North York Moors National Park updates

Updated: 13th October 2020

North York Moors International Project

VisitBritain and VisitEngland are working with the North York Moors National Park Authority on an international tourism project - to raise the profile of the North York Moors to attract future international visitors. The project will work with North York Moors tourism businesses to help develop and promote products and experiences, working with key international travel trade to encourage customers in near Europe markets (Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium) to book and visit the North York Moors.

VisitBritain/VisitEngland are currently developing a new set of international travel trade tools, consisting of an updated supplier directory, fresh content, itineraries, map, images, and videos - suitable for inclusion in their 2021-22 sales and marketing materials. They will work with suppliers across the North York Moors area to ensure products and experiences are international ready and bookable, and then collate up-to-date information we can share with the travel trade. This will be delivered through a series of targeted 1-2-1s, via telephone calls and emails over the next 2-3 months.

If you would like to hear more or to book a 1-2-1, please contact Lisa Barreno
Updated 7th September

How to get involved in the Time for You campaign

The Autumn and Winter domestic campaign aims to promote the softer, more comforting side of the North York Moors National Park. Its broad objectives are to:
  • Attract visitors looking to find something new or explore in a different way to before
  • Connect with visitors who want to escape their normal lives to relax and unwind
  • Encourage longer stays by incorporating experiences, workshops and activities

The North York Moors National Park is investing in an extensive advertising, web marketing and social media campaign. We'd like to give you the opportunity (at no charge!) to piggyback on this activity. If we all use similar campaign messages, the impact will be much greater for everyone. The campaign uses the trend toward experiences as its base. 

Please take a look at the Time for You page to see the experiences available. They're categorised into themes such as Secret Gardens, Go Wild and Switch Off. We'd like to ask you to promote and link to the experiences that appeal to your target markets

Key messages:

  • Here are some messages for you to adapt and use in your own marketing:
  • Escape from everyday life,
  • Enjoy the peace and solitude of the North York Moors National Park
  • Discover nature and discover some hidden places away from the crowds
  • Take the opportunity to learn some new creative skills
  • Make time with loved ones and plan your break in the North York Moors National Park

Films and images for you to use:
We've created three videos based on the themes below. They're available on YouTube - please do share via social media or embed on your website:
​
Secret spots and hidden views, peaceful ways and garden days
Tasting plates and crafting breaks, calming scenes and soulful stays 
Rugged paths and wildlife trails, seaside days and starry nights

Click on the four images below to download and use on your website, newsletters and Twitter.

Use the following links for Facebook and Instagram- Byland Abbey (dark blue); Gilles Jones Glass (pink); Helmsley Walled Garden (light blue); Staithes (red).  
3 ways to use the Time For You campaign right now:
  • Link to the Time for You web page https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/timeforyou
  • Tag our social account @northyorkmoors (Twitter and Instagram) @northyorkmoorsnationalpark (Facebook)
  • Hashtag #NorthYorkMoors and #TimeForYou

If you have any questions about Time for You and how to get involved, please email Emily at the National Park 
​
Updated 2nd June

Please help pass on the National Park's messages for visitors

​​Stay apart. Act responsibly. Save lives.

It’s been encouraging to see the positive reaction and support of the National Park’s visitor messaging since the Covid-19 outbreak. However, as restrictions on travel have eased, a small number of sites and communities are faced with unacceptable behaviour from a minority of visitors. 
 
With limited resources to manage and control this behaviour, the National Park would be most appreciative if you could implement their guidelines and download the posters using the link below.

Please adapt the guidelines for use on your website and social media and/or print and display the posters in your local area to help amplify the messages so everyone can enjoy the North York Moors safely and responsibly.

Please do not print these as 'flyers' for use on vehicles and if you are using them as a poster, display them securely to avoid adding to litter concerns. 

Thanks for sharing their regular safe visitor messaging posts also.
Download the jpg of this poster here
​
Download the .pdf version of this poster
Download the jpg of this poster here

Download the .pdf version of this poster
Download the jpg of this poster here

Download the .pdf version of this poster
Updated 26th May

Food Tourism Toolkit

One of the sort-of-positive things that has happened during lockdown has been the increased interest and appreciation of local food and drink.

NYMNP has created a beautifully-illustrated (don't read when you're hungry) Food Tourism business toolkit which is available and free to download and use right now so you can capitalise on interest in our fantastic food and drink when you're ready to welcome visitors. 

Make someone smile

Emily recently asked for information about anything you're doing during lockdown that could make visitors smile - vouchers, online shopping and experiences.

​The new page is now live - you can see it here. 

Power of a good story

This week's blog is about the power of a good story to make your business stand out. It also includes a link to Amanda Browns' (who does PR for NYMNP) new podcast. Read more 
Updated 19th May

Dark skies

​The pristine dark skies of the North York Moors continue to be a key focus for the National Park. This year more than ever, Astro-tourism will be central to off-peak marketing opportunities and an important driver to aid recovery.
 
Please help show your support for Dark Sky Reserve Status for NYMNP

A big step towards attracting more visitors interested in starry skies will be the NYMNP bid for Dark Sky Reserve status. The application is being prepared. Public backing is crucial so we'd be very grateful if you can go to this page and write a few words to show your support. Please also spread the word via your social media and newsletters. Use #DarkSkyReserve #SupportOurSkies  
 
Dates for 2021 Dark Skies Festival 

Dates for next year’s Dark Skies Festival are confirmed: 12-28 February. Please put the dates in your diary now! As always, new (and reoccurring) events are very much welcomed. The theme for 2021 will be Nature. Get in touch with Emily for more details on how you can get involved.
 
