National park chiefs are being urged to revamp their network of visitor centres if they want to attract more visitors to the Yorkshire Dales.

A report by inspectors called in under the Government's Best Value initiative claims not enough is being done to sell the benefits of the region to the outside world.

Although the visitor centres themselves are praised for an effective job once tourists are inside the boundaries of the park, they are said to be costing too much to run. Members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority sit down to a report next week which suggests a streamlining exercise.

Among the measures suggested are:

New admission policies at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes and a new name for the complex to better reflect its role as an information centre.

A review of the information centre at Reeth once it has had time to settle in the new community office in the village's old Barclays Bank building.

Closure of the National Park Centre at Clapham, between Skipton and Settle, as well as the office in Sedbergh if local organisations cannot be persuaded to invest more in the running costs.

A review of the role of the centre at Malham if visitor numbers continue to decline. The report suggests more money should be invested in the National Park's website as well as other new initiatives which market the Dales around the UK.

The document adds: "There are two major audiences that the authority has done little to reach: visitors before they get to the park and those who do not visit the park at all.

"If the authority is to meet the objectives it needs to increase the number of people with who it has contact; to do this cost-effectively within the limited overall budget, resources need to be focused on those areas with the most people."

Meanwhile, the aftermathn of the foot-and-mouth crisis could lead to the temporary closure of another Yorkshire tourist attraction.

Visitor numbers at the World of James Herriot Centre in Thirsk have plummeted by a third - costing Hambleton District Council an estimated £77,000.

The district authority has asked officers to consider a number of possible solutions. Winter closure is one but others include selling the attraction to the private sector or moving the Tourist Information Office at the museum back to Thirsk Market Place to allow room for a bigger shop.