Tourism businesses are being given the chance to learn more about a ten-year vision to promote North Yorkshire and find out how they can get involved.
Our destination management organisation, Visit North Yorkshire, is hosting drop-in sessions for accommodation providers, retailers, hospitality, and tourism business owners.
We launched the tourism organisation in October as part of our 10-year strategy to drive forward the county’s visitor economy.
Tourism contributes £4 billion to the local economy every year and supports 38,000 jobs.
The drop-in sessions will offer businesses the opportunity to meet members of Visit North Yorkshire and find out more about how the service is evolving alongside the launch of its new website in April.
The events, which are being delivered in collaboration with Business Improvement District (BID) colleagues and other local partners, will offer the chance to network with industry colleagues and to explore the venue where the drop-in sessions are being staged.
The series of events include a scheduled mini-presentation overview with visuals of the new website and details of partnership packages, creating an informal environment where people can share their business aspirations.
Our executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, said: “These drop-in sessions are a great opportunity for businesses that may not have already engaged with Visit North Yorkshire or the previous destination management organisations to get an insight into the great work that is happening across the county and learn about how they can get involved.
“Our new partnership model encourages collaboration between Visit North Yorkshire and businesses which is one of the key actions in the county’s destination management plan.”
The first events in February will take place in Skipton, Harrogate, Richmond, and Ripon, and will be run in partnership with Skipton BID, Harrogate BID, and Ripon BID.
Details of the first drop-in sessions are:
- Thursday 6 February, 12.30pm to 2pm and 4.30pm to 6pm at Skipton Town Hall
- Monday 10 February, 8am to 9.30am, 10.30am to 2pm and 4.30pm to 6pm at The Mercer Gallery in Harrogate
- Monday 17 February, 10am to 2pm at The Station in Richmond
- Monday 24 February, 10am to 1.30pm at Ripon Cathedral
- Thursday 24 April, 10am to 2.30pm at Whitby Tourist Information Centre
The exact timings are yet to be confirmed for the drop-ins on Tuesday 4 March, at Scarborough Spa, and Wednesday 26 March, at Eden Camp.
More information is available ahead of the drop-in sessions by emailing the Visit North Yorkshire team on biz@visitnorthyorkshire.com.