Finally, Go Stargazing have asked for your thoughts in their ‘Locked down but looking up survey’. It’s short and you’ll be entered into a prize draw!

Reassuring visitors

Building consumer confidence is going to be critical in the road to recovery. I've written an article about how you can do this, and improve your everyday marketing. The article also contains details of some other support and information, including the new tourism industry wide kite mark to aid re-opening. 
Updated 12th May

North York Moors National Park recovery planning

Following the recent industry survey, we thought it would be useful to respond to some of your key questions and concerns here. 

The North York Moors National Park have issued this press release today, with key messages about the need to act responsibly. The National Park now has a recovery plan in place, which will be updated as circumstances develop. As part of this plan, it will gradually re-open some facilities such as car parks and toilets in limited locations, away from communities. 

Attracting visitors back to the National Park

Many of you have asked that (when the time is right) the National Park helps to promote this area and to welcome back visitors and rebuild the visitor economy as soon as possible.

North York Moors National Park is working on plans to build upon its Time for You campaign, which originally launched in March 2020 (see below). The premise of the campaign is to invite visitors to the North York Moors to escape from everyday life, seek peace and solitude in nature, discover hidden places and learn new creative skills, messages that resonate more than ever with our target audiences.
 
They were able to pause some of the planned activity and will restart this as soon as is sensible. In the meantime, they are working closely with Susan Briggs who runs the North York Moors Tourism Network on how to further develop experiences which sit behind the campaign, particularly how these might link with accommodation. They will also be making campaign assets such as images and films available so that we can amplify these messages.

Here is some more information in response to your questions and points: 

​Need for guidance about when to open, how to operate safely, what precautions to take, how to adapt according to government guidelines
 
We are all still waiting for more guidance from the government. A number of industry organisations, such as UK Hospitality have started to offer advice and work on more detailed guidance. We will post links to this information when we can. 
 
VisitBritain/VisitEngland have asked the government for further support for the tourism industry. They have also published guidance on your own business communications and the law on refunds.
  
Reassurance for visitors that it is safe to travel
 
Quality in Tourism have devised a Safe Clean Legal kite-mark to guide businesses through the process of being ready to welcome visitors post-Covid. VisitBritain/VisitEngland are working on a similar scheme which they hope will be ready by early June. You can read updates here. 
 
I've written a blog looking at what we need to do to bring about tourism recovery. It considers possible opportunities, visitor mind-sets, and practical actions for destinations and businesses. Read it here. 
​Can you help make someone smile? 
 
Hopefully by now you’ve seen and shared the food services map. The National Park want to develop another idea to help closed businesses by highlighting ways in which members of the public can make someone smile. If you’re selling vouchers, offering online services, asking for donations- email Emily with details of what you're doing. 
​Nature for all

​Check out the latest #DreamNowVisitLater inspiration from NYMNP: Nature for all. It’s a round up of all the best ways to appreciate what’s around us and reconnect with nature.
Covid-19

There is more information and advice from the North York Moors National Park on this page.
Updated 5th April 2020

Food map, #DreamNowVisitLater & recovery planning

Use & share the new food map
The North York Moors National Park team have created this new food map outlining delivery and collection services. It's already received great feedback and lots of shares across the social media community. Please share it on your channels too. Email Emily to get additional businesses added. If you have a food business you might also be interested in the Food Finder by Gousto
 
Doing something different? Offering vouchers? Organising workshops? Crowd funding? 
Are you offering vouchers, organising crowd funding, running online workshops? Tag @northyorkmoors in your social media or get in touch so the National Park can help to share your messages and requests for support. They understand some businesses have furloughed staff and can’t respond so continue to search posts within their team.
 
Let's align our marketing messages
Don’t forget to include #DreamNowVisitLater in your social activity to align with National Park visitor messaging.  

Recovery planning
We're now finalising details of an initial recovery plan (some details likely to change with new developments). Catriona is working on how the NYMNP can manage visitors, and keep us all safe, and plan for a different future. I'm looking at the recovery from a business and marketing perspective. We hope to share plans with you next week.

For more help regarding Covid, useful links and advice please see this page. 
Updated 23rd March 2020
NB: Due to Coronavirus, some of the campaign activity will now have to be postponed, and possibly change... 

Key campaign - Time for You
Promoting Experiences

Picture
The Time for You campaign builds on a key trend in tourism - the growing market for more experiential travel. 

The campaign targets those who lead busy lives or who simply want to enjoy time away from the busy outside world. It promotes the softer, more comforting side of the North York Moors National Park, encouraging longer stays incorporating experiences, workshops and activities. Time For You promotes an escape from everyday life, peace and solitude in nature, and the chance to discover hidden places and learn new creative skills. 

The extensive campaign will be in several stages including a new section of the National Park's website. The first phase of this is now live - more experiences will be added: https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/time-for-you

A significant print and digital advertising and editorial campaign will direct traffic to the website, with features in publications such as Country Living, BBC History, BBC Countryfile, Woman & Home, Living etc., Woman, Country Homes & Interior
Country Walking, Landscape, and Bella.

