Destinations in North Yorkshire which are famed across the globe will be used as the foundations for enticing more visitors to the county under a pioneering new strategy that is being developed.
North Yorkshire already has an enviable reputation for its visitor economy due to a wide range of cultural attractions from historic stately homes to centuries-old castles and ancient monuments.
The county also has a succession of hugely popular destinations including the coast, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and the famous spa town of Harrogate.
The first-ever countywide plan is currently being developed to promote the industry and to help to attract an increasingly diverse range of visitors.
The strategy is set to capitalise on the strong brand that North Yorkshire already possesses and use world-renowned destinations as anchor locations to allow visitors to explore the more of the county.
Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “We are in a hugely fortunate position that North Yorkshire has among the most recognisable destinations in the country.
“To have places such as the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and towns including Harrogate, Scarborough and Whitby all in one county is an amazing asset for the visitor economy.
“We want to make sure that these hugely popular destinations continue to thrive and grow, but they also play such an important role in ensuring visitors get to sample more of North Yorkshire while they are here.
“The new destination management plan will be a hugely important means of ensuring that the visitor economy, which is such an important part of North Yorkshire’s overall economy, is developed in the coming years.”
Officers and members are at the Great Yorkshire Show, which is being staged in Harrogate this week, to promote the county’s visitor economy.
A promotional stand staffed by officers is at the four-day showcase of rural life, providing visitors with an insight into exactly what is on offer around the county.
A host of businesses are also involved in the promotional drive at the Great Yorkshire Show, including representatives from the Inn Collection, Yorkshire Retreats, Provenance Inns and Sherburn Aero Club.
Staff from the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, Birdforth Hall Holiday Cottages and Castle Howard are also attending the show to help to promote North Yorkshire’s visitor economy.
Castle Howard is one of the North of England’s grandest stately homes and had 266,370 visitors last year, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
The property, which dates from 1699 and lies within the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is famous as a location for films and television shows including Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton.
Castle Howard’s director of marketing and visitors, Abbi Ollive, said: “We have a great deal of pride in knowing just how treasured Castle Howard is for people in Yorkshire, as well as from around the world and we see visitors from across the globe coming here every year.
“The chance to have a countywide strategy is such a wonderful opportunity to build on the success story that is North Yorkshire’s visitor economy.
“We want to play our part in helping to attract more visitors here and allow them to explore the rest of North Yorkshire to discover what a truly wonderful place it is.”
A draft of the destination management plan is due to be considered by councillors later this year, while a bid is set to be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in September for North Yorkshire to become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP).
The Local Visitor Economy Partnership 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.
Officers in North Yorkshire are working closely on the project, pooling their knowledge and expertise to ensure the strongest possible proposal for a Local Visitor Economy Partnership is submitted.
The countywide strategy is being developed following the launch of North Yorkshire Council on April 1, and the authority is engaging with businesses, business networks and the leisure, culture and tourism sectors across the county to help develop a strong partnership.
It will work alongside a new regional partnership that was established last year to promote the visitor economy across the whole of Yorkshire, and which has already garnered widespread political support.
The region-wide partnership has representatives from councils across Yorkshire and is aiming to provide a co-ordinated approach to enhancing the visitor economy, with North Yorkshire a key element in the plans.
Executive member for the visitor economy, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “We are keen to ensure that the county is at the forefront of the region’s overall visitor economy. We will continue to work with colleagues across Yorkshire to ensure that is the case.
“The collaborative approach will mean that the whole of the region will benefit with more people visiting different parts of Yorkshire, and hopefully returning again to explore more of what is such a wonderful part of the country that we can all be immensely proud of.”
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.
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.
For instance, the new strategy is aiming to capitalise on the designation of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks as an International Dark Skies Reserve in December 2020 to bring more visitors to the county during the traditionally quieter autumn and winter months.
The Scarborough Fair Festivals will stage the first ever Winter Lights Festival this winter in a bid to draw more visitors to the coast.