Tom Richmond: Making tourism pay is vital to Yorkshire's way out of recession

Yet, by their very nature, these Ministerial visits are fleeting – and can easily be curtailed, or disrupted, by unforeseen events. Cameron's first trip to Yorkshire as PM, when he visited Shipley and outlined a business strategy for the regions, came as Downing Street received hints that the expenses irregularities of Treasury minister David Laws were about to be exposed.

It is why, in many respects, the two-day visit to the region by John Penrose, the hitherto low-key tourism Minister, offers a far greater opportunity for local power-brokers to discuss the full impact of the Government's cuts on national parks, museums and such like – and why a Yorkshire-wide body needs to be created to nurture future inward investment.

It is an opportunity that must not be squandered. Those who meet the Minister need to challenge him on the future funding of tourism, and how he expects the heritage of the national parks, or iconic attractions like York Minster and the nearby National Railway Museum, to be safeguarded as his government imposes spending cuts that are unprecedented in size and scope.

It's no longer acceptable for Ministers to talk about efficiency savings when the reality is that budgets have already been cut to the bone. Does Mr Penrose seriously expect the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales to be enhanced if the park authority has to achieve savings of up to 35 per cent?

The time has, surely, come for Mr Penrose, and others, to explain how they intend the tourism industry to flourish on their watch – and how they would, for example, finance the restoration of York Minster's medieval Great East Window and the National Railway Museum revamp, the latest victims of Yorkshire Forward's demise?

The charitable donations that funded the revamping of the Yorkshire Museum in York which successfully reopened on Sunday, can only go so

far.

His answer might help to illuminate the spending debate and reveal the Government's actual thinking, especially if the coalition is, in fact, going to re-introduce admission charges, as some suggest, for those museums that were allowed to abolish entry fees under Labour. Indeed, it is not unreasonable to expect some clarity now the coalition has been in place for three months.

Yet, perversely, outright opposition and hostility to Ministers is likely to be counter-productive; there has to be an acceptance that spending cuts need to be made.

The challenge is ensuring that they are implemented in a way that protects, and enhances, key services – whether it be the NHS, schools, our tourism – while eradicating the systemic inefficiencies that New Labour bequeathed to the nation.

It is a challenge that this region is well-qualified to meet following the pro-active response of business leaders to the winding up of Yorkshire Forward – and their proposals for a new enterprise body, run along the lines of a community interest company, to champion the

region's business interests.

Contrast this practical approach – one that offers a solution and a vision for the future – with the South-West where Mr Penrose is MP for

the Somerset resort of Weston-super-Mare.

Like Yorkshire, the West Country economy is underpinned by tourism and fulfilling the economic potential of both its coastline and its national parks. Agriculture is a another key industry that links the two regions.

Yet, having returned last month to the South-West, where I used to live, I was struck by the outright negativity, and hostility, towards the new government, even though most voters are Conservative or Liberal-inclined.

It was like returning to a region that is content to live in the past; an area where the powers-that-be are content to oppose the Government of the day for opposition's sake. They are content with a default position of "no, no, no" that became so familiar, and then wearisome, during the fuel strike of a decade ago – and then the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001.

At least this region, thanks to pro-active organisations like Welcome to Yorkshire, is not burdened by such a handicap. And, as Mr Penrose will discover for himself, the White Rose county also has another advantage to re-enforce its "can do" mentality – it has a clear geographic identity.

Yorkshire is an iconic brand that is synonymous around the world. It needs little introduction. Contrast this with the South-West which does not know whether Devon or Cornwall should be a separate entity, or whether the region should continue to span seven counties from Land's End to as far north as Tewkesbury, and eastwards towards Bournemouth and Stonehenge.

It is why this Ministerial visit is an opportunity to show that Yorkshire has a plan for the future – but, as part of that vision, it has a right to expect far greater clarity from the Government on how it sees the region, and tourism in particular, fulfilling its potential in these challenging times.

In short, the success or otherwise of Mr Penrose's trip will come down to this: How can the likes of York Minster, and the area's national parks, be preserved and enhanced as visitor attractions when the national heritage budget, like all others, is being squeezed to its very core?

His answers are keenly anticipated by all those who believe, rightly or wrongly, that the Government has little regard for the English regions, and that policy-making remains skewed in London's favour ahead of the 2012 Olympics.