East Yorkshire’s wildlife generates £15m for tourism sector

Tourism experts at Leeds Beckett University has revealed that nature tourism is approximately worth £15m to the East Yorkshire economy.

The research, conducted by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, implies that more than 350,000 people visit the region every year for wildlife attractions.

It is thought that the nature tourism sector is experiencing growth in Yorkshire due to the worldwide attention garnered through the Tour de France, and on more national level with TV shows such as Springwatch at Countryfile.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is now spearheading a new ‘business toolkit’ designed to help those in the tourism sector make the most of a range of new visitor centres and a destination brand known as the ‘Yorkshire Nature Triangle’.

This marketing and business support approach brings together the region’s top wildlife watching locations as a collective destination.

The Triangle reaches across the seabird colonies of the Flamborough Headland, down to Spurn Point and the Humber Estuary, internationally important for birdlife and across the Yorkshire Wolds.

In the last several months, there has been almost £2m invested in wildlife watching venues in the region, including the RSPB’s new Seabird Centre at Bempton Cliffs, an extension to the Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas Centre, and complete renovation of Matthews Lighthouse at Spurn Point currently underway.

The new business toolkit has been designed to help the tourism industry utilize a growing multi-million pound visitor market.

Tom Marshall, Yorkshire Nature Triangle project manager, said: “This is a genuinely exciting time for East Yorkshire, with a refreshed momentum for putting the region’s wildlife on the map. The strong investment we’re seeing in nature-tourism facilities now and for the future is being matched by the enthusiasm of many of the businesses welcoming nature-lovers to the county, and I hope that our new business toolkit will enable that to go from strength to strength in years to come.”

Dr Simon Woodward, Principal Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, added: “There is increasing interest in wildlife as can be seen by the popularity of programmes like Springwatch and Countryfile - and this is reflected in the growing interest in wildlife tourism.

“What’s exciting about East Yorkshire is that we are seeing the visitor facilities, marketing and capacity-building to link in with this trend for greater awareness of wildlife, nature and responsible tourism.”

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