Resort tourists asked to put a value on visit to the beach

Scarborough Borough Council’s officials are planning to conduct the research to show the economic value of Whitby’s beach and harbour.

The data will then be used by the council to attract grant funding so it can carry out a multi-million pound programme of coastal defence work.

Researchers will be in Whitby next week from Bank Holiday Monday until Saturday to glean the views of tourists and residents through a questionnaire.

The council has admitted that the value of the beach is difficult to quantify in cash terms as access and the time spent there is free.

But the people surveyed will be asked to put a monetary value on a visit to the beach, compared to what it would cost to have a meal out or a trip to the theatre. It is hoped that the data can then be used to quantify the economic benefits that the beach and harbour bring.

The research will be used by the council to bid for funding to support sea defence work to protect the assets which are linked to preserving the beach and harbour, such as the East and West piers.

Whitby’s tourism industry is worth about £40m a year to the local economy, and provides an estimated 2,000 jobs – almost 30 per cent of the town’s overall workforce.

The coast, beach and harbour are the focal point of the port’s tourism, with around half of all visitors to Whitby heading to the beach.