Puffin logo takes flight in tourism venture

Accompanied by a Puffin Mark logo, a map and an events guide, the initiative being led by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust aims to boost visitor numbers by highlighting the diverse and thriving wildlife in an area encompassing the East Coast from Filey to Spurn, the Humber estuary to Goole and Howden, and inland to the Yorkshire Wolds.

Nature tourism is already worth about £10m a year to the region’s economy, but research suggests this could be trebled with effective marketing and investment in infrastructure.

Martin Batt, nature tourism manager at the trust, who will be launching the scheme on a visit to Paull Holme Strays nature reserve in Holderness, said of the newly designated area: “It’s an area that’s long been known by birdwatchers and naturalists as being very good for wildlife, wild flowers, seabirds and otters which are struggling in other parts, but in some ways has been forgotten, is undisturbed, hasn’t had many visitors or been affected by changed farming practices or had motorways through it.

“We are encouraging people to stay the night because a lot of these visitors are day visitors. What we are hoping to show is there’s so much to see it really does pay to stay overnight, get out early and see things.

“One night increases the value of the visit by four or five times. A day visitor just buys petrol in Leeds or Sheffield, drives over and buys a sandwich or an ice cream and goes home again.

“I think we’ll change the profile of the area, encourage people to stay the night and come and enjoy what we’ve got to offer.”

Dedicated enthusiasts already beat a path to the area, with birdwatchers from Holland travelling to take photographs of kingfishers along the River Hull and Tophill Low nature reserve, and it is hoped the interest of more casual observers closer to home,, who have been switched on to nature through TV programmes such as Countryfile, Springwatch and Autumnwatch can also be developed and maintained.