Joint bid submitted to promote York and North Yorkshire's tourism
Plans have been announced today
A joint bid is being submitted for York and North Yorkshire to promote the visitor economy and provide support for tens of thousands of tourism workers.
Plans have been announced today for the over-arching bid for a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) to cover both York and North Yorkshire to maximise the potential of the tourism sector.
It is hoped that the joint bid, which has been submitted to the Visit England tourism organisation, will ensure that the greatest benefits are achieved for both York and North Yorkshire’s tourism industry.
North Yorkshire Council says tourism is worth more than £3.2 billion each year to York and North Yorkshire’s economy, and in excess of 60,000 workers are employed in the sector.
North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The visitor economy is key to the vitality for both York and North Yorkshire, bringing in billions of pounds every year and providing a career and livelihood for tens of thousands of people.
“The decision to submit a joint bid for York and North Yorkshire will allow us to pursue a co-ordinated approach to promoting the visitor economy and maximise the support that we can provide to the industry.
“It shows how a close working relationship is developing between the councils, which is due to increase further with the proposed devolution deal.
“We want as many people to experience the wonderful places where we live and work, as well as ensuring the communities of York and North Yorkshire are given the support they need to benefit from the visitor economy.”
The joint bid between North Yorkshire Council and Make it York, the city’s destination management organisation which is linked to City of York Council, has been submitted to Visit England.
A decision is then expected from a panel involving tourism officials and representatives from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport by the end of October.
City of York Council’s leader, Cllr Claire Douglas, said: “York and North Yorkshire are wonderful places to visit - we’re extremely proud of our world-class attractions and the warm welcome our region extends to visitors from across the globe.
“Tourism forms an important part of York’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs in our city. We want to ensure that our visitor economy continues to thrive in a sustainable way that benefits everyone - visitors, residents and businesses.
“We’re delighted to be working closely with North Yorkshire Council to promote our tourism offer. As we move towards a mayoral combined authority, it’s great to see this partnership flourishing.”