​'Out of home' advertising means large scale posters in railway stations, bus stops, roadside etc. at over 200 locations within 3 hours' driving distance of the National Park 

Marketing update

We held a Marketing Update event in Helmsley on 12th March, when Catriona and Emily outlined recent marketing activities and highlighted some forthcoming promotional activity. Please bear in mind some of these are quite large files. 

New National Park brand and how it's being used - presentation slides
If you use one of the NYMNP partnership logos, please remember to update it - email Emily Wilson for more details. 

Marketing review - recent NYMNP marketing activity - presentation slides

Looking ahead - new NYMNP marketing campaigns including overseas promotion (to non-flying markets), partnership with VisitYork, woodland campaign, anti-litter campaign, and other activity - presentation slides
Updated 25th June 2019

Introducing...Taste of the North York Moors

Our visitor survey shows availability of locally produced food & drink is one of the top factors driving visitor spend and repeat visits. We've got some excellent places to eat and drink but not enough people know about them. Over the last few months we've worked with food writers Amanda Wragg and Jill Turton of Squidbeak and photographers Ceri Oakes and Polly Baldwin to showcase more than 30 talented producers, great places to eat and food experiences. Please take a look at www.TasteOfTheNorthYorkMoors.com and tell all your visitors about it. 
​

Escape to the Moors

Escape to the Moors is a free, family fun day celebrating moorland heritage and people. Events include have-a-go-archery, a climbing tower, the Grosmont velocipede, candle-dipping and medieval spear practice. We're really excited to unveil our brand new immersive visitor experience too. Taking place at The Moors National Park Centre on 21 July this is one to tell your family guests www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/summerevents

Cycling, Dark Skies, Nature & Walking Friendly

We’re planning to launch these outdoor activities initiatives next week so please look out for them on social media. Still to sign up? Find out more and become Cycling, Dark Skies, Nature or Walking friendly here.
Updated 11th June 2019

Moorsbus

Suggest your guests ditch the car and explore the North York Moors by Moorsbus. It’s a great opportunity for visitors to do one-way walks, see more of the National Park, and even have a pint at a pub en route! Running on weekends and select Mondays and Fridays until 29 September. Full timetable here.  
Suggest your guests ditch the car and explore the North York Moors by Moorsbus. It’s a great opportunity for visitors to do one-way walks, see more of the National Park, and even have a pint at a pub en route! Running on weekends and select Mondays and Fridays until 29 September. Full timetable here. 

Rosedale Wildlife Week

The National Park's Land of Iron project once again brings back Rosedale Wildlife Week (23 - 29 June) with a host of nature-based guided walks, talks and field trips. It’s an excellent opportunity for nature lovers to meet experts, gain wildlife tips and understand the rich diversity of wildlife. Be sure to tell your guests- events are free and can be booked online. The Moorsbus will be doing additional services too. www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/rosedalewildlifeweek

Lost Words Exhibition 

The Inspired by... gallery at Danby hosts The Lost Words Exhibition (15 June - 29 July). Praised for helping reconnect adults and children with the natural world using the power of words and art. This is a great opportunity to promote the exhibition and National Park, inspiring your visitors to explore the natural world on our doorstep. www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/thelostwords
Updated 5th June 2019

Collaboration, outdoor activities & NYMNP update presentation

You can download Catriona's NYMNP marketing update presentation here and the presentation by Mike Hawtin about collaborating with NYMNP to promote outdoor activities here. 

If you are interested in working with Susan on the the collaborative campaign starting in mid June, please read this article and sign up using the form on that page. There is more information about Treasures, tribes and triggers here. 
Updated 14th May 2019

Updated National Park Marketing Messages

The North York Moors National Park marketing team are sharing their plans and key marketing messages with businesses in the area, so they can piggy-back on the National Park's marketing muscle. See this document for full details of forthcoming activity between now and September: 

Grow Yorkshire

NYMNP has recently joined forces with Grow Yorkshire to help grow the incomes of farming and food businesses. Grow Yorkshire is a collaboration of the organisations who work with farming and food businesses in the region, and has been developed to help the industry adapt to change. Grow Yorkshire is really keen to know what issues lie at the heart of our farming and food businesses, so that partners can work together to ensure the right help is available to you.They've asked us to ask you to complete this brief survey to give them a better understanding of your needs. For more information on Grow Yorkshire, take a look at their website www.growyorkshire.co.uk
Updated 15th April

Working with VisitEngland/VisitBritain

N​YMNP are working with VisitEngland/VisitBritain to promote the North York Moors to key international tourism markets; Germany and The Netherlands. Germany and the Netherlands have been identified by the NPA as being strong target markets for the area, with visitors seeking the kind of destination and travel experience we could be well placed to provide.  Whilst we continue to promote the destination to our core UK market, it is important that we also look to build our standing with international visitors as they tend to spend more time and money when they are in destination.
 
The project with VE/VB is, in the first instance, about ensuring that the North York Moors National Park area has the right range of products and experiences of relevance to German and Dutch visitors, working with tourism suppliers in the NYM to develop these, and promoting the destination and the appropriate mix of experiences to potential visitors.
 
