Natural England

New research shows that National Parks are not just wonderful places to visit: they bring prosperity for businesses in and around them and for the regions in which they are found.

A major research project, commissioned by the Council for National Parks, has looked at the economic impact of the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Peak District National Parks on Yorkshire and Humber, the English region with the highest proportion of its land designated as National Park.

The project estimated the main financial benefits to the region as:

• Sales by businesses in the Parks worth £1.8 billion annually, supporting over 34,000 jobs.
• Spend by Park visitors of £400 million annually within the Parks themselves and a further £260 million elsewhere in the Yorkshire and Humber region, supporting about 12,000 jobs. With ‘knock on’ effects, the total impact of this £660 million expenditure on the region’s output is likely to be almost £1 billion.

The project surveyed over 400 businesses in the Parks, towns around them and, for comparison, the Yorkshire Wolds (an attractive area but not designated as a National Park). It found:

• 69 per cent of businesses in the National Parks believe high landscape quality has a positive impact on their business performance.
• 26 per cent of businesses think a deterioration in landscape quality would seriously affect their business.
• Over half of the Parks’ businesses feel that the National Park designation has had a positive impact on their enterprise.

The project found economic benefits came not just from the Parks’ environmental qualities but also from the National Park designation. This attracted visitors and businesses, and prompted action by National Park Authorities and other organisations in the public and private sector.

'This report shows that a healthy natural environment and sustainable development go hand in hand'

Sir Martin Doughty, Natural England's Chair, said, "National Parks are designated to safeguard natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage and to help people understand and enjoy these special places. This report shows that a healthy natural environment and sustainable development go hand in hand. The inspirational landscapes and outdoor recreation opportunities provided by our National Parks can truly benefit the people who live and work in them."

Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy at the Council for National Parks (the national charity which works to promote and protect National Parks in England and Wales), said, “The Council for National Parks hopes that this study will help to achieve a greater understanding of the subtleties and interaction that the National Parks have with their local economies.

“It has demonstrated that many of the small businesses in the Parks have come to rely and thrive on the high quality environment which results from National Park designation, reinforcing the need for National Parks to continue to be strongly protected and adequately funded.”