£1.6bn business tourist boost to region’s economy

BUSINESS tourism boosted the Yorkshire economy by £1.6bn in 2008, according to new research.

The research, commissioned by Welcome to Yorkshire and Yorkshire Forward, highlights how Yorkshire has exceeded the national average.

There has been an increase in conferences and events held in the region, now up to 180,000, with more than 10m delegates attending the various events.

Spend in the region has also risen, generating revenue in excess of £490m.

This figure is in addition to the £939m worth of spending at the conference venues themselves and a further £220m contributed to the market by exhibitions. 

Gary Verity, chief executive at Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The research puts a true value on the business tourism economy and proves that Yorkshire as a business destination is high on the agenda, both nationally and internationally.

“Three of Yorkshire’s cities have appeared in research that revealed the ‘top 20 most visited English towns and cities by business visitors’ in 2008 – Leeds came 4th, with York ranked 7th and Sheffield placed at 11th.”

The strong growth in Yorkshire’s business tourism market is proving positive for employment figures; Yorkshire’s business tourism is now estimated to support in excess of 70,000 jobs in the region. 

Highlights for the region include Yorkshire South winning Best Destination at International Confex 2009. The Conference Ambassador Programme was also rolled out in 2008, which has generated more than £1m worth of association business in its first year.

One of the many businesses to see the benefits is City Hall Sheffield.

Dominic Stokes, general manager of SIV Conferencing and Events and City Hall Sheffield, said: “We are continuing to see a real growth in our business events.

Venues in Hull and East Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire have also been boosted.

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward, said: “North, South, East and West Yorkshire each have a conference and events desk which works hard to establish good contacts with businesses and provide the best information to encourage them to bring events, conferences and exhibitions to Yorkshire and Humber.”