Marking the end of the COOL Tourism project - for which Conservative-controlled Sedgemoor District Council teamed up with organisations in Somerset, South East England and France - a conference in Pas de Calais listened to speakers recounting its successes including website development, business support and marketing campaigns.
In Somerset, the COOL Tourism Project saw £186,000 invested in developing and promoting rural tourism by four Somerset and Exmoor based partners, including Sedgemoor, and this was the basis for match funding from Europe.
COOL Tourism has led to business networks in Sedgemoor, concentrated on a number of nature reserves and outdoor projects, attending workshops on digital media, marketing and business resilience. A highlight was a visit from the French organisation Bienvenue à la Ferme to farms in Sedgemoor that have diversified into tourism.
As a result of the project new sections have been added to the Visit Somerset website including videos, photographs and text promoting the opportunities for enjoying nature and countryside in the area. There is also an interactive Toolkit for new and existing tourism businesses to use in helping them run their enterprises.