YP Comment: Good signposting aids tourism

YORKSHIRE'S countryside offers endless delights to visitors and makes a vital contribution to our tourism economy, so ensuring it is well signposted is a matter of great importance.

By The Newsroom

Published 18th Nov 2016, 10:21 BST

Updated 18th Nov 2016, 12:22 BST

Richmond MP Rishi Sunak’s success in obtaining permission for brown tourist signs to Wensleydale on the A1 – hopefully to be followed by similar signs for Swaledale – is to be welcomed.

Visitors will be richly rewarded if they follow the signs, and all attempts to boost tourism deserve to be supported. But the fact that special dispensation has to be sought for the sensible and sensitive signposting of beauty spots is indicative of the Government’s often sluggish attitude to rural tourism.

This was a point made with some force by Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity to MPs this week, when he warned that opportunities are being missed to attract overseas tourists to the countryside. They would do well to  heed him.