A brand new 10-year Destination Management Plan (DMP) has been developed for North Yorkshire. The plan sets out our vision for supporting the growth of the visitor economy in a responsible and sustainable way.
What is a Destination Management Plan and why do we need one for North Yorkshire?
Destination Management is a process of leading, influencing and coordinating the management of all the aspects of a destination that contribute to a visitor’s experience, taking account of the needs of visitors, residents, businesses, and the environment.
A Destination Management Plan joins all key stakeholders in a shared statement of intent to manage the destination over a stated period, articulating their individual roles and identifying clear actions.
Where we are
The process to develop our DMP started last year with extensive consultation with key stakeholders and the wider tourism industry. We explored what North Yorkshire contains by way of strengths and weaknesses, what its offer is to visitors and how we can align the plan with other relevant council and partner strategies.
The plan outlines the current situation, the current wider landscape of tourism in the UK, existing tourism trends, perceptions and visitor demographics together with Visit North Yorkshire’s aspirations to grow the value of the visitor economy.
Five clearly defined priority areas with associated action plans are detailed in the DMP.
These are:
- Data and Intelligence
- Place
- People
- Product Development
- Position & Profile.
Several universal guiding principles have also been considered across all the action plans for all five priority areas.
These include:
- Collaboration
- Sustainability
- Accessibility and inclusivity
- Local distinctiveness.
This DMP has been built through ongoing consultation from the outset and this approach will continue with future delivery including an annual review and input from the industry throughout. This is a plan that we will deliver together.
Visit North Yorkshire would like to thank everyone who has given their time during this process, attending discussions and workshops, sharing their feedback and their aspirations for North Yorkshire.
The Destination Management Plan will be reviewed annually to ensure changing economic conditions are taken into account and future opportunities are capitalised on.
