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03
Mar 2023
Bid begins to create new North Yorkshire tourism body
The incoming North Yorkshire Council is to bid to government for accreditation to create a new countywide tourism body.
The authority intends to apply to become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership — which will replace Destination Management Organisations following a review by ministers.
The new body would be responsible for promoting tourism in North Yorkshire and attracting events.
David Caulfield, assistant director for tourism and economic development at North Yorkshire Council, said the new organisation would also help to form a “Yorkshire-wide” tourism strategy.
He said:
The council intends to hire consultants at a cost of £20,000 to help support the bid.
Mr Caulfield said this would form a “small part” of the bid, with the majority of the work being carried out in-house.
Questions over Destination Harrogate
The move towards creating a county-wide tourism organisation raises further questions about the future of Destination Harrogate, the current Destination Management Organisation tourism organisation for the district run by Harrogate Borough Council, which is being abolished in four weeks.
Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, told a council meeting last month the government review would likely mean only destination management organisations from cities or large regions will be able to receive funding from central government.
Read more:
- Harrogate council spends £2.2m on new tourism body in first year
- Harrogate council agreed £222,000 in exit packages due to tourism restructure
She suggested Harrogate would have to amalgamate into a wider, yet-to-be created North Yorkshire destination management organisation to qualify for the funding.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last month that Harrogate Borough Council spent £2,224,000 on Destination Harrogate in its first year operating — almost a million pounds more than budgeted.
Borough council chief executive Wallace Sampson told councillors the new authority could look to “identify savings” with Destination Harrogate after it is handed control of the organisation.
He added:
Mr Sampson warned of the possible pitfalls of Destination Harrogate being merged into a county-wide tourism body, which he suggested could dilute the focus on individual places.
He said:
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