Recovering from crisis: Strategic alternatives for leisure and tourism providers based within a rural economy

Abstract

Purpose

To provide a critique of the strategies that the UK Government employed at that time of the closure of the countryside during the foot and mouth disease (FMD) and their subsequent effects upon leisure and tourism providers. The work evaluates the sector's responses to the FMD crisis and considers their significance and influence in relation to the strategies deployed. Possible alternative strategies are presented which both government and industries can consider.

Design/methodology/approach

The complete sector of tourism and leisure providers within the market town of Keswick was surveyed twice over a two‐year period. The initial survey was undertaken in 2002 and the second survey occurred in 2004. Keswick is situated in the northern sector of the English Lake District National Park, which is situated within the county of Cumbria. This area was seen to be the most affected by the foot and mouth crisis both in terms of severity and duration of infection. In addition to the survey conducted, key personnel from government agencies and voluntary organisations were also interviewed using a semi‐structured approach. Additional information was accessed from a FMD discussion web site.

Findings

The impact of the foot and mouth crisis devastated the rural tourism and leisure industries. The governmental policy utilized was myopic in its outlook and ineffectual in that it concentrated mainly upon the consequences to, and the needs of, the farming industry. The current proposals acknowledge to some degree that the town's tourism and leisure industry are a valued part of the rural economy, but the authors question if these are effective enough.

Originality/value

The originality of the study has enabled the evaluation of the strategies put in place immediately after the FMD crisis. It not only critically appraises proposed policies (i.e. limited closure of the countryside in future) but uniquely proposes a number of alternatives.

Citation

Williams, C. and Ferguson, M. (2005), "Recovering from crisis: Strategic alternatives for leisure and tourism providers based within a rural economy", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 350-366. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550510599265