The sunniest of days welcomed visitors to Bridlington Spa for the first International Nature Tourism Conference on 3rd- 4thOctober.
Those involved in the nature tourism industry, from as far afield as Portugal and Finland, came to East Yorkshire to discuss how this activity can help both the local economy as well as wildlife.
Expert speakers also came from far and wide - statisticians from Leeds Metropolitan University to the tourism development team from the Outer Hebrides.
The former supplied one of the most interesting facts of the day – that in 2011, 79 million day visitors to the English countryside included an element of nature in their excursion.
This figure is five times that of the number of spectators at all Premier League games. (And just think of the profile that football has).
Over the two days, delegates heard about exciting new initiatives such as the Yorkshire Nature Triangle, and exchanged best practice information. Visits to a selection of East Yorkshire's finest natural attractions - including Bempton Cliffs, Flamborough Head and Spurn Point - were also enjoyed.
Keith Clarkson, Area Manager of the RSPB’s East Coast, also spoke at the event and was keen to impress the value of nature tourism to the economy:
‘It’s vital to recognise how big a part nature tourismplays in building a stable local economy. RSPB Bempton Cliffs, for example, employs five full time staff but indirectly supports around 40 jobs in the region. So while saving nature is our main objective ,helping communities thrive is also an important benefit of our work.’
The RSPB’s Kim Smales explains the wonders of Bempton Cliffs to Antti, a Finnish delegate, in Bridlington Spa's Harbour Suite.