THE tourism industry in the Yorkshire and Pennine Dales and the North York Moors will be looking forward to a bumper Easter.
The summer weather may not be quite as sub-tropical as the forecasters were promising earlier in the week, but by comparison with some Easter weekends of recent years, it should be a scorcher. Ice cream sellers to B&B providers will anticipate a timely fillip to their businesses.
The only cloud on the horizon is the warning issued by the national park authorities and landowners about the tinder-box condition of much of the open moorland. The recent weeks of rainless skies have left much of the uplands as dry as dust. The message to visitors is be very, very careful. Many will find the guarded welcome to the hills somewhat confusing.
It is another example of the checks and balances which have to be constantly employed in the management of our most precious landscape heritage. The visitors which are now the life blood of the hills also pose the greatest threat to their survival.
The extent to which the national parks are reliant on tourism was outlined recently by the North York Moors park chief Andy Wilson. It is now the biggest employer in the park and the biggest contributor to the economy. Agriculture is a poor second.
And yet, as Mr Wilson also points out, agriculture is also essential. Tourism relies on it to provide the landscape which is the main attraction. The interdependency of the two sectors is an economic truism.
So while tourism businesses will open their arms to the thousands pouring in to the national parks this weekend, the national park staff and the farming community will have mixed feelings. It is their task to ensure everyone has a good time and enjoys the landscape without harming it in the process. With up to 40,000 vehicles expected to enter the North York Moors National Park every day and the similar number heading for the Yorkshire Dales, that is not an easy task.
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