Activity in the coming months will include:

  • Product development; including a research piece so we can better understand what is the perfect package/holiday components to motivate visitors from Germany and the Netherlands to travel to the North York Moors for their holiday and/or short break
  • Itinerary curation; using the research findings, new itineraries will be developed with the target customer in mind
  • Asset curation; developing a suite of inspirational images & videos for use in future marketing campaigns
  • Training and supplier support review; understanding what training and support is required (working with the Discover England Fund Projects)
  • Press and FAM trips; to showcase the North York Moors in Germany and the Netherlands to both the press and travel trade
 
The project contacts are: Project Lead/ PR and Marketing: Amanda Snowe and product development & training: Lisa Barreno. Amanda and Lisa will be contacting tourism businesses and suppliers about this work over the coming months, so please do look out for emails from the team.  We will update as the project develops.
Updated 11th March 2019

Marketing plans & messages

The North York Moors National Park marketing team are sharing their plans and key marketing messages with businesses in the area, so they can piggy-back on the National Park's marketing muscle. See this document for full details of forthcoming activity between now and September: Download marketing messages here. 

Overseas marketing activities

The NYMNP has participated in several Discover England Funded projects.
​
Picture
The English National Park Experience Collection is a new collection of bookable experiences telling the stories of our iconic National Park landscapes and their people. 72 bookable experiences have been created across the National Parks, with 8 experiences in the North York Moors. These are accompanied by quality accommodation and the Collection is now being marketed to Australian and German visitors through the travel trade. The central project team have created a Trade Buyers Guide and website (for trade use).
Picture
England's Great Walking Trails are beautifully curated walking trails through the historic and charming countryside that get you off the beaten track, but never take you far from an English pub! This project focuses on a number of National Trails including the Cleveland Way, using the twin themes of Challenge (a long walk) and Comfort (good food, pub visits, days off to visit attractions. The activity includes the new website, overseas marketing & PR activities focusing on USA, Germany, Netherlands, working with 15 UK walking holiday delivery partners, and attendance at trade shows plus fam trips for journalists & tour operators. 

The North York Moors National Park has also been involved in the England's Coast project led by the National Coastal Tourism Academy. This project uses interactive videos to showcase stunning landscapes and memorable experiences to inspire Dutch and German visitors to explore our coastline. You can create a free listing for your business on the project website. 

EAFRD project update - activity tourism & dark skies

Mike Hawtin has led the development of the EAFRD-funded activity tourism project. Here are some quick highlights of the project so far. For more information please contact Mike Hawtin

Activity friendly update:
• Over 50 businesses have signed up
• Funded kit for accommodation, cafés, repair stations, events
• Bike racks & storage, locks, tools, maps, binoculars, telescopes
• Updated website and interactive map live
• Creating routes (including North York Moors Cycleway) (don’t forget
around 40 walks on website free to download and promote to guests
• Encouraging businesses to collaborate and recommend each other.

Dark skies update:
• Lighting Audit – to understand darkest areas and issues
• Lighting Management Plan – to give us a framework to improve
• Funding scheme to help businesses/individuals to follow next year
• Big Dipper campaign and advice on reducing light pollution
• Looking at additional Dark Sky Discovery sites

#2MinuteBeach
​Clean Boards


Together with Whitby Beach Sweep, we unveiled the #2minutebeachclean board last week. 

The board is right on the beach so visitors and residents can do their bit whenever they can.

Full details here 

Cleveland Way 50th celebrations & media interest

Malcolm Hodgson (National Trails Officer for the Cleveland Way & Amanda Brown (A2BPR) put together a really useful update on all the activities designed to generate interest in the Cleveland Way's 50th anniversary this year. Download and view the presentation here. 
​

Signature Seafood

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are working in partnership with NYMNP on a project to develop a regional seafood identity and ensure long-term sustainability of local fisheries. The Signature Seafood project seeks to promote availability of quality, seasonal fish in restaurants and other food outlets throughout North Yorkshire.

They have created a series of dishes with Rob Green – Seafish Ambassador & Seafood Chef of the Year, and developed a menu booklet, with emphasis on locally-sourced, seasonably available fish. 
Here's a link to the Signature Seafood menu booklet. 

For more information about the project please see https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/eat/fish-fillet-feast

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are keen to engage with more restaurants and food providers. They can provide lots of additional promotion and support. Please contact James Wood or Ana Cowie  
Updated 22nd January 2019

Coming soon!

Picture
The team at North York Moors National Park have been busy working behind the scenes on many different projects. Look out for these very soon: 

  • Cleveland Way 50th anniversary - the special 50th anniversary booklet has gone to press and is now  available to order from Info Display. 

  • The Activity Friendly pages will launch on the NorthYorkMoors.org.uk website at the beginning of February. Make sure you're part of this by checking out the information here. 
  • ​The Dark Skies Festival takes place from 15th February to 3rd March 2019 - more details here. 
  • Look out for these forthcoming National Park publications - Breath of Fresh Air Walks (ready for February Half Term), Inspired by… gallery leaflet and Out and About
  • The Moors National Park Centre at Danby is undergoing extensive refurbishments to the exhibition areas, with planned reopening in the late Spring
  • Look out for #2minute beach clean boards in the Spring at Whitby, Runswick and Staithes

PR Successes

In-line with the focus by the travel press on significant happenings and openings during 2019, we’ve worked hard to highlight this year’s anniversaries including the Cleveland Way’s 50th anniversary and other news from the North York Moors. Amanda at A2BPR has secured the following coverage for the North York Moors: The Daily Mail, The Guardian, Yorkshire Life and The Sun 

