Council puts together new tourism strategy for North Yorkshire

A new strategy aimed at attracting more visitors to North Yorkshire will tackle long-standing issues affecting the tourism sector to boost the multi-million pound industry.

The first-ever countywide plan is currently being developed to promote the tourism industry and help attract an increasingly diverse range of visitors, while also dealing with a host of issues that have affected the sector.

The destination management plan will aim to promote a year-round visitor economy and will also investigate ways of addressing skills shortages and increasing wages as workers in the sector have traditionally had lower salaries.

North Yorkshire Council’s tourism officers, who are responsible for drawing up the destination management plan, are also hoping to work with key partners to improve sustainable transport links, such as bus and train services, to provide visitors with easier access to travel across England’s largest county.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The visitor economy has long been one of the drivers of North Yorkshire’s overall economy, and we recognise the importance which the industry has in supporting thousands of businesses across the county.

“The opportunities that are now being provided with the new North Yorkshire Council are immense, and it will be the first time that we will have a countywide plan dedicated to promoting the visitor economy.

“This will not only support the industry and the tens of thousands of jobs it provides, but it will also help attract new enterprise and more visitors for the opportunity to enjoy locations in North Yorkshire that are already known across the world.”

A draft destination management plan is due to be finalised by the end of June, before a bid is then expected to be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Support in September for North Yorkshire to become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP).

The LVEP is set to involve both the private and public sectors and would need to follow a new national process to be eligible for support and potential funding from the Government.

Tourism officers in North Yorkshire are working closely on the project, pooling their knowledge and expertise to ensure the strongest possible proposal for a LVEP is submitted.

The council, which launched on 1st April 2023, will also be engaging with businesses, business networks and the leisure, culture and tourism sectors across the county in the coming weeks to help develop a strong partnership.

It will work alongside a new regional partnership which was established last year to promote tourism in Yorkshire, and which has already garnered widespread political support.

The council’s executive member for the visitor economy, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “We believe that there are already very strong foundations in place for driving forward the visitor economy in North Yorkshire.

“A great deal of work has already been undertaken to develop the visitor economy here, and we are committed to ensuring that this continues. A Local Visitor Economy Partnership for North Yorkshire would help enhance working relationships across the industry even further, developing tourism in the county as well as linking in to help promote the sector across the whole of Yorkshire.”

A marketing campaign has been launched to promote tourism and is being funded by £50,000 from the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, which is providing £2.6 billion nationally to help finance the levelling up agenda to tackle regional inequalities.

The digital campaign runs until July and is focusing on North Yorkshire’s key themes such as heritage, food, drink and retail, market towns, the coast and family activities.

Tourism in North Yorkshire is worth £1.5 billion a year in the spend from domestic visitors. It accounts for 11 per cent of the county’s overall economy, and 41,200 workers are employed in the sector.

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