A new £1.2 million domestic tourism campaign aimed at boosting year-round visits to coastal towns has been welcomed by North Yorkshire MPs, alongside calls for a licensing system for short-term holiday lets to protect local communities.
THE launch of a £1.2 million domestic tourism campaign focused on coastal towns and cities has been welcomed as a boost for North Yorkshire.
The first national domestic tourism campaign since the Covid-19 pandemic will promote year-round visits to British coastal areas.
Stephanie Peacock MP, the Minister for Tourism, announcing the launch of the campaign in an interview with The House Magazine, said:
“Whether that be Whitby down the road from me, Yorkshire or Blackpool, Devon or Cornwall, the idea is to promote the brilliant coastal towns that we’ve got.”
The new circa £2 million promotional campaign will see the Government spend £1.2 million from June, while private investment of £800,000 will be sought.
Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said:
“Scarborough, Whitby and the villages are the jewels in North Yorkshire’s tourism crown, so I welcome any campaign to promote them.
“The Labour Government’s Great British Summer Savings Scheme, which by temporarily slashing VAT on a range of children’s attractions and ensuring 5-15 year-olds can travel for free on buses, makes it easier for hard-working families to enjoy trips to the coast, should be good for our businesses, economy and locals too.”
Despite concerns about the impact of high numbers of holiday lets and Airbnbs impacting the availability of housing, Ms Peacock, the tourism minister, told The House that the new campaign would not encourage visitors to choose hotels over Airbnbs.
The MP for Scarborough and Whitby called for a licensing system for Airbnbs and short-term holiday lets:
“Although we want to encourage people to enjoy our beautiful part of the world, I’m also determined to get the best deal possible for the people who live here all year round.
“I’m having conversations with Mayor David Skaith about how the tourism levy will work. Whilst I think introducing a tourist tax is a great idea for York, as it’s a city which attracts a lot of international tourists used to paying tourist levies, I remain to be convinced on how it would work on the coast where domestic tourism is the lifeblood of our visitor economy.
“Family finances are already squeezed, and I worry that a tourist levy could be seen as a tax on the family holiday.
“I’d also like to see a licensing system for Airbnbs and short-term holiday lets introduced at pace, so residents aren’t squeezed out or unfairly disadvantaged.
“There’s a balance to be struck and it’s achievable.”
Ms Hume had previously said that “local coastal communities absolutely should benefit from a simple tourist tax.”
David Skaith, the elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, has suggested that a “modest levy” on 41 million annual visitors to the region could raise £50 million for York and North Yorkshire to “turbocharge investment”, but hoteliers have expressed “deep concern” about its potential impact on businesses.
The mayor said he would “work with local authorities, businesses, and the tourism sector as a whole, to really bring them all on the journey together and actually work out what we want to see from such a levy, how it’d work, how it’d be collected”.
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