Applecross community asked to ponder merits of NC500 amid visitor pressure as tourism strategy considered
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LOCALS in Applecross are to be consulted on whether they want to remain on the North Coast 500 route.
While many in the village are supportive of the tourist trade to the village from the popularity of the NC500, others feel the impact on the route – and in particular on the winding Bealach na Bà – is starting to take its toll.
Applecross Community Council has said that as part of working on a future strategy for managing the negative effects of tourism, the issue of "withdrawing" from the NC500 has been mooted amongst the community.
John Glover, the chairman of Applecross Community Council, and a business owner, said he knew the issue was divisive within the community.
He said: "As part of a wider discussion on the management of tourists we are planning to discuss the continuation of Applecross on the NC500 route.
"It is very divisive as of course being on the route brings many tourists to the area. However the other side of the picture is that there are concerns that the infrastructure, including the numbers of people who use the Bealach na Bà and who daily block the road due to accidents.
"Businesses quite rightly argue that they depend on the business the NC500 brings. But when you are waiting for medical attention or even deliveries to the area the traffic can be at the very least frustrating.
"The idea would be to have a consultation and find out what people's views are."
The community have already begun a discussion on tourism and visitor management.
A statement from the community council said: "Whilst tourism is undoubtedly a large generator of wealth and employment in the community, it also brings significant impacts in areas such as waste management, traffic volumes, littering and pollution. The NC500 has perhaps exacerbated some of these problems.
"Given the extremely limited resources of bodies such as law enforcement agencies and Highland Council, many communities like ours are struggling to find coping strategies, and as we all care passionately about our communities and environment, feelings can run high. The brief summer season of 2020, after the surreal peace of lockdown, was a brutal reminder how difficult these problems can be to solve.
"The Tourism Management Group have now produced a document outlining a potential strategy for managing tourism in the future. Anyone who wishes to read it can do so via the home page of the forum website, here http://applecrossforum.org and can comment through this facebook thread or by directly contacting the community council through Applecross.council.jon@gmail.com."
Points outlined in the document state the strategy is not to encourage more tourism to the area,
