Ross-shire student puts NC500 under academic spotlight; North Coast 500 probe is academic
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THE social and environmental impacts of the North Coast 500 are being put under the academic spotlight by an Easter Ross woman who is seeking the views of locals.
Lucy Hutton, from Tain, is a fourth year student at Scotland’s Rural College, working towards a BSc (Honours) degree in environmental resource management.
The NC500 has been an economic success, gaining a global profile and pumping millions extra into the economy. However critics are concerned the area’s infrastructure is struggling to keep pace.
Ms Hutton said: “I am originally from Tain and have noticed a huge difference in the area over the last few years and feel this might be a subject residents feel passionate about. The more responses I get to the questionnaire the broader perspective I will get on residents’ experiences.”
The main aim of her thesis is to understand whether the evolving tourism along the NC500 aligns with the principles of sustainable tourism or could be seen as “over-tourism”.
The comparative study will compare benefits and impacts residents experience with the expected impacts of stakeholders and promoters of the route. She says host communities “are an essential element of sustainable tourism” when it is practised responsibly.
Two economic impact assessments have been published on the tourist route but very little on the environmental and social impacts, she believes.
To participate, people should be over 18 and resident in Easter Ross, Wester Ross, Caithness, Sutherland, the Black Isle or Inverness-shire.
It can be found online at https://eSurv.org?u=NC500-Tourism
