Video Report: Business focus for tourism campaign
WELCOME to Yorkshire, the newly renamed Yorkshire Tourist Board, will focus on bringing business visitors and conferences to the county as well as increasing the number of tourists.
In an interview with TheBusinessDesk.com, Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity said that the organisation’s £30m plans would be aimed at attracting corporate visitors from the UK and abroad.
The move has been backed by figures in the region’s business and tourism sector, including Leeds Bradford International Airport chief executive John Parkin.
Yorkshire cricketer and former England captain Michael Vaughan has also backed the move ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.
To see video interviews click on the screen below.
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It is hoped the initative will unlock a £300m increase in annual visitor spend.
The tourism industry generates £6.3bn of revenue to the region’s economy and there are 250,000 people working in tourism related jobs.
On Friday before an audience of 1,000 people at the Royal Armouries in Leeds at an event called Y09, Welcome to Yorkshire unveiled its new name as well as a huge investment in advertising and sponsorship to promote the county to visitors from home and abroad.
The campaign – entitled ‘A long weekend in Yorkshire isn’t long enough’ – is to be promoted through television commercials, cinema and press advertising, and online marketing.
Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, has shown its support for the tourism initiative by investing £30m over the next three years.
Y 09 saw delegates from Yorkshire and further afield see how Welcome to Yorkshire aims to attract visitors to the region.
Welcome to Yorkshire will be targeting European countries such as Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Netherlands to attract more visitors to come to Yorkshire and looking even further afield at marketing campaigns in Canada and China.
Welcome to Yorkshire will also be sponsoring the popular television drama, Heartbeat to help sell the “come to Yorkshire” message.
Heartbeat is shown in 35 countries around the world.
Mr Verity said: “With such ambitious and exciting plans the thought of Yorkshire becoming a top global destination is now a realistic possibility.”
