A new tourism strategy is to be launched in North Yorkshire aiming to ‘attract thousands more visitors to the county and support the multi-million pound industry’.
North Yorkshire Council is coordinating a new strategy aiming to boost the visitor economy and support thousands of workers who are employed in the sector, while also attracting a wider and more diverse range of visitors to the county.
The sector brings in more than £1.5 billion a year from domestic visits alone.
Tourism 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 provide the first county-wide approach to promoting the visitor economy. It follows the launch of the new council in April.
North Yorkshire Council is hosting events throughout August to gather information and views from key organisations and enterprises involved in tourism.
Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The visitor economy is so important to North Yorkshire, and we are proud to give everyone who comes to the county the warmest of welcomes.
“It is vital that we take into account the views of all those businesses and partner organisations which are involved in the visitor economy to help to develop the destination management plan.
“This is such a key moment for North Yorkshire as we develop the first countywide strategy to promote the visitor economy, and we are committed to supporting the sector while attracting more visitors to enjoy what is such a wonderful part of the country.”
Sessions will be held at the following locations:
- The Garden Room at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn on Friday, August 11.
- The Old Deanery in Ripon on Tuesday, August 15.
- Whitby Pavilion on Tuesday, August 15.
- Harrogate Convention Centre, Wednesday, August 16.
- North Yorkshire Council’s offices in Skipton on Wednesday, August 16.
- The Civic Centre in Selby on Wednesday, August 16.
- Mercury House in Richmond on Thursday, August 17.
- Scarborough Spa on Friday, August 18.
- Pickering Memorial Hall on Tuesday, August 22.
Sessions will run from 11am to 1pm and then 3pm to 5pm at all the venues, apart from the event at the council offices in Skipton which will be staged from 2pm to 4pm and then between 5pm and 7pm.
Other venues elsewhere in the county are due to be added.
A bid is due to be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in September for North Yorkshire to be home to a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP).
This will involve both the private and public sectors and will need to follow a new national process to be eligible for support and potential funding from the government. A destination management plan is a key requirement for achieving LVEP accreditation.
More details about the public engagement events are available here.
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