A proposed tourism levy could be used to extend the visitor season and boost hospitality businesses along the North Yorkshire Coast.
Winter closures and quiet off-seasons across the Yorkshire Coast could become a thing of the past under new plans to boost year-round visitor numbers.
Extending the tourist season is a key priority for regional leaders, with a proposed tourism levy being considered as a potential solution to the challenge of quiet winter months in coastal resorts.
Historically underfunded hospitality sectors could see a significant cash injection to help keep towns bustling beyond the traditional summer peak. Further meetings are currently being planned to discuss how the new levy could be implemented to support the region effectively and address long-standing financial challenges.
North Yorkshire's Mayor, David Skaith, believes there is a major opportunity to tackle these deep-rooted issues within the industry:
"I worked in the hospitality sector for many years as well. I know the challenges that are faced in the hospitality sector. It hasn't been born out of the last 6/12 months. It's been long-term. I speak to a lot of businesses, hotels and suchlike who have seen visitor numbers drop over the last however many years or so and secondary spend for example, it's always been a challenge. How hotels get people to eat and drink in the hotels for example, it has always been a challenge. But I think the opportunity is to bring much-needed funding into the sector to really grow it and support it and a lot of the conversations I've been having with them is how we elongate the season. For example, so places on the coast, Scarborough, Whitby, Filey, beautiful places, but they're very quiet in January, February, March, April. How can we invest in the sector to bring more people in in to those areas outside of season?"
The severe drop in footfall at the start of the year often forces local businesses to shut their doors entirely during the winter months, limiting economic growth.
Alongside extending the tourist season, there is a strong push to change the perception of hospitality work and build a more robust, skilled local workforce. By framing hospitality as a viable long-term career rather than temporary employment, regional leaders hope to stabilize the sector.
The Mayor insists that while a tourism levy could be a transformative game changer for the area, it must be introduced fairly across the entire region to ensure all businesses benefit from the investment:
"I know that many businesses close for the first couple of months of the year, because it's not worth the time. It's the skills piece as well, and make sure we got a skilled workforce to work in the sector and show people it is a career and not just something you happen to fall into, like a lot of people feel that the sector is. So again, we've got a lot of opportunities here, but it does need funding. And this is an opportunity where actually an area like ours could actually get really high levels of funding compared to other areas, traditionally. And so I think it's a real positive. That said, there's a lot of concerns and I am continuing to meet with the hospitality sector. I just think it's a really good opportunity, but it's got to be done right. It's got to be done fairly, and it's got to be done for the whole region because I think it could be a real game changer for us, but it has to be done right."
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