We hosted a freelance journalist between Christmas and New Year and this has resulted in a double page spread on the North York Moors for the Sunday People, leading on the Dark Skies Festival (this same journalist also then requested a visit to the Dales to experience other Festival activities for a preview piece in The Sunday Times travel section). We have also been organising a visit by a journalist from Simple Things magazine to coincide with the Festival for a destination feature on the National Park which will come out ahead of next year’s Dark Skies Festival. We issued a final programme release leading on the exclusive screenings of a Dark Skies documentary. Recent Dark Skies Festival coverage included: Yorkshire Post, iNews, Yours magazine – 5 Best Spots for Stargazing, Coast magazine – Things to do in February.
Other activity: Coast magazine has recently featured Betsy and Bo in Staithes as its shop of the month. This came about as a direct result of pitching the idea to the news editor. The Daily Telegraph weekend’s section recently profiled Berties of Bay in its Nation of Shopkeepers feature. This was also a direct result of pitching the idea to the weekend editor. Prima magazine featured The Tree retreat in a round-up of places to stay for a well-being feature after we put forward the suggestion and sent over photos.
Updated 27th November 2018

Marketing update from the National Park

If you missed the recent events in Robin Hood's Bay and Helmsley, you might like to see the National Park presentations. You can now download Catriona McLees' marketing presentation here and the one about outdoor activities, covering dark skies, cycling, nature and walking from Mike Hawtin here. 

Marketing messages

You can benefit from some of the North York Moors National Park's marketing muscle by piggy-backing on their marketing messages. You can download the latest calendar of planned messages here. Please note, that these do sometimes change according to market needs and external influences. 

Trods, tracks and trails

Our Coastal Communities Funded project on the North York Moors coast is all about "trods, tracks and trails". See the update about all this activity here. 

Funding update

Rural businesses looking to expand or diversify in 2019, or individuals looking to launch a new start-up, have only until February to apply for funding which could cover up to 40% of the cost of their projects. The North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER programme still has European funding available to help support businesses, individuals and communities deliver projects which will have a direct, positive impact on the local economy. Take a look at the full details here. Please be aware the application process for LEADER funding can take a while so don't leave this to the last minute!

Could you be a coastal ambassador? 

The North York Moors National Park is a partner in the England's Coast project, funded through Discover England Fund. They have recently launched a free online training course to improve the visitor experience offered by tourism businesses on the coast. It's for staff with a customer facing role. Take a look here. 

Public Relations successes

Marketing messages
Our PR consultant, Amanda Brown, has generated some significant press coverage on our behalf, promoting the North York Moors National Park to journalists. Amanda pro-actively suggests ideas to journalists for travel features, responds to journalists' requests and arranges itineraries for journalists and bloggers. Recent online and print coverage has included:

Staithes, Saltburn and Whitby - Times article on 30 Great British Breaks    
Staithes - Country Living Best Ideas for Autumn Breaks  
Goathland - Guardian Best UK Hotels, B&Bs for Walkers   
Ravenscar and Robin Hood’s Bay - Guardian Outdoor Family Activities for Half Term  
Staithes – Prima magazine (September issue)
Robin Hood’s Bay – Prima magazine (July issue)
Goathland, Grosmont, Sandsend, Whitby, Helmsley and others - Travel Begins at 40  
Goathland - Telegraph - the Farmhouse   

Do you have any news? 
We’re already looking ahead to next year and responding to journalist requests for ‘what’s new in 2019’ as they plan their future trips and features.As part of this we’re also pitching ideas based on the Cleveland Way National Trail’s 50th anniversary which is in May 2019.
Please send through any relevant information – new or refurbished accommodation, new eateries, experiences or activities, including any that are based on or close to the Cleveland Way.
UpdaeCatriona and Laura at North York Moors National Park are continuously working on marketing campaigns and activities. We thought you might find it useful to have this overview of the marketing messages they'll be using to promote the area between now and the end of 2018. You might want to piggyback on some of this activity and use similar messages in your own marketing. Download the planning document here.

​We are running two workshops in November to help you plan how to piggyback on our promotional activities and develop stronger web sites and social media campaigns. 

Join in the website & social media Ooomph Challenge!

Could your website and social media do with a bit of extra ooomph? Do they need refreshing and making more interesting? If so, then you will benefit from joining in the Ooomph Challenge, which we'll start on 5th November and run for three weeks. Each week I'll send you some tips and exercises to do. ​

​It's free if you sign up here before 2nd November. 

​In the meantime make sure you're also a member of the North York Moors Tourism facebook group. 

Are you walking friendly?

If you'd like to encourage more walkers, there are three ways you can benefit from our marketing activity and they're all free!
  1. Make sure you're on the Cleveland Way mailing list and participating in the workshops we're organising as part of England's Great Walking Trails - more info here
  2. Join the new Walking Friendly scheme - more info here
  3. Get ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cleveland Way in 2019. More on that very soon. 

September - Mindful Month

Picture
We're making September Mindful Month, a chance to promote wonderful ways to rest and renew in the North York Moors. Here's how you can participate and benefit: Download & use the Mindfulness Checklist from this list of resources, and promote what you do using #mindfulmonth on social media. Tell your visitors about the Mindful Meander and other coastal ambles

From 10th September we're also using Yoga on the Beach as a promotional theme, encouraging anyone doing beach yoga, yogging or yoga stand up paddleboarding to post pictures holding their pose in an interesting location in the North York Moors. We hope you'll join in!

