Yorkshire Coast resorts such as Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington are key to region's tourism - Andrew Vine

YORKSHIRE’S coast beckons. As the days lengthen, my thoughts turn increasingly to the sight of the sea and the endless views from the clifftop path.

Whether it is Hunt Cliff looming over Saltburn, Scarborough Castle in the distance whilst walking south from Ravenscar, or the hundreds of thousands of seabirds wheeling above the white cliffs of Bempton and Flamborough when spring comes, our 120 miles of coastline never fails to send my spirits soaring.

I’ve known the sights and sounds of the coast all my life, but their magic never fades, and I’m far from alone in feeling that.

I don’t know anybody in this great county of ours who doesn’t give thanks for being able to reach this glorious stretch of coastline so easily, nor a single friend or family member who doesn’t head there at every opportunity, whether for a day trip or to stay. It’s impossible to overstate the affection that Yorkshire has for its seaside, or how special a place it holds in the hearts of countless people from elsewhere in Britain.

And this is the year when our coast should go all out to capitalise on that.

For all the wonderful attractions Yorkshire boasts, in town or country, the seaside is the jewel in the crown of our tourist industry, and there is a golden opportunity to make it shine even brighter. Though many of the small independent businesses that are the backbone of the coastal towns have suffered a worrying and perilous two years because of the pandemic, there is a chance now to make up lost ground.

The public has rediscovered its appetite for holidaying in Britain as a result of restrictions on going abroad – and the possibility of having to pay through the nose for flights home early to avoid new curbs.

Our seaside towns should be marketing themselves as vigorously as possible to attract this new business, with the aim of making people think not of the Costa del Sol or the Algarve as their prime holiday destination each year, but the Yorkshire coast.

One of the challenges that the coast has faced since at least the beginning of the 1980s when the package holiday trade really got into its stride, is that too many British people think of it as somewhere for a short, secondary break to be squeezed in before or after their main holiday abroad.

It’s possible the pandemic has changed that mindset. I know a dozen families who headed for Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington last year for their principal holiday and all had a wonderful time. They’ll be going back this year, not least because those with young children found it refreshingly easy to get there, compared with all the stress of airports where travellers have sometimes been kept waiting for hours at customs because of Covid-related staff shortages.

For all of them, it was their first proper holiday of a week or fortnight on the coast, as opposed to day trips or a weekend, and their eyes have been opened. There must be a lot more like them, all over the country, easily persuadable that the traditional seaside holiday is as appealing now as it was to past generations for whom flying overseas was unthinkable.

Children will find as much fun and enchantment on a beach at Saltburn or Filey as they do on the sands of Spain or Portugal. The timeless appeal of the Yorkshire coast is one of its greatest assets.

That is a message that needs to be proclaimed loud and long over the next month or two as people plan their holidays, especially during the long summer school break.

The pandemic has broken the habit of holidaying abroad over the past two years – and that could prove to be a silver lining in the cloud that Covid cast over Yorkshire’s tourist industry.

Visiting the coast last summer, I was struck by how busy everywhere was, and heartened to see so many “no vacancies” signs in the windows of hotels and guest houses.

If the seaside can get the message out that it is the perfect holiday destination, where visitors will find the warmest of welcomes, business can be just as good – and maybe even better – this year and into the future.