The mission of Visitor Services is to inspire a sense of appreciation and responsibility towards the built heritage. Its main objectives are to help line divisions in the presentation of parks, gardens and monuments to the public by:
- recruiting and training a quality guide service;
- providing on-site interpretation;
- protecting sites;
- developing guidelines for signage;
- establishing pricing structures and criteria for site usage.
To promote the work of conservation undertaken by the line divisions by:
- providing appropriate publications;
- having a quality information service for the public;
- undertaking promotional and marketing initiatives.
The provision of visitor facilities at some sites is founded on a conservation ethos. Management of areas of national importance for heritage, including visitor access, is under-pinned by the overall objective of conservation. Visitor facilities serve a dual role of providing for interpretation and public appreciation of the heritage, while at the same time serving to manage visitors so that the heritage resource being protected is not damaged. Interpretation is linked to a sense of place and therefore specific to a particular site.