Tourism brings £4 billion boost to county’s economy

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From the weather we have been having lately, it certainly doesn’t feel like summer but with July almost over and the school holidays here we are approaching the peak of the busy tourism season.

It is appropriate that within one of the busiest periods for our tourism industry that we have received new data that confirms the importance and impact of the sector to our local economy.

The new report, which measures the economic impact of visits to an area using the STEAM model, shows that tourism contributed more than £4 billion to North Yorkshire’s visitor economy in 2023 and we attracted over 31 million people to sample the delights of our county.

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Our priority has always been to support sustainable growth of our visitor economy, encouraging visitors to stay longer and spend more rather than simply increasing the number of visitors. I am glad to say that the data also supports this, with the average length of stay for visitors in North Yorkshire being four nights compared to the national average of 2.8 nights as recorded by Visit England.

31 million people visited North Yorkshire in 2023, contributing over £4billion to the local economy.31 million people visited North Yorkshire in 2023, contributing over £4billion to the local economy.
31 million people visited North Yorkshire in 2023, contributing over £4billion to the local economy.

The report also demonstrates how the local tourism industry supports 38,486 jobs through direct and indirect employment making up 13 per cent of all employment across North Yorkshire.

This is the first time that we have been able to measure the impact of tourism for North Yorkshire on a county-wide level and this new report now provides a baseline to work from as we begin an exciting new journey for the visitor economy in North Yorkshire. Harrogate and the surrounding area is an important contributor to this overall impact, with the latest report for the area showing an economic impact of £779M from 5.8M visitors in 2023.

The value of the visitor economy must not be underestimated and that is why we are so pleased that it is recognised as a priority for North Yorkshire Council. The Visit North Yorkshire team, part of the council has certainly been busy supporting the sector over the last few weeks through a range of activities. A stand at The Meetings Show in London allowed us to showcase our area as a first-choice events destination, a networking event with travel media in Glasgow gave us the opportunity to raise our profile and plan for future press visits and coverage and a presence at the Great Yorkshire Show here in Harrogate meant we could engage with an audience of over 140,000 show goers to encourage repeat and extended visits.

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Consistent and regular data gathering and analysis such as this is an important piece of work for Visit North Yorkshire and will be a priority within our new Destination Management Plan.

This work ensures we have the right tools in place to make evidence-based decisions and support the sector with North Yorkshire specific, timely information that is easy to access and understand.

Details from the full report can be found at: visitnorthyorkshire.com

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