Shaping the future of tourism in Yorkshire

The Editor -

Yorkshire’s profile has never been higher but what needs to happen to make sure the county remains a number one visitor destination?

That’s the question being asked by a new independent tourism study which goes fully live today.

The broad ranging consultation, commissioned by Welcome to Yorkshire (WtY) wants to hear from members, partners and the wider tourism industry about their hopes and aspirations for the sector and their ideas on the best ways to promote and market the county in the future.

As the organisation moves into its second decade it wants to continue to be bold, brave, creative and ambitious but will work more collaboratively with the wider industry.

The aim of this robust research project is to gather views from those working both on the frontline and behind the scenes in tourism across Yorkshire in order to help influence the focus and strategy of Welcome to Yorkshire and its partners over the next 10 years.

These views will help the organisation find the most impactful and effective ways of encouraging people to visit the county and increase the value of tourism in the region over the coming years.

The concept was unveiled at Welcome to Yorkshire’s yearly showcase, Y19, last year and is now being delivered by research, insight and evaluation experts Qa Research.

The York based company has devised an online questionnaire to better understand the needs of the sector, which has gone live today. This has been informed by a number of in-depth interviews conducted with a range of leading industry experts and stakeholders.

Research Director Nick How said:

“The consultation survey provides an opportunity for tourism businesses to have their say in what they want Welcome to Yorkshire to be doing for them and the tourism industry in Yorkshire over the next decade.

“We’re hoping for some frank feedback and a good response rate. Our task will then be to analyse and report back on the question answers and feedback given. The information will really help inform the direction Welcome to Yorkshire takes, so taking part will make a real difference to the decisions taken.”