Tourism in Yorkshire

Greg Knight Excerpts

Tuesday 13th September 2011 Westminster Hall

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

May I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) on securing this debate? Tourism is an important issue in Yorkshire, and it has been important for me during my career. I spent many years working in the tourism sector, first running the marketing team at Going Places, and more recently on the board of Harrogate International Centre. Tourism is a critical part of our local economy, and it is a sector that drives our economic growth. It is the third biggest sector in the county as a whole, and it is the biggest sector of the economy for my part of the county, North Yorkshire. Overall, the industry employs 250,000 people and accounts for just less than 10% of our economy. There is an enormous scale to our tourism industry.

Tourism is a marvellous success story. Visitor numbers are up by 12% this year, which vastly outperforms other parts of the country even when building on high levels of visitors in the first place. I read that we have about 215 million visits to Yorkshire every year, which is more than to Disney worldwide, so the scale is significant. I want to say why the tourism sector in Yorkshire is doing so well, mention a little about the business tourism sector, which is often ignored, and comment on where we might perform a little better.

There are a number of reasons for the encouragingly strong performance by Yorkshire, but the main reason is the quality and variety of the tourism offer. The product is excellent, but it is not a single product and the key is in its variety and choice. Yorkshire delivers a world-class offer in many different sectors of the tourism industry. From family holidays to short breaks, no destination can better match the heady mixture of landscape and heritage offered by Yorkshire. Underpinning much of that is the stunning natural landscape. Yorkshire men often refer to our county as “God’s county”. I have occasionally had a bit of a joke or banter about that with tourism Ministers in the past, but we continue to refer to Yorkshire as God’s county because it is.

Last week, Mintel’s annual British lifestyles survey rated Yorkshire as the happiest place to live in the UK. Yorkshire men and women are more satisfied with their lives than people in any other part of the country, and one reason for that is the abundance of open spaces. The range of accommodation and hospitality available in our county has breadth and quality. Visitors can be catered for in different styles and to different budgets, and the product is very good. It is not possible to drive an industry if the product is poor.

The tourism sector has had a strong product for some years, so what is driving growth and causing visitor numbers to accelerate? I think that it is the combined effort by the industry and the way in which the county has set about selling itself. We saw a change some years ago with the move from marketing campaigns based on destinations, where towns and cities marketed themselves, to more co-ordinated campaigns based on the types of holiday and break available. That is a more customer-driven approach that shows fantastic insight and has been a practical way forward. It has meant the promotion of heritage, art, sport, spa breaks or whatever type of holiday people are looking for. I say sport with a heavy heart, because yesterday Yorkshire county cricket club was relegated. [Hon. Members: “ Shame”.] It is a shame, but I cannot really say any more about that.

That change in the tourism industry has proved extremely successful and combined with the great efforts made to improve the offer available and create new products. Tourism entrepreneurs are bringing new developments to market. Around the Harrogate and Knaresborough area alone, we are seeing new rooms and a spa at Rudding Park hotel, a new golf resort is planned at Flaxby, Harrogate’s Turkish baths have recently been refurbished, and we have the Royal Horticultural Society’s Harlow Carr garden and its successful partnership with Bettys tea rooms. Across the county there is ongoing investment in some of our major stately homes, such as Harewood house and Castle Howard, a location that my hon. Friend the Member for Selby and Ainsty will know well as he used to live about a mile away from it.

There are efforts to keep what Yorkshire offers live, fresh and new. People will have read recently about aspirations to bring the opening stages of the 2016 Tour de France to Yorkshire, and to host the British leg of the World Rally Championships. Aspirations are high. Underpinning all that, however, must be a culture of service. A holiday destination is not only about product but about the service offered by individuals. That is firmly understood. In Yorkshire, there is always friendly service and a welcoming approach.

There has been a recognition that the area must compete and win as a whole. Community groups and local authorities have been playing a major role. The excellent work of the In Bloom teams, which I support locally, makes our communities not only better places in which to live, but better places for visitors. The Harrogate In Bloom team and their partnership with the borough council’s very good parks department play a critical role in making Harrogate Britain’s premier floral town.

The improvements in Waterside in Knaresborough, driven by the Renaissance Knaresborough group, have improved the walk and the views of the river, the castle and the crag. That iconic Yorkshire view has been much improved.

My point is that we are seeing growth coming from a quality product, good service, an entrepreneurial spirit and effective partnership working, but also from the entrepreneurial vigour with which that is sold. At this stage, I join the praise for Welcome to Yorkshire. The whole team, under the dynamic leadership of Gary Verity, has displayed professionalism and zeal and has really made a difference. It is good to see some of the team in the Public Gallery today.