Winner bakes it all...

This summer we've re-launched the Capital of Cake and added new places to our map. Please use #CapitalofCake on social media and share your irresistible cake pictures using the hashtag. If you'd like to be part of the Capital of Cake please email Emily

Subsidised photography

Take advantage of our special subsidised photography to have your business professionally photographed. 

Places are strictly limited so first come, first served - click here for full details. 

Promoting the Cleveland Way

​We welcome many walkers to the North York Moors National Park and like to encourage them to spend money in local businesses. We've recently installed some new directional signage at junctions off the Cleveland Way, with more to come on the Cinder Track, so it's more obvious to walkers where they can eat, drink, sleep etc. 

To introduce new walkers to the Cleveland Way we've repackaged some shorter sections to appeal to more visitors. Each short walk has many of interesting features to discover.

We hope you'll like these Coastal Ambles and link to them from your website. They're a great introduction to the Cleveland Way and suitable for all ages. 

New Insiders' Guide to the North York Moors Coastline

A while ago we published the Magical Guide to the North York Moors Coastline which proved very popular. We've updated and added to this to create a new Insiders' Guide.

To order free copies to pass on to your visitors please email Info Display.

​You can also read the Insiders' Guide online here. Why not link to it from your own website or mention it on social media? Your guests and visitors will thank you - and so will we...!

Guided tours on Arriva

We've teamed up with Arriva to record a special sightseeing audio tour for passengers on some X93 services running from Guisborough to Cloughton. More info. We think it's a great way to encourage visitors to use public transport and to discover the amazing North York Moors coastline. 

Sandsend Art Trail Geocache

We're always looking at ways to encourage new visitors and help them enjoy their time in the National Park. Geocaching is a popular activity for all the family, combining technology with outdoor activity for a high tech treasure hunt.

We hope you'll encourage your visitors to try out the new Geocache Arts Trail along the Cleveland Way at Sandsend. Participants follow clues to find stamps created by local artists, each representing a different aspect of the coast.

It's a great way for families to spend time together and create their own souvenir to take home.

​See details of where to start and pick up the free trail booklet.

Sea the Sheep

Thank you to everyone who participated in Sea the Sheep this Summer. It was great to see such a variety of holiday-themed sheep around the North York Moors National Park, making our visitors smile.
​

Music to your ears? 

We know that many visitors enjoy coming to listen to music so we've put together a list of places to venues, folk clubs etc. You can find it here.  ​

New web content 

Overseas marketing 
We've been working on new content and promotional angles within the NorthYorkMoors.org.uk website and hope you can link to it or use the information as part of your own promotional activity

​Captain Cook 
To build on activities planned around the Captain Cook anniversary the Look Out! Trail is a free family-friendly treasure hunt leaflet that will be distributed to attractions, accommodation and TICs, and available to download from northyorkmoors.org.uk on the Captain Cook page from the middle of May. We encourage you to mention this to your family visitors to pick up and use. 

Top 10 Iconic Coastal Experiences
We want to ensure that visitors to the coast experience the variety of landscape, culture and activity rather than always visiting the same destinations, so we’ve come up with the Top 10 Iconic Coastal Experiences – a pick of the best that highlights both well-known and hidden gem must do’s for visitors to tick of their list.
 
As seen on screen and in print
Film tourism is becoming popular with visitors wanting to see particular film locations or attractions and areas that have inspired writers. We’ve created a list on the northyorkmoors.org.uk TV and film locations page of some the most recognisable film locations that have been featured on the big screen, and on a famous writers and literature page that shares our most famous author connections.  
 
Outdoor activities
Mike Hawtin is working with outdoor activity providers, working on ways to showcase what they do and highlight the range of activities to potential visitors. We’ve been looking at how we can make better use of the information on these outdoor pages. We'll soon be sharing a map which will plot all the activity providers in one place.

Abbeys, churches and sacred spaces 
If you have visitors who enjoy heritage attractions or come to the North York Moors in search of serenity and reflexion, you might like to link to these new pages about abbeys, churches and sacred spaces. 
 
Pampered Pooch Packages
To take advantage of this important market, we've added some Pampered Pooch Packages and are highlighting dog-friendly accommodation. 
 
Train journeys
We’ve created a series of unforgettable journeys around the National Park to interest railway and train enthusiasts of all ages.
Help to spread the word to your visitors by linking to these pages about train journeys this webpage 
We're currently working on several overseas marketing initiatives, both directly with VisitBritain and Welcome to Yorkshire, and as part of the Discover England Fund. 

Read more about these activities here. 

More PR successes

Our PR activity is handled by Amanda Brown of A2BPR. She's been busy working on our behalf to respond to media enquiries and pro-actively secure coverage. 

Press coverage for the new Smugglers Trail at Robin Hood's Bay included: Yorkshire Post, Evening Gazette and the Whitby Gazette. We're expecting further coverage from a journalist commissioned to write the Yorkshire updates for Lonely Planet and a blogger for Project Wanderlust who were both visiting Robin Hood’s Bay. In addition Country Walking magazine requested further pics and information.
 
Berties of Bay featured in the Yorkshire Post’s Saturday magazine, together with mentions of other new businesses.
As a spin-off from this feature the magazine’s editor was also interested in doing a coastline renaissance piece that involved us putting forward a list of new businesses for her to contact. We think this feature may be included in the weekend magazine in late April 
 
A journalist commissioned by the Telegraph Travel desk to write Yorkshire updates, particularly updating the reviews of hotels and B&Bs for online and print contacted us for information and review leads. We put her in touch with a number of accommodation providers – reviews should be published in the near future.

