THE findings of a study into effect of a polyhalite mine development on tourism in the North York Moors National Park has found action is needed to raise awareness of the 554sq mile area.

Despite receiving more than seven million visitors a year and featuring as the backdrop to television shows and films such as Harry Potter, the Sirius Minerals-funded Tourism Impact Review concluded there was “low awareness of the national park as a destination”.

Members of the North York Moors National Park Authority, which is seeking to increase visitor numbers, will hear the study found many of those ignorant of the park were familiar with York and did visit the city.

Susan Briggs, of the North York Moors Tourism Network, which represents some 500 businesses, said part of the reason for the lack of awareness of the park could be related to it commonly being misnamed as the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.

One of the key recommendations of the first year Tourism Impact Review was that the authority undertook joint promotional activity to promote York and the North York Moors as destinations.

It has been proposed to commission tourism body Visit York, which has a database the authority can use to raise awareness of the national park and its proximity to York, to promote the North York Moors. Part of the promotional campaign looks set to include bolstering the Dark Skies Festival in the park in February and March on the back of the Jorvik Viking Festival, which attracts more than 40,000 visitors annually.

The cost of the promotional drive, which will include TripAdvisor and radio campaigns and a national digital and print partnership, will be £75,000 to the authority and £11,500 to Visit York. The authority’s costs will be covered by the Sirius Minerals’ compensation for the impacts of the mine near Whitby.

Mrs Briggs said: “By joining together we are very much more powerful. The joint work between the  Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks on the Dark Skies Festival has already worked very well.”