There is one part of our tourism industry that does not receive as much attention but that can be an important driver of business growth—business tourism. There are huge overlaps between leisure and business tourism. From my experience in Harrogate, I know that visitors who come for conferences often return to the county later for leisure breaks, too. However, that is a different market and, at the moment, it is a troublesome market that has obviously been affected by current economic conditions. As I have said, I was on the board of the Harrogate International Centre. That conference centre brings to the area 300,000 visitors and £150 million of spend and supports more than 5,000 jobs, so business tourism is clearly a major player in my constituency. It has been a success story, irrespective of the current trading difficulties. The drivers of success in that field are, again, investment and partnership working.

I will share a couple of examples to make my point. Investment in new facilities is fundamental. People have to keep their offer up-to-date, relevant and attractive, because many new entrants are challenging for business in the marketplace. In Harrogate at the moment, there is a £13 million scheme to build new exhibition halls. I look forward to that scheme coming online next year, as it will be a significant addition to the offer. I have been very involved in making that deal happen, which will be a huge tonic for our conference industry.

[Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that sometimes local authorities could do more in encouraging business tourism, because one of the problems that most businesses face when organising a conference is lack of parking spaces? If we are to encourage more businesses and more business conferences to come to Yorkshire, we need to ensure that there is adequate car parking near any exhibition centre that may be operating.

[Andrew Jones]

I agree with my right hon. Friend. Ensuring that the offer is welcoming to visitors is critical. All local authorities should have that in mind all the time. Parking facilities are necessarily an important part of that, but so are other means of transport, too. Local authorities should be working together to secure better parking provision, and they should lobby Ministers and the Highways Agency for improvements in the road and rail networks. I strongly agree with my right hon. Friend’s point.

I was recently at the opening of a trade show, the home and gift show, in the Harrogate International Centre. The organisers told me that they would use the new facility, but I have also spoken to many delegates, who have commented on the importance of transport connections to the decision about where to locate a conference.

The biggest single show in Yorkshire is a mixture of business and leisure. The Great Yorkshire show, organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, is a magnificent event. It has bucked the trend in agricultural shows by going from strength to strength. Indeed, this year it was just four visitors off its record attendance, so if the Minister had been able to visit God’s county for the show and brought his family, we would have had a record! He should take that as a standing invitation. If he can come up to future events, I will be delighted to provide him with tickets—I would happily buy those. I hope that we can enjoy attending such an event in due course.

There is a strong partnership that helps to promote business tourism in my area. Called Destination Harrogate, it is an association of the leading hotels, which work with the conference centre, the local council and the media to bring business to Harrogate. I support its work, which has been excellent, but there is one example of partnership working that I want to draw to everyone’s attention—the Harrogate hospitality and tourism awards. Those awards are all about celebrating success and outstanding service. It is right to recognise and reward what makes a difference to customers. The awards are used by a variety of local players to showcase their offer to visitors and to build relationships.

I am conscious that I am describing the factors involved in making a successful sector even more successful, but it is not without its problems. Other hon. Members have spoken about funding. I want to highlight a feature that the industry is talking about a lot at the moment—a potential subsidy being paid by local councils to conference organisers to bring their conference to a venue. The team at the Harrogate conference centre think that that is a major factor in the market and have questioned whether it is appropriate for local councils to use council tax or Government grants in that way. I am not sure whether that is classed as state aid, so its legality might be questionable. The issue needs to be explored.

One factor that is a key challenge for the future of our industry is the transport infrastructure. There are 220 trains a day from London to Yorkshire, but we certainly have room for improvement. As a region, we have not enjoyed the same long-term investment in transport as other regions, but I can say to the people of Yorkshire that they have a new set of MPs, who are working together to address that issue. I have been working with the chamber of trade and commerce in Harrogate to secure better rail connections. We have secured our first direct London-to-Harrogate service in 20 years and are now working on a scheme of improvements to the Leeds, Harrogate and York line. I applaud the work done by the chamber of trade and commerce.

A major problem is our lack of air links. Direct links to Heathrow or Gatwick do not exist. We need connecting flights, but we do not have them. That is a factor in our performance in the international business exhibition market. Indeed, I think that transport is a reason why the UK underperforms in the huge international business exhibition market.

Overall, however, the tourism industry in Yorkshire is doing well. The reasons for that growth are quality products, new investment, excellent service, working together and good marketing. Those are sound ways in which to grow any industry for the future. The industry understands what drives it and is determined to make it even better. Indeed, there are lessons from Yorkshire that the rest of the country could learn. I hope that as a country we do learn them, because tourism could be at the heart of the economic recovery that we all need.

--- Later in debate ---

[Gloria De Piero (Ashfield) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hancock. It is also a pleasure to respond on behalf of the Opposition. I congratulate the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) on securing this important debate. He spoke passionately about the issue and posed some good questions, which I hope the Minister will address.

I echo many of the things that have been said about Yorkshire, because, as hon. Members may be able to tell from my accent, I am originally a Yorkshire girl. Everybody in the room has a responsibility to ensure that Yorkshire and its tourism industry stay on the agenda. As the hon. Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy) said, the debate is an important part of that.

I am from Bradford, and it is good to see my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford South (Mr Sutcliffe) here. He is my mum and dad’s MP, and I know how proud he is of his constituency and how hard he works to promote Bradford. He has also done a fine job of promoting Yorkshire today.

