THE promotion of Dartmoor as the first choice for tourists above all the other national parks is one of the aims of a new marketing organisation. The Dartmoor Association for Rural Trade (DART) is the brainchild of chartered surveyor Peter Farrington who, together with his wife, runs Lydgate House, a country house hotel in the heart of Dartmoor. Mr Farrington said the aim was to bring together a wide range of local groups and interests and to co-ordinate and spearhead the marketing of Dartmoor for the benefit of all, while fully supporting the preservation of the national park. He said: ?DART wants to ensure Dartmoor is the first choice for visitors and holidaymakers looking for outdoor destinations in the UK. ?With Dartmoor facing tougher competition for visitors from other national parks and destinations such as Scotland, Wales and Ireland, plus cheap flights to Europe, DART believes that Dartmoor businesses now need a strong voice to champion the area nationally and to complement the work of the national park and Dartmoor Tourist Association.? Mr Farrington hopes to enlist the support of around 3,000 businesses on and around the moor and is distributing 5,000 reply-paid information leaflets to hotels, B&Bs, public houses, restaurants, retailers, local tradesmen, professional service providers and others working in the area who directly benefit from visitors to Dartmoor. He said visitors were the lifeblood of Dartmoor businesses, with 80p of every pound spent by visitors going on food and drink, shopping and accommodation. ?After the foot and mouth outbreak, £125,000 was spent on the successful promotion of Dartmoor as a tourist destination, and visitors returned. ?But this money was a one-off grant and nothing has been done since then to promote the area, so the time is now right for a further publicity boost,? Mr Farrington said. The annual subscription will be £35, and, with matched funding, he said DART could have an annual budget of approximately £200,000. ?As DART?s overheads will be minimal, this money can be spent almost entirely on marketing Dartmoor,? he said. If DART succeeds, member benefits will include a new DART website, a national marketing campaign, a member directory of goods and services, and the opportunity to display their marketing materials on a stand already booked at the Outdoor Show at the NEC in March.
