Look nearer home to beat the crunch

Oct 16 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Worried that the credit crunch might curtail your holiday plans for 2009? Don’t be! There’s so much to do and see right on our doorstep – and it’s cheaper than going abroad. ANDREW BALDWIN reports

‘No surprise that more and more people are planning to have their breaks in the UK’

THE number of visits made to tourist attractions in Yorkshire rose by 2% last year.

It perhaps doesn’t sound a lot, but it counts for a lot in these tough times.

And all the indications are that a dramatic rise is in the offing as the economic crisis worsens.

Holidays at home rather than halfway around the world might become just the thing as we rein in the spending.

With the cost of flights increasing, carbon footprints to worry about, and the credit crunch to tiptoe round, it’s no surprise that more and more people are planning to have their breaks in the UK.

One Yorkshire destination which had a notable increase in visitors last year was Bolton Abbey in North Yorkshire, where figures were up by 14%.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Harlow Carr Gardens at Harrogate was not far behind with a 13% rise in admissions.

Flamingoland was the region’s most popular paid attraction, with 1.3m visits in 2007.

Tom Wright, VisitBritain chief executive, says: “Current campaigns are encouraging even more visitors to enjoy our attractions in these challenging times.”

So where would visitors go if they came to Huddersfield?

An online debate was sparked after a man living in East Anglia posed the question on the Examiner website.

He asked for 10 tips.

The list below was put together by Examiner user 1gemini and was added to by JohnMooney4 who added the Tolson Museum, but admitted it isn’t everybody’s thing.

A walk from Slaithwaite to Marsden along the canal is always very nice, he added.

John thoroughly approved of the suggestion of Castle Hill.

“I took some Swedish people up there a few weeks ago, they enjoyed it,” he reported.

Stretching a point, there are three major attractions just a short hop from Huddersfield – the National Coal Mining Museum near Grange Moor, the Summer Wine town of Holmfirth and British Waterways’ Standedge visitor centre at Marsden.

TommyDGNR8 went on the Examiner website to suggest a few simple pleasures.

“If it’s Saturday, have a rummage in the second-hand market – one of very few left which haven’t been over-run by dodgy video game traders and stolen car radios,” he wrote.

Developing the theme, he added: “Greenhead if it’s sunny, Ravensknowle (shelter under the old Cloth Hall clock tower and in the Tolson Museum) if it’s normal.

“Also if it’s sunny – fish ‘n chip lunch in St Peter’s gardens.”

Tommy went on to remind everyone about Huddersfield Art Gallery, on the top floor of the library building.

He said there were works by Bacon, Lowry and Moore but claimed that 95% of the townsfolk don’t even know it exists.

His final suggestion: “Go and see a band playing at a pub or club. I’d particularly recommend classic rockers Jagged Edge or original indie band Red Star, but there’s something for everyone.”

And does any of it matter?

Well, visitors are important and having a decent itinerary can pull in the punters.

Jess Newbould, Kirklees Council’s senior tourism officer, says: “Tourism is a key part of our local economy, worth an estimated £385.6m each year in Kirklees.

“Local businesses recognise the value of providing visitors with great customer service and a high-quality, memorable experience.”.