This is a rural seat with many small market towns and small businesses.
The forest attracts 7 million annual visits, ensuring that 7% of the areaís employment is tourism-related. This seat contains the forestís unofficial capital, Ringwood, and proposals to give the forest National Park status are a local concern. But, just as the other New Forest seat looks away from the forest towards the coast, so this seatís population is centred in the west and economically looks towards Christchurch and the Bournemouth conurbation.
New Milton and Lymington are the two largest centres in the constituency. Most industry is centred in the former town, where there is also an airport, though forestry, farming and market gardening take place in much of the seat. Lymington serves as a ferry port for Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, has good yachting facilities, and is also a centre for those touring the forest.