Get the facts
Each year, we commission Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd. to estimate the economic impact of tourism in the National Park and surrounding area of influence, through the use of STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor).
STEAM uses locally-derived data from a variety of sources including tourist information centres, visitor attractions and events, accommodation bedstock and occupancy rates. Data is analysed to produce estimates of the number of visitors, visitor days, employment supported by tourism, and revenue generated.
It is not designed to provide a precise and accurate measurement of tourism in a local area, but rather to provide an indicative base for monitoring trends. The confidence level of the model is calculated to be within the ranges of plus or minus 10% in respect of the yearly outputs and plus or minus 5% in respect of trend. Through the STEAM model, we are able to look at underlying trends stretching back to 1992.
STEAM 2024
Download the summary infographic report (pdf) for 2024, outlining tourism trends for the National Park and its Influence Area.
This summary includes Airbnb data, which was introduced in 2022. Direct comparisons pre-2021 are not valid but can be used for more general trends. For example page 7 compares 2024 data with 2019 i.e. pre-covid.
Headline figures for 2024
- A total of £1.1 billion was generated directly and indirectly within the local economy through visitor and tourism business expenditure, a fall of 2.1% on 2023.
- 9.03 million tourism visits to the North York Moors National Park
- 14.3 million visitor days and nights generated by visitors
- 7.2 million tourism visits made by day visitors
- Day visits to the North York Moors National Park generated £373 million for the local economy
- 1.84 million visits were made by visitors staying within the area as part of a holiday or short break, generating 7.1 million nights in local accommodation
- In total, staying visitors generate a total economic impact of £694 million for local businesses and communities
- On average, visitors staying in the North York Moors spend 3.9 nights in the area and spend a total of £198 million on local accommodation
- Visitor activity and spend supports more than 11,407 full time equivalent jobs locally
Trends 2019-2022 (including Airbnb data)
The addition of Airbnb data in 2022 increased the non-serviced sector by around 9%, which illustrates the impact Airbnb has on local accommodation stock.
- Economic impact +11.7% in 2022 compared to 2019 (including Airbnb)
- Visitor numbers +4.3%
- Total Visitor Days and Nights +6.7%
Excluding Airbnb, data suggests the sector returned to pre-covid levels by 2022:
- Economic impact £879m (+7% on 2019)
- Visitor numbers 8.7m (+3% on 2019)
You can also access a wealth of information on visitors to England via VisitBritain’s Research Insights.