This Resource Hub is designed to help create growth for coastal tourism businesses and seaside destinations, a one-stop shop for anyone working in the coastal visitor economy.
You’ll find visitor profiles, opportunities for new markets, visitor experience initiatives and links to government working practices.
This is for you, whether you operate an ice-cream parlour, caravan park, restaurant, pub, visitor attraction or boutique hotel.
Here you'll find a round-up of many of our NCTA projects to date. We've worked with tourism businesses to help develop routes to growth. Take a look at our results.
What makes a business truly exceptional, making customers return time after time, while others manage simply to scrape by? Our Best Practice draws on the expertise from some of the best in the business. We've picked their brains, here we share their top tips.
Take a look at this series of case studies to help your business grow, alongside the key drivers a destination needs to attract visitors to your resort.
How well do you really know your visitors? What do they expect when they visit your business? Check out the visitor profiles and the results of our research into coastal tourism.
Practical tools for small businesses and coastal destinations to help identify areas ripe for development. Within our courses, you'll find the NCTA's flagship Bournemouth Ambassador online resort knowledge module plus customer service training programmes.
From responding to extreme weather warnings to understanding new legislation - if you're a business owner, you're expected to know it all! Here you'll be signposted to the latest external resources.
Coastal Tourism Business Survey 2025
market intelligence
Featured
2024 Campaign: A Coast for All…
Toolkits & Courses
Featured
Tap into new business from England Coast Path walkers
market intelligence
Featured
Communities on the edge report
additional resource
Featured
Top 10 tips for business sustainability
best practice
Featured
Experience Maker Toolkit for Businesses
Toolkits & Courses
Featured
Coastal Visitor Economy - Vision, Strategy and Action Plan
market intelligence
Featured
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: Visitor Toolkits
market intelligence
Coastal Tourism Overview - May 2024
market intelligence
Coastal Tourism Business Survey 2024 results
visitor experience
England’s Coast Consumer Survey 2024
market intelligence
Coastal Tourism Business Survey 2023 Results
market intelligence
Best Practice Guide: Cove Communities UK
best practice
Best Practice Guide: North Devon UNESCO Biosphere
best practice
Best Practice Guide: SO Festival
best practice
Best Practice Guide: Holivans
best practice
Best Practice Guide: Hall and Woodhouse
best practice
Best Practice Guide: Magna Vitae Trust
best practice
England’s Coast Consumer Survey Results 2022
market intelligence
Independent Commission on Culture and Local Government
market intelligence
Year of the Coast 2023
additional resource
2022 Coastal Tourism Business Survey Results
market intelligence
2021 Staycation Travel Survey
market intelligence
Our feedback on the independent DMO review
market intelligence
Experiential Tourism Workshops
Toolkits & Courses
Impact of Covid-19 on Tourism Businesses - 2021 Business Barometer
market intelligence
Coastal Tourism Recovery Funding letter to Secretary of State
visitor experience
Impact of Covid-19 on Coastal Tourism
additional resource
Letter to the Prime Minister - Appoint a Coastal Communities Minister please!
additional resource
APPG for Hospitality and Tourism
additional resource
Coastal Tourism Recovery Funding letter to the Chancellor
additional resource
DCMS Select Inquiry into the Impact of Covid-19 on Coastal Tourism
additional resource
Best Practice: Bamburgh Castle
best practice
Best Practice: Guardhouse Café
best practice
Best Practice: Searles Leisure Group
best practice
Best Practice: British Airways i360, Brighton
best practice
Best Practice: Kingsbridge Visitor Information Centre
best practice
England’s Coast - Sample Regional Itineraries!
business development
Coastal Tourism Workshop 2018 Summary
market intelligence
VisitEngland Business Hub
additional resource
BDRC 2020 Holiday Trends
market intelligence
International profiles: German, French and Dutch visitors
market intelligence
Best Practice: Folkestone Creative Quarter
best practice
International Visitors: German Profile
market intelligence
International Visitors: French Profile
market intelligence
Best Practice: Calvert Trust
best practice
Best Practice: BeWILDerwood of Norfolk
best practice
Perceptions of the English Coast: Opportunities for Domestic Non-Visitors
market intelligence
Best Practice: Visit Isle of Wight
best practice
Best Practice: The Green House Hotel
best practice
Best Practice: Grove Cottages
best practice
Best Practice: Dorset House B&B
best practice
Best Practice: Rockfish Restaurants
best practice
Activity Holidays: Are they the key to growth on the English Coast?
market intelligence
Beside the Seaside – connecting the past with the future presentation
business development
VisitEngland’s Business development case studies
additional resource
Attracting international visitors - Peewit Caravan Park
best practice
Attracting international visitors - The Holkham Hall & Estate
best practice
Attracting international visitors - Visit Essex
best practice
How to attract more: Families
best practice
International Visitors: Dutch Profile
market intelligence
How to attract more: Business travellers
best practice
How to attract more: Customers travelling with dogs
best practice
The Tourism Industry Council’s Brexit Response Paper
additional resource
Sensory Toolkits: Engage your customer in the 5 senses
business development
Case Study: Tourism Innovation Programme
business development
Addressing Employee Pay and Progression on the Coast
business development
Shore Potential: Addressing the Coastal Tourism Challenge
additional resource
International Visitors and the English Coast
market intelligence
Guidelines for making the most of your people
Toolkits & Courses
Off Peak Coastal Tourism: Potential for growth in the Empty Nesters Market
market intelligence
Coastal Tourism Monitor
market intelligence
Understanding Seasonality in Coastal Destinations
market intelligence
How to attract more: Walking visitors
best practice
Business Support Toolkit
Toolkits & Courses
#NCTA Masterclass - The Golden Rules of Customer Service with Des Burke
Toolkits & Courses
2016 Coastal Tourism
market intelligence
Destination FeelGood: Building a healthier tourism sector
market intelligence
Latest research: Holiday Trends in 2016
additional resource
#NCTAmasterclass - Top tips on customer service with Andy Edwards
Toolkits & Courses
Coastal England: Are Young People a ‘lost generation’?
market intelligence
Understanding employment issues in coastal SMEs
business development
Customer Journey: Brand new research
business development
Visitor Profile: Cycling at the seaside
market intelligence
Visitor Profile: Watersports at the seaside
market intelligence
Visitor Profile: Walking at the seaside
market intelligence
Visitor Profile: Group Travel and Coach Parties
market intelligence
Dementia: Why is it important for tourism?
business development
Best Practice: The Scarlet Hotel
best practice
Best Practice: Sandcastle Waterpark
best practice
Best Practice: Munch Coffee, Bar and Kitchen
best practice
Best Practice: Field House Farms Self-Catering
best practice
Best Practice: The Deep, Hull
best practice
Best Practice: Geevor Tin Mine
best practice
Best Practice: St Cuthbert’s House
best practice
Best Practice: Dairy Barns B&B
best practice
British High Streets: from Crisis to Recovery
additional resource
Social media: vital for marketing?
business development