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02
Sept
North Yorkshire Council is advertising a contract worth £250,000 to promote tourism across the county.
The move comes as the council set up its Visit North Yorkshire brand as part of wider plans to promote the visitor economy in the county.
As part of proposals to push the brand, the authority has advertised a contract for a “destination management solution” at a value of £250,000.
According to the advertisement, the contract entails the “ongoing hosting, support and maintenance” of the system, which in turn will help “deliver increasing value to its paying advertiser”.
The contract adds:
With a powerful Destination Management Solution at its heart, Visit North Yorkshire seeks to be more efficient, improve services, and deliver increasing value to its paying advertisers; thereby maximising income and effectively marketing the whole of North Yorkshire to visitors and progressing the work streams and goals of its Destination Management Plan.
The contract is due to start in October this year and last for four years.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said the contract would help the council to "efficiently capture and manage extensive business data, which is critical for promoting our destination and businesses within it".
They added that the system would help visitors to find events that fit their interests, such as heritage attractions or dog friendly options.
A spokesperson added:
The system will allow visitors to easily access information based on specific interests such as heritage attractions or dog friendly options. It will also host a comprehensive events database, serving as the county’s leading what’s on guide, sortable by theme and location.
The software allows businesses to update their own business details, which is essential when managing a destination of our size to keep details current. It also enables us to commercialise the website by adjusting businesses presence based on their membership level, ensuring long-term sustainability for Visit North Yorkshire.
The move comes as tourism brought £4 billion to North Yorkshire’s visitor economy last year, according to the council.
In November, the government also approved a new Local Visitor Economy Partnership, which have replaced destination management organisations, for York and North Yorkshire.
Following the approval, the council said the new body would help for a “far more co-ordinated and strategic approach to promoting the tourism sector”.
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