Tourism is incredibly important for the survival and continuing regeneration of many regions such as Yorkshire; it creates huge numbers of jobs for people directly employed in the industry and for many thousands more working in similar industries. Its importance to our national economy is highlighted by the fact that it is our fifth largest industry. According to figures from Yorkshire Forward, tourism contributes billions of pounds to the regional economy.

Tourism should feature strongly in our strategy for economic recovery. I know that Britain cannot afford to give the industry a specific VAT cut at this time, but does the Minister accept that this is perhaps not the right time for the Chancellor to hike up VAT?

It is not hard to see why Yorkshire is popular with tourists and so valuable to the economy. It has everything, from the hidden gem of Selby abbey, in the constituency of the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty, to Scarborough, which was one of the first seaside resorts in Britain, to great moors and coastlines. It also has cities such as York and Leeds and shopping complexes such as Meadowhall. The hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty is rightly proud of the region.

I have learned some new facts about Yorkshire from the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Andrew Jones). We all know about the landscape and heritage, but I did not know that it was the happiest place to live in. I have enjoyed tea and cake at Bettys, and it is a fantastic part of Harrogate.

[Mr Knight]

Can I add to that impressive list the enjoyment of fresh crab and lobster at Bridlington, Britain’s largest shellfish port?

[Gloria De Piero]

I remember the odd school trip to Bridlington. I did not have any crab then, but perhaps I will now, as a grown-up.

As people have said, tourism is about more than economics. It has the magical ability to conjure up dreams and create special memories. I grew up in Bradford, and I remember vividly the opening of the National Media museum, where my dad used to take me when I was a little girl. That museum did so much to capture my imagination. It was there that I learned about how television was made, and its history. That broadened my horizons, and who knows whether it was responsible for my choosing a career in TV before I came to this place? There was a mat to sit on, which would transform, by means of the television screen in front, into a flying carpet to transport visitors to far-flung places. I went back to the museum a couple of years ago and the flying carpet mat had gone, but the special effects meant that people could transport themselves to outside 10 Downing street, to be a reporter. That offered a little less magic to me, as that was my job at the time.

Another pleasure when I was growing up was Haworth, down the road. I am sure that it was the main reason I fell in love, as a teenager, with Emily Bronte’s book “Wuthering Heights”, and went walking the moors wondering when my Heathcliff would come. Those moors brought the novel to life for me, and I am sure that they do for many tourists. That reminds us that tourism is not only about people from different counties or countries, but can be for people from nearby in the same county: it can expand people’s horizons. It can expand the taste buds too. Much to the horror of my Italian parents, spag bol was not my food of choice, because, as everyone knows, Bradford has a reputation for fantastic curries, and I became a devoted convert. I wish Bradford and Sheffield well, as they have both been nominated for the Curry Capital of Britain award. It would not surprise me if Yorkshire were to add another award to its growing list.

With brilliant attractions on our doorstep, it is important to make sure that everyone knows about them, and that people do not miss out. That is why hon. Members are right to point out the importance of promotion. I am originally from Bradford, and am the shadow Minister for Culture and Tourism, but I did not know until recently that my birthplace beat cities such as Los Angeles, Cannes and Venice to achieve UNESCO city of film status. If I did not know that, what are the chances that someone from Japan, or even someone from Jarrow, will know?

Spending on promoting Britain and its wonderful regions should not be seen as an unnecessary cost; it brings valuable cashinto Britain too. I am sure that the Minister is all too aware of figures that show that money spent on promoting tourism can be extremely cost-effective. For instance, Welcome to Yorkshire was launched in April 2009 with regional development agency funding from Yorkshire Forward of £10 million a year for three years. According to Welcome to Yorkshire, for every £1 invested, it has delivered £40 back into the local economy. However, the Minister will know that it is in the dark about its financial future, with the impending closure of the regional development agencies. When regional funding ceases in April 2012, it will be interesting to see what effect the Government’s new enterprise partnerships will have on the tourism industry. If regions such as Yorkshire are not protected and developed, and if budgets to attract tourists to them are slashed, people may simply go elsewhere.

The Labour Government worked hard to ensure that the British isles were once again becoming an attractive place in which to live and work and enjoy simple pleasures such as the Yorkshire moors, Whitby bay, Bradford and Selby—places where vast numbers of people show their support with their feet and their wallets. Yorkshire is a wonderful place and I hope that it has a wonderful future.

I have a few questions for the Minister. What does he believe will be the impact of the VAT hike on the Yorkshire tourist industry? What does the Government tourism strategy have to offer the Yorkshire tourist industry? Does the Minister appreciate that spending on promoting Britain and Yorkshire should not be viewed just as a cost, since it brings in cash? Will he give an assurance that Welcome to Yorkshire will receive some financial support from the Government, after April 2012? Finally, to echo what the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty said, will the Minister tell us about the funding anomaly in relation to Scotland?