In the past two years, Guus Verhorst (strategic advisor for Recreation at Staatsbosbeheer) and Angelique Vermeulen (independent advisor at Vermeulen connects) advised national parks on questions about recreational gateways and visitor management. This was done on behalf of the Nationale Parken Bureau (NPB). The parks received advice based on several intake interviews, a site visit, and a one-day workshop.
In total, seven parks took advantage of this offer. The national parks Utrechtse Heuvelrug, Weerribben-Wieden, Zuid-Kennemerland, Duinen van Texel, Biesbosch, Hollandse Duinen, and Nieuw Land contacted the NPB, which connected them with Guus and Angelique. They share their experiences in this article.
What are the first steps after a national park gets in touch?
Guus: ‘The request usually reaches the NPB through the coordinator of the national park. The questions from the parks differ per park, but they are always about recreation and visitor management. We start with an intake interview with the applicant; we want to know which question the national park wants to have answered. That is often more difficult than it seems; we often have to dig deep to uncover the real question behind the question. Then we ask the park to send us all relevant information. After that, we go on an anonymous site visit where we go through the entire customer journey.’
What does the site visit look like?
‘We really put ourselves in the shoes of a visitor wanting to visit the national park,’ says Angelique. ‘It starts with orienting behind the laptop from home, where, as a visitor, we look up the park's route and highlights. Then we visit the park. We pay attention to the information we encounter along the way, but also to access and layout. During our visit, we take many photos. They often immediately show where the problem lies. Based on our findings, we describe the customer journey. This consistently yields surprising insights.’ Guus adds: ‘If necessary, we contact the applicant before the workshop to gather additional information and discuss any sensitivities.’
What happens during the workshop?
Angelique: ‘In consultation with us, the national park invites the stakeholders for the workshop. During the workshop we start with a short explanation of visitor management and recreational gateways. Then we present our findings from the customer journey. This naturally leads to discussion, often over the park map. We discuss the report of the workshop with the applicant. That ends our involvement; the park can then start implementing the recommendations themselves.’
What are your experiences with the workshops in the different parks?
Guus and Angelique find each session unique. This is not surprising, as each park has its own tasks and issues. Usually, there is a lot of energy in the group and the right discussions arise. They both find holding up the mirror of the customer journey the most interesting part. Guus: ‘This makes many participants raise their eyebrows. It also often leads to hilarity. We always warn in advance that we are going to say or show things that might be confronting. It's a bit awkward at first, but it clearly shows what can be different.’
Is there a common thread in the advice you give to the parks?
Angelique: ‘Not really. Each session is different and our advice is always tailor-made. Sometimes it is about zoning, other times about the role of visitor centers, and another time about cooperation with partners. We do notice that it sometimes requires a different perspective from those involved. They are challenged to look at the area from both an integrated perspective and the perspective of visitors. In our final report, we make concrete recommendations, both for the short and long term. The biggest challenge is to turn the advice into concrete follow-up actions and get started. That also varies per park, but almost always causes something to happen.’
What are the plans for 2026?
The Nationale Parken Bureau looks at how the advice can be followed up. Parks with questions about this can contact Adriaan Buitink via a.buitink@nationaleparkenbureau.nl.
