Management Plan - North York Moors National Park

4. Business and Land ManagementThe economy of the National Park benefits from its protectedlandscape designation. The National Parks Circular indicatesthat National Park strategies should be informed by their localeconomic circumstances and seek to foster improvementsin productivity and incomes through appropriate policy andintervention.The economy of the North York Moors has traditionally reliedon the agricultural, forestry, shooting and tourism sectors, andthis largely remains the case. The tourism industry employs4,485 51 people whilst 2,220 52 are employed in agriculturein the National Park. Many people living in the National Parkcommute to areas outside the boundary for employment.The unemployment rate in the National Park is below theNational and Regional figures however the median earningsof £18,362 are much lower than the median figure forEngland of £21,398 53 .The Economic Assessment 54 for the Moors Sub Regionshows that in the last decade there has been a low level ofjob growth and, in terms of employment structure, high levelsof self employment and micro businesses, a low proportionof younger working people and high dependency onhospitality and retail. The dependency on tourism jobs meansthat many jobs in the Park are seasonal and/or part time. Itis understood that many younger people are moving awayfrom the area for work with consequences for local facilitiesand communities. Future drivers of growth for the sub regionhave been identified in the cultural, creative and visitoreconomy, the higher education and science sector and thelow carbon economy.The York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local EnterprisePartnership was formally recognised by the Governmentin February 2011 and has identified its priorities as agri-food,tourism, high speed broadband, business support, businessnetworks, coastal regeneration and skills and training.4.1 TourismTourism remains an important element of the economy ofthe National Park both in terms of income generation and asa source of employment. In 2010, tourism was worth £416mto the local economy and supported 7,813 jobs in the area 55 ,including over 4,000 in the National Park itself. However,tourism is particularly seasonal and in 2010 tourism revenuein January was only 19% of that in August. Around half of thetourist days spent in the National Park are made by day touristsyet these only account for around 40% of the economic value.Staying tourists provide greater value to the economy for eachday that they are here. Many of the businesses in the Park areinterrelated with tourism and benefit from people visiting thePark. Many visitors will make combined trips, visiting both thePark and the surrounding area.Equally, residents benefit from visitor facilities and are oftencustomers. Any increase in value to the tourist economyneeds to be mindful of social equity and allow residents andvisitors access to and enjoyment of the National Park’s nonnaturalassets. Tourists visit the National Park for a varietyof reasons including sightseeing and visiting cultural attractionsor to undertake activities such as walking, cycling orhorseriding.The quality of the tourism offer, including accommodation,catering establishments and attractions, as well as the standardof hospitality offered, play an essential role in both attractingpeople to the area and their satisfaction levels from a visit.Recent trends have shown that the value of tourism in theNational Park is decreasing – between 2007 and 2010 thevalue of tourism in the Park declined by 4.4% in real terms.Employment in tourism related sectors has also declined byaround 4.4% over this time. It appears that a decrease in thenumber of tourist days has played a large part in this decline. Ifthis decline were to continue it is projected that there would bea further real terms decrease in the economic value of tourism of6.7% and a further loss of around 400 jobs between 2010 and2015 56 . It is difficult to predict further ahead due to the variablesinvolved.Alternatively, if the ambitious VisitEngland 3% year on yearreal growth target 57 is achieved this will result in an increase inaround 15% (£65 million) in the economic value of tourism by2015 (compared to 2010 values) and around 1,200 additionaljobs 58 . These changes would help to strengthen the NationalPark’s economy allowing businesses directly and indirectlyaffected by tourism to prosper and potentially enable youngpeople to remain working in the National Park.51 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor 2010 Report(Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd, 2011)52 2010 Agriculture Census (DEFRA, 2011)53 Annual Survey of Earnings and Hours 2010, ONS54 York and North Yorkshire Economic Assessment 2010 (York andNorth Yorkshire Partnership Unit, 2010)55 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor 2009 Report(Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd, 2010) (Full Time Equivalents)(National Park and influence area)56 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor Projections(Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd, 2011) 201157 England – A Strategic Framework for Tourism 2010 – 2020(VisitEngland 2011)58 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor Projections(Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd, 2011)78 www.northyorkmoors.org.uk