BUSINESSPEOPLE from Chagford chose the beautiful surroundings of Gidleigh Park as the launch pad for their 'fight back' on the ailing economy last week.

Chagford and District Business Association officially launched VisitChagford.com at the ceremony. The website, supported by West Devon Borough Council, aims to provide a wide range of information for visitors to help plan their stay in the area.

It has a section listing a variety of outdoor pursuits, an events calendar and promotes Chagford's history, independent shops and galleries.

VisitChagford.com went live last November and has proved to be a success in its first few months. Over Christmas week it had 500 visitors, with 80% of them being first time visitors to the site.

Terry Bleakman, chairman of the business association, said:?'The whole idea started about 18 months ago with a big meeting of businesspeople, discussing what we had to do to survive as a town.

'For a place like Chagford, it is all about visitors.

'We want to sell Chagford as a friendly place — when you walk down the street here, you get passers-by saying hello. If you were a tourist and were stood in the square looking lost, someone would come up to you and ask if you needed help. It is a very friendly place, that is very important to the town and something we would like people to see and know about.

'There are around 1,500 residents in Chagford, so to keep the place going we need tourists and visitors.

'People here said we had to advertise what Chagford has to offer, and attract people here. This website is the start of that, and the first part of an ongoing plan to boost tourism and the local economy.'

Project manager Neil Tappenden has been one of the driving forces behind the scheme. He said: 'Chagford, like any other rural economy has been squeezed by the economic downturn and the ever increasing trend to migrate to online shopping.

'Though businesses work very hard, the tendency for online shopping, and the run of terrible weather have had an effect. It makes it doubly important to regain visitors we may have lost and attract new ones.

'The thing about Chagford is it is off the main roads, so you have to want to come here, you don't just pass through. This gives it tranquility and beauty, but it is also our Achilles heel. That's where the site came into being. It is the first stage in our fightback to get the share of our visitors.'

As part of its new digital marketing strategy, VisitChagford has also launched Twitter and Facebook pages.

Ideas being considered by the business association for the next phase of its efforts to improve the local economy include integrated tourist information in pubs, restaurants and holiday accommodation across Chagford, walking tours and the creation of a smartphone app with information on the town and surrounding area.

The business association expressed thanks to Gidleigh Park and Michael Caines for hosting the launch event, Helpful Holidays for providing drinks for it, and its members for their ongoing support.

To see the website and find out more about Chagford, visit http://www.visitchagford.com">www.visitchagford.com