Winter Lights Festival for Scarborough as Part of North Yorkshire Tourism Drive

A new strategy aimed at attracting more visitors to North Yorkshire hopes to tackle long-standing issues affecting the tourism sector to boost the multi-million pound industry.

Tourism is one of the foundations of North Yorkshire's economy and employs tens of thousands of workers while attracting visitors from across the globe to experience North Yorkshire’s world-famous landscapes and attractions.

The first-ever countywide plan is currently being developed to promote the tourism industry and help attract an increasingly diverse range of visitors, while also dealing with a host of issues that have affected 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.

As part of the drive for year round tourism North Yorkshire Council says that the Scarborough Fair Festivals will stage the first ever Winter Lights Festival this winter in a bid to draw in more visitors to the coast.

Details are sketchy but the council say the Winter Lights Festival will be co-created with the town’s communities over the autumn months and culminate in events running throughout December. It's expected that the events will be mostly free to access with some ticketed events and installations taking place in publicly accessible buildings such as the Spa, vacant shop units and pop-up spaces.

The new destination management plan is also aiming to capitalise on the designation of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales 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.

Work is under way to support sectors of the tourism industry such as adrenalin-fuelled outdoors pursuits, including wake-boarding, surfing, rock climbing and mountain biking as well as family-friendly activities to promote North Yorkshire to a wider audience.  

The North Yorkshire Water Park at Wykeham Lakes near Scarborough has carved out a growing reputation as a leading tourism attraction since it was launched in 2017.

The site underwent a £1.6 million revamp, which was completed in 2021 and created a new café and changing rooms, as well as expanding the activities on offer, including land-based pursuits such as a 250-metre zipwire, bushcraft sessions and puzzle rooms.

The water park’s general manager, Gareth Davies, said:

“We have such a varied offer for tourism in North Yorkshire, from the coast to the moors and the dales. There is a real benefit to now have a single organisation to develop a strategy for the whole of the county, as we have so much to shout about.

“For us at the water park, it is good to hear that there will be a particular focus on promoting outdoor activities, which is definitely an area that can grow for tourism in North Yorkshire.”

A marketing campaign has been launched to promote tourism and is being funded by £50,000 from the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, which is providing £2.6 billion nationally to help finance the levelling up agenda to tackle regional inequalities.

The digital campaign runs until July and is focusing on North Yorkshire’s key themes such as heritage, food, drink and retail, market towns, the coast and family activities.

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 new destination management plan 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.

North Yorkshire Council’s tourism officers, who are responsible for drawing up the destination management plan, are also hoping to work with key partners to improve sustainable transport links, such as bus and train services, to provide visitors with easier access to travel across England’s largest county.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:

“The visitor economy has long been one of the drivers of North Yorkshire’s overall economy, and we recognise the importance which the industry has in supporting thousands of businesses across the county.

“The opportunities that are now being provided with the new North Yorkshire Council are immense, and it will be the first time that we will have a countywide plan dedicated to promoting the visitor economy.

“This will not only support the industry and the tens of thousands of jobs it provides, but it will also help attract new enterprise and more visitors for the opportunity to enjoy locations in North Yorkshire that are already known across the world.”

A draft destination management plan is due to be finalised by the end of June, before a bid is then expected to be submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Support in September for North Yorkshire to become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP).

The LVEP 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.

Tourism officers in North Yorkshire are working closely on the project, pooling their knowledge and expertise to ensure the strongest possible proposal for a LVEP is submitted.

The council’s executive member for the visitor economy, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said:

“We believe that there are already very strong foundations in place for driving forward the visitor economy in North Yorkshire.

“A great deal of work has already been undertaken to develop the visitor economy here, and we are committed to ensuring that this continues. A Local Visitor Economy Partnership for North Yorkshire would help enhance working relationships across the industry even further, developing tourism in the county as well as linking in to help promote the sector across the whole of Yorkshire.”

The council, which launched on April 1, says it will also be engaging with businesses, business networks and the leisure, culture and tourism sectors across the county in the coming weeks to help develop a strong partnership.

It says it will work alongside a new regional partnership which was established last year to promote tourism in Yorkshire.