North York Moors Economy 

 Economic History of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park!

The economy in the North York Moors area is mainly reliant upon the tourist and agricultural industries.

Agriculture

Agriculture has been the main stay of the economy in the North York Moors for over a thousand years. It is this rural scene which farmers have maintained and formed for generations that results in the moors as we know today. There are a total of 2,913 employees employed across 1,342 working farms in and around the North Yorkshire Moors, with the prime source of income coming from sheep & cattle. When walking, cycling or driving through the moors you will often come across sheep & cattle wondering the roads oblivious to the world around them. (The dale farms have rights to graze sheep on the open moor.) The rights to moorland grazing are often essential to the economic viability of a farm. You can find a wider variety of farms across the southern limestone belt, where there are arable (The main arable crops are barley, wheat, oilseed rape, potatoes, and sugar beets). Mainly and mixed farms as well as the livestock farms. There is also some intensive production of pigs and poultry.

 

Tourism

 

The North York Moors has attracted tourists for centuries, with the first visitors originally staying in the areas first purpose-built accommodation - the great abbeys.

 

During the 19th century the moors became increasingly popular amongst writers and artists and as guide books filled library shelves and dramatic paintings off rugged cliffs and stunning purple heather began to circulated more and more people started to create an interest in enjoying this remote and beautiful place.

 

Since the designation of the Moors as a National Park in 1952 its popularity has only grown with the original attraction being the moors, dales and villages 7 the tourism industry consisting of comprised inns and farms offering jugs of tea, bed and breakfast, or a field in which to pitch a tent.

 

Over the past 30 years or so tourism has become more and more important for the lives of many people living in the area as tourism has supplement the income of many traditional business such as farms offering accommodation or use of farm land for outdoor activities such as clay pigeon shooting

 

The tourism industry generates around £200 million pounds for the local economy annually and over 10 million people visit the national park each year.