Tourism businesses in Skipton and South Craven are being given the chance to highlight their priorities and fine-tune a new tourism strategy for North Yorkshire.
The visitor economy is a cornerstone of the county's economic vitality and brings in more than £1.5 billion a year from domestic visits alone.
North Yorkshire Council is coordinating a new strategy, which will be aimed at boosting the visitor economy and supporting tens of thousands of workers who are employed in the sector, while also attracting a wider and more diverse range of visitors to the county.
The "destination management plan" is set to provide the first countywide approach to promoting the visitor economy following the launch of the council in April.
A series of events is due to be held this month to gather information and views from key organisations and enterprises involved in the visitor economy to help to shape a draft document for the destination management plan.
North Yorkshire Council’s 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.”
As part of the public engagement for the draft destination management plan, invitations are being sent out to tourism businesses for the workshops, which are free and will be staged both in person and online.
Attendees will be asked about their priorities and aspirations for the tourism industry as well as the strengths, opportunities and challenges being faced by North Yorkshire’s visitor economy.
Sessions are taking place on Wednesday 16th August between 2pm and 4pm and between 5pm and 7pm at North Yorkshire Council's offices in Skipton as part of a series of events across the county.
Online sessions will be available on Monday 14th August from 12.30pm until 2.30pm and then between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for the visitor economy, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “North Yorkshire’s visitor economy has a breadth to it that is one of the biggest appeals – there is so much on offer across such a large area.
“We have attempted to provide a wide geographical spread to the engagement events as we want to ensure as many opinions are gathered as possible from those involved in the sector.”
A previous engagement exercise was carried out in May to shape the draft destination management plan, and the new round of consultations is seeking final views before the strategy is considered by both North Yorkshire Council’s executive and full council later this year.
A survey of North Yorkshire's visitor economy was also conducted earlier this year to allow a greater understanding of the views of industry. The questionnaire focused on accommodation, attractions and experiences, food and drink, festivals and events, as well as heritage and culture, landscape and countryside, towns and villages, access and transportation and visitor services.
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), which 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 and it hoped that the document will help lever additional investment from the Government and other partnership organisations to deliver the strategy.
Tourism in North Yorkshire accounts for 11 per cent of the county’s overall economy, and 41,200 workers are employed in the sector.
More details about the public engagement events are available online at https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/north-yorkshire-destination-management-plan-2137459.
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