Ring’s development, including an organisational and financial model, and presented this at the Ring’s annual meeting. |
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