TOURISM bosses in York and North Yorkshire have expressed concern about a possible major shake-up of their industry.

Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, wants to introduce a new structure to improve the region's £4 billion-a-year tourism industry.

The proposal involves creating four sub-regional destination management organisations (DMOs) - for North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and the Humber.

But members of City of York Council's Economic Development Board said last night that they feared that the city's tourist industry could suffer if it was made to fit into a Yorkshire marketing brand.

In Ryedale, Steve Jaques, museum director at Eden Camp and chairman of the Ryedale Tourism Association, said he was worried the district would lose its own identity if the plans went ahead.

The DMOs would be funded through local authorities and business subscriptions to provide tourism development, visitor management and business support, and co-ordinate promotions.

But other tourism partners fear locally-driven marketing of York may not be achievable through the DMOs.

Council leader Steve Galloway, who also chairs the board, said York was the premier tourist site in the region, and any new strategy by Yorkshire Forward must recognise that.

"I don't want to downplay the merits of Barnsley, but it doesn't get the immediate recognition in New York that we do in York."

Andrew Scott, a member of the economic development board and head of the National Railway Museum, told the meeting it was vital to maintain continuity within the city's tourist sector.

He said it was unlikely a uniform DMO could work covering the whole of York and North Yorkshire.

"It's about how best to market to potential customers and that means the delivery has to be local about local brands," he said.

Louise Davis, Yorkshire Forward's tourism manager, told the York meeting it was a very open consultation process and no final decisions were being made until everyone had been given the opportunity to state their views.

"We welcome ongoing dialogue," she said."

Mr Jaques told the Evening Press the DMO proposals had not been properly thought through.

"We all market a different type of product so you can't lump us all into one big organisation," he said. "We need to keep the diversity of Ryedale."

Updated: 10:47 Wednesday, March 31, 2004