Discover Leeds tourism campaign launches

A CAMPAIGN looking to boost visitor numbers to Leeds is being unveiled today.

Funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, East Coast trains and Leeds and Partners, its initial aim is to grow tourism in the city, increase visitor spend, and boost jobs and skills in the sector.

The campaign, being unveiled at London King’s Cross Station this morning, will use the successes of the city’s people to help create a positive vision for the future.

The first phase of the campaign will cover outdoor, press, digital and PR and will run from February through to the end of April.

The campaign, the first from the £500,000 of matched funding secured by Leeds and Partners in August 2012, is part of Growing Tourism Locally, an RGF Tourism Investment Project led by the national tourist board, VisitEngland, which aims to stimulate the domestic visitor market to grow local economies through increased tourism activity by UK residents.

It is anticipated the investment will create more than 300 jobs in Leeds.

Lurene Joseph, chief executive of Leeds and Partners, said: “This first phase of the campaign demonstrates Leeds and the wider city region driving forward its place in the domestic market, using real people and real lives as the centrepiece.

“With so much investment in Leeds this year, including the opening of Leeds Arena and Trinity Leeds, the opportunities to grow the visitor economy are enormous.”

James Berresford, VisitEngland’s chief executive, said: “2013 is clearly a significant year for Leeds and this first campaign, helped by the RGF funding, will encourage many potential visitors to find out more about the city.”

Leeds is aiming to benefit from the launch of the Trinity Leeds shopping centre and opening of Leeds Arena this year.