The visitor economy is vital for North Yorkshire, we must do what we can to make it better for everyone - Carl Les

Part of the Hotel School’s syllabus was the study of tourism, and with a couple of professors on site and a number of visiting ones, it was acclaimed in its field and did contracted work for numerous companies and governments including Ireland whilst I was there. Even then though we had started the debate about terminology.

For this is the dilemma. Tourism is not popular with all. Roads and car parks can become clogged and congested, cafes full, no seats on buses or trains, stations overcrowded. However most people with a few exceptions like to have visitors, and enjoy visiting themselves. Hence the term visitor economy was born. It may be semantic, but it's a meaningful difference.

There is no doubt that the visitor economy is huge, especially in North Yorkshire, where it is estimated we have half the ‘assets’ in Yorkshire. The figures we studied were mind-blowing.

I think I can get 31.1 million visits – that’s a numerical way of saying ‘lots’. I can understand 38,486 jobs, especially as I see some of those jobs when I`m out in the pub, or café or shop, or buying take-away fish and chips at the coast. I can relate to 17,800 hotel beds, as until 10 years ago I was responsible for 75 of them. But £4.06bn? Now I know what £1,000 in a band looks like, our business was heavily cash based, and I`ve signed cheques for many thousands of pounds when we were doing big extensions and the like, but I`ve never seen a billion.

And yet here in North Yorkshire we are generating over four of them, from over 31 million visits. So some people may not like it, but it is important to our economy, the people who earn their living from it. And we must do what we can to make it better for everyone, the visitor and the resident. Residents are a target market. Hence the Destination Management Plan.

We start from a position of strength. TV programmes give us exposure. We have the Great Outdoors of Dales, Vales, Moors, Coast; History and Heritage in abundance; Glorious Gardens – not so long ago Welcome to Yorkshire showcased the many wonderful gardens in the region and won the People's Choice at Chelsea, enticing many thousands of visitors to come to see – and we are a Foodie's Paradise, now becoming known as a destination to rival the European Regions. Culture and Arts have always been popular, but now the new vogue appears to be ecclesiastical, with numerous attractions of little known but great significance – did you know Ripon Cathedral has as its crypt the oldest built form of any Church in England? – and trails, one connecting all the way to Santiago de Compostello in Spain and another more local connecting 12 churches near Sutton Bank.

Health is an important driver in life now, and open air, relaxation and good food are all key components. And we must never forget sustainability, climate change and active travel.

So what can the Council do? First and foremost we must do it with people, not to them. We have had numerous consultations, held workshops and conversations with over 500 industry stakeholders, people in the business themselves, and with colleagues in all parts of the Council. We`ve developed the plan in stages, taking time at each stage to test, revise and improve. We know what’s important to the visitor and provider, 69 per cent of our visitors come from less than two hours away, 76 per cent come by car. We know we need improved transport links, traffic management, conveniences available to the public, managing the relationship between visitor and the resident, managing the honey pots that can be overwhelmed by raising the profile of less visited destinations. We need visitors to stay longer, spend more.

We will work with others, not only in the private sector, but others including the National Parks, Protected Landscapes, very local local government and the City of York Council, and the new Mayor. This list is not exclusive. The plan goes into great detail but above all it is a living document, reviewed at least annually, probably more often. At the meeting we took onboard suggestions made by colleagues whose occupations give them skin in the game.

The strap line of the plan is evocative – “The warmest welcome (for) the brightest future”.

Carl Les is the leader of North Yorkshire Council.