Amanda has also been handling all media enquiries of behalf of Andrew Fiddler and his team at HM Bark Endeavour, currently being refurbished and due to arrive in Whitby in the Summer. 

PR successes

Phantom Thread: Our PR activity is handled by Amanda Brown of A2BPR. We've been feeding information through to the travel and lifestyle press as well as working with Welcome to Yorkshire and updating Visit Britain on Phantom Thread locations information (the latter were planning to include the film's locations in an upcoming issue of Britain magazine). Amanda is also working with a journalist who freelances for the travel section of many of the national newspapers has also been pitching the Phantom Thread locations story. Coverage includes features in the Independent, Culture Trip, BBC and other publications. 

Dark Skies Festival: A comprehensive editorial press campaign has been run in the months leading up to the Dark Skies Festival targeting both the regional and national press with information. In addition, the National Park hosted a visit from a freelance journalist from The Guardian for a dark skies piece. The activity has resulted in widespread coverage of the Festival. The Festival is scheduled to run in magazines such as National Geographic, Simple Things, Pebble, Waitrose Weekend and Country Life. Online pieces have included: Telegraph, Lonely Planet, Gazette, Yorkshire Post, Landlove. 
 
Yorkshire Cycle Hub: We worked with the Yorkshire Cycle Hub to host a travel journalist from The Guardian. The trip resulted in a page feature within the Saturday travel section and an online piece which has been shared more than 500 times via social media.

Opportunity for accommodation businesses

 The North York Moors National Park Authority has commissioned Emotional Logic to help them understand whether there is any impact on the tourism economy from the development of the Woodsmith Mine. As part of this work, they are putting together an accommodation panel to understand occupancy levels. The data collected will feed into the STEAM model that we use to measure the tourism economy and also help inform our marketing activity. All data is anonymised and secure and no financial data is collected. Any accommodation business participating will receive an annual benchmarking report. Plus we’ll be sharing our findings on seasonality and changes in visitor behaviour which you might find useful. Emotional Logic may get in contact with you directly but if you’re interested and would like to find out how to take part, please do call them on 0800 334 5359 or email nym_panel@emotional-logic.co.uk

New Smugglers Trail leaflet for Robin Hood's Bay

We've worked with Yorkshire Trails to produce a new family-frienly Smugglers Trail for Robin Hood’s Bay. The idea behind the trail was to promote the heritage of Robin Hood's Bay and encourage visitors to move around looking more carefully at the clues to Robin Hood's Bay's past, before spending time in its cafes and pubs. We'll be undertaking some PR and social media activity to support this promotion. If you'd liek to sell copies of the trail booklet to your visitors, you can obtain discounted copies from Jane at Yorkshire Trails. Contact Jane on 01765 601235 or jane@yorkshiretrails.co.uk.

Dark Skies Festival 9th - 25th February 2018

Plans are already underway for the Dark Skies Festival 2018, with over 100 events planned, building on the success of the 2017 event. Events and activities will take place through out the North York Moors National Park and Howardian Hills AONB and will include: stargazing and crafts at our 3 Dark Skies Discovery Centres; ghost walks on the coast and night vision walks with forest rangers; 5k Dalby Dark Run, night zipwire at Go Ape!; night mountain bike rides at Sutton Bank and Thornton-le-Dale; evening bushcraft; night photography workshops; night cinema; candlelit music and more.

We will add all confirmed events to http://www.darkskiesnationalparks.org.uk/north-york-moors-events This activity is designed to attract visitors off-peak so we're counting on YOU  to help promote and grow the festival! We’re working on a new leaflet for the festival as well as our regular dark skies leaflet and will have festival hashtags for social media. 

To find out more please email Mike Hawtin or see this page with more information about how to benefit from our dark skies

New promotional themes

We're constantly adding new promotional themes and information on www.NorthYorkMoors.org.uk and suggest you might want to use some of these within your own marketing activity. 

Pampered Pooch Packages
Here are some incredible facts about dog ownership in the UK from the National Coastal Tourism Academy 
  • There are more than 8.5million dogs in the UK. 
  • 24% of UK households have a dog
  • 16% of dog owners are willing to pay at least £200 extra to bring their dog on holiday.
  • 72% of dog owners would take more holidays if there was a better attitude towards dogs
  • 30% of dog owning holiday makers said their entire holiday choice is based on how suitable it is for their pet

To take advantage of this important market, we've added some Pampered Pooch Packages and are highlighting dog-friendly accommodation. 
During the Winter months, dogs are allowed on many of our beaches so it's a good time to attract dog lovers. We're going to kickstart a new mini-campaign in January 2018, #SeaDog, encouraging dog owners to post pictures of their dogs having fun on the beach. 

Fish & Ships
We're highlighting different ways to enjoy the coast and an obvious first step is to encourage visitors to take a boat trip or learn more about maritime history so we've created a section on NorthYorkMoors.org.uk called Fish and Ships

Marketing workshops

We have a full programme of marketing workshops for coastal tourism businesses thanks to CCF funding. We are opening the first two workshops, Kickstart your Marketing, and Direct & Off Peak Bookings to businesses on the moors, but due to funding restrictions currently have to give priority to coastal tourism businesses. We'll develop other workshops for non-coastal tourism businesses soon. 

