Responsible tourism in England
We believe that for English tourism to be sustainable, it requires responsible management of popular destinations to ensure they are not overwhelmed by visitors.
Our England Holidays
Devon eco lodge accommodation, England
Quirky eco lodges, 1 with Hot Tub, on a Devon nature reserve
Lake District family activity holiday
Walk, climb, abseil and canoe around the Borrowdale Valley.
Winchester to Canterbury Pilgrims way
Walk the Pilgrims Way from Winchester to Canterbury
Isle of Wight cycling holiday in England
Short UK cycling break with plenty of sightseeing
York to Fountains Abbey walking holiday, England
The Prior Richards way self-guided 12th century walk
Thames Path walking holiday, Cotswolds to London
Follow the Thames river from its source in the Cotswolds
Cumbria Way walking holiday, Lake District
Walking Holiday in England's Lake District The Cumbria Way
Family sea kayaking holiday in Devon
Price per family with exclusive barn house accommodation
Devon self catering cottage, England
Cottage with lake view & wood burner on Devon nature reserve
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly holiday
Admire England's south-western corner car-free
England tour by train
Explore England's diversity and fascinating history by train
Cotswolds Way self guided walking holiday, England
Hike through one of Britain's most popular regions
Lands End To John O'Groats cycling trip
Britain's classic cycling challenge
Tour of Britain by train
Explore England and Scotland's cities & landscapes by train.
Fowey accommodation in Cornwall, sleeps 2, England
Cottages looking down the valley towards Fowey and the sea
Kennet and Avon Canal Towpath walking holiday, England
Canal walking holiday in Southern England
Shakespeares Way walking holiday, Cotswolds to London
From Stratford-upon-Avon to The Globe Theatre
Thames Path walking holiday, Oxford to Windsor
Self guided walk along the River Thames Oxford to Windsor
Hadrian's Wall National Trail walking holiday
Continuous walk along the Roman Empire's defensive barrier
Hawkley bed & breakfast, South Downs, England
Hawkley B&B and bohemian pub Hampshire
Ullswater Way walking holiday in England
Walk around England's most beautiful lake
Coast to Coast cycling holiday in England
142 miles long ride and a great way to see northern England
Devon barnhouse accommodation
Self catering Barn House set in 15th Century Devon orchard.
Beech Estate woodland campsite in Sussex
Woodland camping and glamping with open fires allowed
South Devon accommodation, sleeps 2
Self catering accommodation set in C15th Devon orchard
Norfolk Coast Path walking holiday, England
Self-guided walking along one of England's National Trails
Irish Sea to the North Sea cycling holiday
Join the classic coast to coast cycle challenge
Yorkshire Dales walking holiday, short break
Yorkshire Dales short walking holiday
People & culture
Grockles, botox & bodice-rippers


Cornwall is a perfect example of an English ‘honeypot’ destination that has been over-promoted for years at the expense of others. In key locations such as Falmouth, Newquay and St. Ives, as well as popular beaches, local people are massively outnumbered by tourists in July and August with a corresponding detrimental effect on their communities and the environment.
Meanwhile, over the last few decades English holidaymakers have taken advantage of cheap flights and the strong pound, and inbound tourism has been concentrated on Cornwall, London and a select few other destinations. Many of England’s lesser-known coastal communities have been left to fade away.
Responsible Travel’s home base, Brighton, is one of the few to escape that fate, largely thanks to its proximity to London. In general however, the country’s seaside towns are seriously struggling.
Regenerate, regenerate
Many parts of England, particularly seaside towns and other coastal areas, are heavily dependent on tourism, an industry renowned for seasonal, low-paid employment. They’re steadily being hollowed out as young people seek opportunities elsewhere, leading to deprivation which in turn affects tourism numbers. In countries such as England where the main tourist season is quite short, earning a sustainable income year-round can prove difficult. Resorts including Hunstanton, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Skegness and Scarborough retain plenty of historic charm, but underfunding and inaccessibility, combined with a shift of focus to destinations elsewhere, has allowed them to fade.How you can help
Simply put: don’t follow the crowds. Skip the city breaks, and give England’s crowded tourism hotspots a swerve, instead looking to idyllic, isolated accommodations in the countryside. If you do really want to see the Tower of London, or the beaches of Cornwall, then consider visiting outside the busy summer months instead when you’ll have a more pleasant experience, and tourism businesses will benefit from income in low season. And next time you fancy a visit to the seaside, remember there are many other attractive resorts around the English coast that aren’t Brighton and Falmouth.
Wherever you go, think: spend local. Much of the English tourism industry is small-scale, making it quite easy to inject money into the domestic economy. You’ll get a warmer welcome from a locally owned bed and breakfast than you will from a faceless international hotel chain. You’ll eat fresher (and better) dishes with local produce, and also dramatically slash your holiday’s carbon footprints. And the money you spend will stay for longer in the local area, boosting the community and providing employment prospects for local people.
Environment
Bringing wilderness back
Growing pains
One of the most controversial infrastructure developments of recent years in England (including Boris Johnson’s characteristically ridiculous Garden Bridge fiasco) is the ongoing saga of the Heathrow Airport expansion. The project, due for completion in 2026 assuming it goes ahead as planned, will involve rerouting the M25 motorway, diverting rivers and the demolition of over 700 homes in order to construct a new runway, while the airport’s other expansion plans will cost billions and take some 30 years to complete. The proposed economic benefits of Heathrow expansion, disputed by some, are taken to be around £5.5 billion a year, but of course the cost to the environment, as well as the surrounding community, will be calamitous.The world is facing a climate crisis. With the aviation industry one of the fastest growing contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, the plain fact is that we need to be encouraging people to fly less, not more. Responsible Travel is one of the few travel companies to oppose Heathrow expansion, and we continue to believe that this misguided project will, eventually, have to be abandoned in the face of cold reality and public disapproval.
Of course, Heathrow is not the only airport thinking about expansion. Another London airport, Stansted, wants to increase its own passenger volume by five million a year. When the council delayed the project, there were inevitable complaints from tourism officials who claimed “the move could prevent tourism growth”.
We say growth at the expense of the environment, and local communities, is the height of recklessness. It’s high time that the English tourism industry, along with the government, started to focus on sustainable management of the numbers and destinations we already have, not rampant expansion and profit that jeopardises all of our futures.