The pretty UK seaside town so crowded with tourists locals wonder if it's worth it

With its dramatic cliffs and gothic charm, Whitby is a feast for the eyes. The North Yorkshire town is so atmospheric it even inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also offers some of Britain's best fish and chips. No wonder the town is a popular tourist destination. But the influx of visitors comes with its price. In the case of Whitby, it's a long-standing debate among locals on whether tourism is still beneficial for the town, or whether it's reached its limits.

At the heart of this problem is what no tourist destination these days seems to avoid: housing. Records from 2021 show that more than 34% of homes in Whitby are not permanently occupied, with more than 21% being second homes or holiday lets. In 2024, according to Joyce Stangoe, secretary of Whitby Community Network, the figure was even higher.

He told the Express: "Assuming that none of the commercial holiday lets are being captured in the census as residential dwellings, it is possible that as much as an estimated 44.5% of existing residences are non-primary.

"Where new housing development is limited, the expansion of second homes and holiday lets will reduce the availability of housing for households wishing to live in the area."

Mr Stangoe added that this has priced young families out of the market, reduced the permanent population, and even forced a senior school to close. He said that around half of Whitby's residents are now over 55, increasing pressure on already limited health services and public transport. The former town councillor puts his hopes into a neighbourhood plan written by the local community to guide future development in the area. If voted in, he thinks it will improve the situation.

The North Yorkshire Council also doubled council tax on second homes, a change that took effect last year. The council's leader Carl Les said this will raise about £10 million annually, supporting housing initiatives to tackle homelessness and delivering more affordable homes.

Councillor Neil Swannick told the Express that the move has resulted in more houses on the market. However, he added that "too often, they are being bought up by commercial interests to turn into short-term lets and Airbnb, rather than for primary residential use."

Besides housing, former town councillor Asa Jones thinks that for young people on the Yorkshire coast, there is an even bigger and often overlooked problem: the lack of jobs. Being in his 20s, he decided to move out of Whitby to pursue better opportunities.

He said: "I worked two jobs in Whitby and outside of August, I struggled to get anywhere near a regular 40 hours per week. I moved to York this September. Whilst the rent here is probably more expensive than Whitby, it's a risk worth taking to live somewhere with not just more jobs, but a greater variety of careers and with decent public transport connections to the rest of the country."

He pointed out that Whitby's thriving tourism industry depends on cheap labour from the town's younger workforce - yet the very success of that industry is driving up costs and making the town unaffordable for them. To make it a place for young people, he urged for a real living wage, a national council housing scheme and investment into rail infrastructure for people to "combat the crippling consequences of rural isolation."

But many locals are cautious about being too critical of tourists - especially because it is tourism that, in the words of one local, "pays our wages." Sarah Bennett, who runs a café in the town centre, told the Mirror that tourism had been vital to keeping her business open throughout the year. However, she acknowledged that it also puts pressure on local services, making it harder for residents to get doctors' appointments or school places. She said the challenge was ensuring that the benefits of tourism are shared with the whole community, not just visitors.

Chris Dickinson, who owns Clara's takeaway coffee and ice cream shop - where an estimated 40-60% of customers are tourists - said Whitby stands out from many deprived British seaside towns as a rare example of a thriving coastal community.

He told the Express: "I travel around the UK and I see other towns that haven't got that investment and it's a downward spiral. The shops are closing on the high street. The buildings are in bad condition. The money just isn't there, which is unique [about Whitby] because you've got a lot of people coming in and investing in the town, which has negative and positive impacts. But I think those negative impacts aren't just isolated to Whitby, they are a problem UK-wide."

He mentioned the introduction of a council tax premium of up to 300% on second homes in Wales and its potential harm to tourism-dependent economies. "I think what you're actually doing there is stopping people coming in and investing," he said.

In 2021, the Government awarded Whitby with £17.1 million from the UK Towns Fund to deliver regeneration projects aimed at urban renewal.

For Mr Stangoe, the main challenge remains finding the right balance between overtourism and sustainability. He said: "Whitby is dependent on tourism and welcomes our visitors to the beautiful, historical town, however there needs to be a balance in everything. We need to develop a more sustainable form of tourism. But we cannot do this without the help of the relevant councils and the government."

North Yorkshire Council's leader Carl Les said: "Tourism is so important to North Yorkshire's economy and is worth £4.2 billion, with Whitby being one of our most famous destinations. We are committed to growing our visitor economy by increasing length of stay rather than increasing the number of visitors, while supporting tourism businesses to thrive. We are also staging campaigns to encourage people to visit Whitby and the rest of North Yorkshire during the autumn and winter months outside of the busier summer periods.

"We are also working with the Whitby Town Deal Board with investments in the Town Hall and the delivery of a maritime training hub alongside affordable housing in the town. In November, our executive will also consider plans to invest nearly £10 million in Whitby leisure centre under a proposed leisure investment strategy which is aimed at bringing significant health and wellbeing benefits to residents."