Visit England Director Urges Yorkshire Coast Residents To Become Local Tourists

The Director of VisitEngland is calling on residents to support the Yorkshire Coast's visitor economy by exploring local attractions during English Tourism Week.

This week is English Tourism Week which includes a new drive aiming to boost visitor numbers and bring national growth to local areas, including the Yorkshire Coast.

The campaign focuses on highlighting local stories and encouraging domestic discovery, countering the trend of international visitors remaining exclusively in the capital.

According to VisitEngland, half of all international tourists currently travel to London and do not leave, believing they have fully experienced the country.

However, tourism leaders believe that directing people to regional areas can stimulate rapid economic growth.

The industry thrives on the sharing of special stories and local secrets, such as discovering the best pint of Yorkshire ale from a resident's recommendation.

To support this, there is a strong push for the local population to back the tourism sector by acting as tourists in their own area and revisiting nearby attractions.

Director of VisitEngland, Andrew Stokes, said:

"The theme of of this year's English Tourism Week is local stories, national growth. So whilst at the moment fifty per cent of international visitors go to London, don't leave London, and they think they've done England, if we can get people to these local areas, we can bring about growth quickly.

Tourism is one of those industries where you love hearing a story that you think is special for you or you found out the bit of a secret that a local has told you where you can go and get the best pint of Yorkshire ale, whatever.

We need the local population to support the tourism industry. And so there's a bit of a call to action which is this week, be a tourist in your own area. Go and visit a local attraction, maybe it's somewhere you haven't been to since you were at school. But go on, they will be pleased to see you."

Alongside the call for residents to explore their local areas, tourism businesses are also being asked to play an active role during the week-long celebration.

Organisations are being encouraged to utilise their social media platforms to highlight that the new visitor season is beginning again.

Furthermore, businesses are being urged to engage with local Members of Parliament and councillors to ensure political representatives are reminded of the crucial importance of the tourism industry to the local economy.

Finally, there is a request for these businesses to create specific engagements or offerings for their local residents.

Mr Stokes added:

"What we're asking them to do is we're asking them to engage, both engage on their socials, on their social media highlighting that the season is beginning again. We're asking them to engage with their local MPs, with their local councillors so that it just reminds them of the the importance of of tourism.

And asking them to actually make sure that they do something with their local residents."

The push comes as the Government engages stakeholders across the tourism sector to develop its upcoming Visitor Economy Strategy, with an ambition to attract fifty million visitors a year by 2030.

Minister for Tourism, Stephanie Peacock, said the sector plays a vital role in the national economic landscape by supporting jobs, driving investment, and sustaining communities.

“English Tourism Week is a celebration of our vibrant and diverse tourism sector. It plays a vital role in our national economic landscape - supporting jobs, driving investment, and sustaining communities across the country.

“This Government has an ambition to attract 50 million visitors a year by 2030, and English Tourism Week is the perfect opportunity to showcase our exceptional domestic offer. From independent guesthouses in Cornwall and vineyard tours in Kent to heritage railways in North Yorkshire and the seaside resorts of the North West, these landmarks give our destinations their distinctive character. Without them, we would lose the very heart and soul of our tourism offer.

“We want to recognise the small businesses that form the backbone of the visitor economy. By encouraging people to discover the incredible places on offer closer to home, we can support local livelihoods and ensure our tourism sector continues to thrive for generations to come.”

In the lead-up to and throughout the week, VisitEngland is encouraging people to show support on social media by using the designated campaign hashtag.

The VisitEngland Tourism Superstar 2026 competition will also conclude at the end of the week, with voting open until midnight on the twenty-second of March and the winner announced shortly after.