RYEDALE'S tourist industry - now worth £120 million a year and supporting hundreds of jobs - is in line for a major boost.

Regarded as one of the district's leading economic drivers and job providers, tourism in Ryedale is expected to benefit significantly from the setting up of the new Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership which comprises Ryedale District Council, Hambleton District Council, Scarborough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the North York Moors National Park Authority.

Sarah Ward, Ryedale's tourism officer, is co-ordinating the partnership and she met members of Malton and Norton Business in Action group to outline the partnership's aim and strategy.

It has already published a major plan to drive the industry forward in the vast area.

Miss Ward said: "The partnership will strengthen the services offered to visitors and raise awareness of the region's assets while safeguarding the environment for local people."

Currently, said Miss Ward, Ryedale each year produces 60,000 copies of a holiday brochure as well as 300,000 leaflets featuring the district, which are distributed throughout Britain together with Holland and Belgium.

However, the district council only has a £10,000 annual budget for marketing the district. This, she added, would change through the new partnership because Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, has provided £666,666 in funding for the next four years.

The partnership had just published a group organisers' guide as part of its plan to pool resources.

Such attractions as gliding, cycling, surfing, outdoor activities and the area's wealth of heritage, moors and countryside, would all be promoted together with the market towns and tourist villages and attractions.

She said Ryedale was "riding on the back" of the new Yorkshire Coast and Moors branding because many visitors did not recognise Ryedale as a geographical name, though the district council was successfully promoting it as "Yorkshire's natural attraction".

The new ATP would be offering a business development service and grants for IT schemes and would also be staging a Quality Awards Scheme later this year in which business were being encouraged to enter to win accolades.

"There will be a continuing drive to improve quality, " she told the towns' business leaders.

Members suggested that Malton's rich Roman heritage could be developed more as a tourist attraction to boost the town's economy by attracting more visitors.

Clive Rowe-Evans, the partnership chairman, said the new business plan which has been put out for consultation to the tourism industry and local authorities, would drive it forward over the next 12 months. "It is a very exciting time for us. We are about to launch our second joint venture, an events leaflet, following our well-received moors and coast travel guide.

"We are made up of a wide range of tourism providers from bed and breakfast accommodation to major heritage attractions all of which want to see this industry prosper and contribute more to the local economy."

Yorkshire Forward's tourism manager Ian Collins said: "The Moors and Coast partnership is a new organisation but it is already making an impact on the development of tourism in the area of Ryedale, Scarborough and Hambleton."