The New Forest is enjoyed by millions of people every year, the majority of visits (13.5 million) are by day trip visitors (including those who live within the forest). Almost 1 million visits include an overnight stay (3 million nights) and the majority of those are by UK residents. Tourism creates over 7980 jobs in the forest and generates nearly £400 million in tourism expenditure. The quality of life in the forest is the primary reason for visits and people come to enjoy the clean air, recreation and tranquillity.
The New Forest District Council has, for many years, worked with a wide range of local interests to improve the management of the New Forest, closely following the V.I.C.E. (Visitor, Industry, Community, Environment) model strategy. Essentially, the Council include the Visitor, Industry, Community and the Environment in all tourism activities and strategies. It has been identified that all these elements must be present for any tourism initiative to be successful. The V.I.C.E. model also ensures that the forest suffers minimal environmental damage due to tourism activities.
The New Forest Visitor Information Centre is located in Lyndhurst and provides a service to visitors and local people.
Advice on walking in the forest can be given along with information on accommodation, events and attractions. Please contact the New Forest Visitor Information Centre for further information.
Please visit The New Forest the official visitor site.