Are you dog-friendly?

There's a growing number of visitors who want to bring their dogs on holiday, into cafes and pubs. We have been working on "Pampered Pooch Packages" and want to make sure we feature dog-friendly accommodation and other places that are happy to accept dogs. Please email Emily by 15th November if you'd like to be featured. We'll let you know when the new page is live and send you some ideas about how to attract visitors who want to bring their dogs. 

Want to attract groups? 

We've had a request from a tour operator and several other businesses to find out which accommodation providers can offer places to stay for groups of 10 people or more. Please email Susan, clearly stating how many people you can accommodate, how many rooms are en-suite, and how many twin and single rooms you have. 

In a couple of weeks, I'll be running an online workshop for any business that wants to attract groups and the travel trade. I'll email soon to give you the details. 

Captain Cook

2018 marks the 250th anniversary of James Cook setting sail on HM Bark Endeavour to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun in the Pacific Ocean and travel further to explore Australia and New Zealand. The life-size replica of HM Bark Endeavour will be brought home to Whitby in Spring and there are numerous other activities and celebrations planned. We've got a round up of Captain Cook-related attractions and activities, which we'll add to over the next few months. We are expecting considerable interest in Captain Cook next year from journalists and visitors (particularly from Australia) so it makes sense to link to this and promote local connections.

We are going to be using the theme of Discovery to promote the area, and working on a "Discovery Exhibition", a more interactive, fun version of a trail to help visitors uncover Captain Cook connections. More details on this soon!

Promoting celebrations

We want to attract more people to the North York Moors who are planning a birthday, wedding or anniversary celebration or simply gathering to enjoy time with friends and family. They often bring others who are first time visitors, with a high propensity to return and recommend to others, and they tend to come off-season and to be higher spenders on accommodation, activities, going to attractions, food, drink and gifts. 

We'll be creating new promotional activity to feature high quality places and activities that are suitable for celebrations. Here's how to get involved if you'd like to be part of this.

Want commission-free bookings for your accommodation? 

We're looking at establishing a commission-free booking system for accommodation providers. There are some preliminary details here. Please email Susan if you have any specific questions. 

PR Successes

Our PR consultant, Amanda Brown, has generated an incredible amount of media coverage for the North York Moors and our coastline recently. 

Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage: PR activity was aimed at supporting the Festival. Coverage included: Country Life; Family Traveller; Town and Country magazine; Waitrose Weekend  
These four titles alone boast a combined circulation of one million.

HM Bark Endeavour: We recently supported the team behind the purchase of HM Bark Endeavour, with the announcement of the vessel’s relocation to Whitby in time for Captain Cook’s 250th anniversary.

Widespread coverage in print and online was achieved including: ITV; BBC Look North; BBC Tees; BBC Radio York; BBC Local Live;  Yorkshire Coast Radio; Yorkshire Post: Evening Gazette; Northern Echo; Whitby Gazette; The Press; Gazette & Herald; Kirkbymoorside Town Blog; The Business Desk; Scarborough News; Group Leisure Travel; School Travel Organiser; Travel GBI; All At Sea
 
The stories were shared widely via social media, including at least 6000 shares on Facebook. We also gained interest from a TV production company who are now exploring the possibility of producing the story of the Endeavour’s return to Whitby for one of the national TV channels.

Hosting journalist visits:  we have an ongoing programme of pitching stories that lead to journalist visits. Last month Landscape magazine produced a feature on Staithes which was the result of our work arranging the photographer’s itinerary.
 
We recently hosted a blogger who walked a route along the coast from Boggle Hole, as well as trails at Rosedale and Sutton Bank. We have also just hosted a journalist from Olive magazine, having arranged an extensive gastro tour of the North York Moors including providing detailed background information.
 
Upcoming visits include a blogger and journalist whose work includes pieces in This is Your Kingdom, Simple Things and In The Moment who is staying for a weekend to experience the dark skies at Dalby Forest.

Grants for product development

Are you looking for grant funding to develop your business and collaborate with others? Take a look at the grants on this page.  

Research

Over the next few weeks you may be contacted by Emotional Logic, who NYMNP have commissioned over a 10 year period to understand whether there is any impact on the tourism economy from the development of the Woodsmith Mine. The consultant will collect information such as visitor numbers, attendees at events, occupancy levels at places to stay, demographic information, length of stay and average spend to feed into the STEAM model that we use to measure the tourism economy. This data will be correlated with qualitative data obtained in the visitor and non visitor surveys to identify any change to the value of the tourism economy and attribute any cause of this (whether it’s the mine development or other reason).

Cycling 

Funded by EAFRD, Mike Hawtin is working with many enthusiastic businesses in the National Park who want to be cycle-friendly. He's advising tea rooms and cafes on cyclists' needs, looking at how to  offer extra facilities as part of a Cycle Repair Station initiative. Mike is working with accommodation providers who are interested in adding facilities and helping to create clusters or hubs of cycle-friendly businesses who will eventually be added to an interactive Cycle Friendly map. He's also creating a selection of routes, inspiring articles and information/education pieces with some different themes to link businesses together. If you’d like to be part of the initiative or  want to chat, please contact Mike Hawtin. Please do bear in mind that he only works Tues-Thurs and is very busy so may not be able to get back to you immediately! 
​