New boost for coastal tourism
Published: 15 March 2011
A new advisory group has been set up in a bid to boost visitor numbers to the Yorkshire coast.
Spearheaded by the official tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire and the private sector, the new steering group will join forces every month to raise issues and tackle problems faced by the tourism industry.
The key aim of the group is to raise the profile of the Yorkshire coast and increase the number of tourists to the area, as well as ensuring that the visitor experience is maximised once they arrive.
A similar group will be set up in Ryedale.
Working alongside Scarborough Borough Council and Welcome to Yorkshire, the steering group is chaired by Clive Rowe-Evans and includes representatives from 10 different sectors including retail, accommodation, theatres, attractions, festivals, events, restaurants, media and business tourism.
Janet Deacon, North Yorkshire Area Director from Welcome to Yorkshire, is behind the move and has worked closely with local groups to develop the new board.
She said: "We are working very hard to drive tourists into the area and it is essential that we come together to develop and deliver new products to enable us to continue to increase market share. We have representatives on the Board from various parts of the tourism industry and from across Scarborough, Whitby and Filey.
"We have set up similar groups in other parts of Yorkshire and these are hugely successful because they also open up lines of communication and create one strong voice with which to tackle issues."
ENDS
Editors' Notes:
• Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism agency for Yorkshire, working to grow the county's visitor economy.
• Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.
• Key facts include:
• Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £7 billion annually
• The county's industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
• There are 216 million visits to Yorkshire each year
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