Don't Go Quiet!

So we had a comment posted on our Twitter feed yesterday. Nothing rude or offensive, but something which made us raise a collective eyebrow.

In response to a tweet promoting one of our valued members, located in Whitby, we received the following;

"I love whitby. But why are you promoting accommodation and visiting north Yorkshire when we are in national lockdown???"

Our response is copied below as we think it warrants a wider circulation.

During times like this it is absolutely critical for tourism organisations not to go "quiet" or "dark". It is a mistake to shut up shop and cease all activity until the latest restrictions are eased. You need to keep publicising your region and, for us at least, our members.

What are your thoughts?

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We love #Whitby too!

But we don't feel organisations should go "quiet" during periods of lockdown.

We we believe that whilst there are restrictions in place, we have a duty to work hard keeping North Yorkshire firmly in the public eye. That includes promoting our different regions & accommodation providers.

We are a membership organisation & have a duty to our members to continue to promote them at all times.

The reason for this is that whilst there is no tourism allowed now, this will end, as it did last year. When it does people will likely be stir crazy & look for breaks in the UK - "staycations".

This was the view we expressed in April 2020 on BBC Look North at the start of Lockdown 1 and it turned out to be true. Accommodation providers were deluged. We advocated people booking early to avoid disappointment. Paying deposits could help keep some accommodation providers in business - surely a good thing?

So, as in previous Lockdowns, we will continue to shout about North Yorkshire and our amazing members from the rooftops and to a global audience. There are plenty of places for people to visit in the UK. Our aim is to do our utmost to ensure that the first place they look is North Yorkshire and you don't achieve that by going "quiet" at times like this.

Hope that answers your question?



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