North York Moors National Park updates
Updated 27th November 2018
Marketing update from the National Park |
Marketing messagesYou 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.
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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 |
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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!
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September - Mindful Month
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!
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
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Subsidised photographyTake 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. |
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Promoting the Cleveland WayWe 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 CoastlineA 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 ArrivaWe'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.
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Sandsend Art Trail GeocacheWe'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. |
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Sea the SheepThank 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.
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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.
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New web content |
Overseas marketing |
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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 successesOur 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.
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
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
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
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 workshopsWe 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 Cook2018 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 celebrationsWe 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 SuccessesOur 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 developmentAre you looking for grant funding to develop your business and collaborate with others? Take a look at the grants on this page.
ResearchOver 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).
CyclingFunded 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!
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