Back in September 2023 when we filmed our This is Our Home video (on a day I wasn’t expecting to be filmed or I’d have tidied myself up a bit!), we had no way of knowing that in 2025 it would be used to open the first Tourism: Our Voice national conference.

Residents in areas of high tourism have long been overlooked all across the globe but now people all around the UK are waking up to the need to recognise our needs and requirements.

While at the Tourism: Our Voice conference, I heard from several groups about how they are working to change focus in their areas.

Carron Tobin from SCOTO(Scottish and Community Tourism Network) brings the local community into places where decisions are made, enabling residents to be co-producers. SCOTO works with schools releasing students for work experience in local businesses including hospitality (often overlooked locally), keeping the next generation in their local area and considering alternative careers. It also works with local businesses to raise donations from visitors for locals in need, such as a free coffee, a meal or ticket for an attraction.

Sam Leach was from Spark, a CIC supporting business startups with small units in the centre of York (built from old shipping containers) giving them a low cost, low commitment way of testing the waters before risking the huge losses that new businesses often face, with many going on to move their established business into an empty unit in the city centre.

Karen Hillier volunteers with York Unlocked which opens interesting buildings throughout York for free one weekend in September allowing residents the opportunity to see the city differently, aiming to educate and inspire a love of local architecture.

Jess Silvester from People’s Economy UK summarised current discussions around a ‘visitors’ tax‘, how it’s working in other areas of the UK and what it might look like for the rest of us. I think I can speak for the three of us when I say my biggest take away from this session was that there was no mention at all of residents or improving the area for residents with the money raised. A very important point as Friends of the Lakes are currently in discussion about this.