Campaign generates £6.4m boost to the Leeds visitor economy
LEEDS and Partners says it has generated an additional £6.4m in tourism spend and more than 119 jobs in the sector through its spring/summer 2013 tourism campaign.
The campaign, which aims to encourage UK residents to book short breaks in Leeds, showcased the experiences on offer in the city, reinforced how easy it was to stroll around the compact city centre and highlighted its strengths in culture, heritage and retail.
The project forms part of VisitEngland’s ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ campaign, which has been funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) with contributions from VisitEngland and the public and private sector locally.
Tourism minister Helen Grant said: “The tourism industry is making a huge contribution to economic growth and job creation. These fantastic results show the government’s investment in the industry is helping to generate additional tourism spend and creating thousands of new jobs across the country.”
Jennifer Young, associate director of visitor economy at Leeds and Partners, said: “We are delighted with the results of the spring/summer 2013 campaign, which have brought about an increased awareness of the city’s unique offer.
“These fantastic results demonstrate we are making real headway with our approach to ensure Leeds claims its rightful place as a destination city. Our visitor offer has improved significantly in recent years with the arrival of Trinity and first direct arena and with other new developments such as Victoria Gate in the pipeline, we are set to improve yet further. ”
Young said Leeds and Partners, which is responsible for driving sustainable economic growth, creating jobs and raising the profile of the city as a leading visitor destination, is in the process of establishing its long-term strategy for the visitor economy which will include overhauling its marketing strategy, taking a much more stakeholder centric approach and integrating closely with its inward investment activity.
“Our plans to grow developed and emerging national and international markets in the leisure, business and conferencing segments will help to drive volume and value of visitors to the city, which will secure sustainable economic growth and ultimately jobs,” Young added.
The RGF investment secured by the national tourist board, VisitEngland, focuses on working directly with destinations and the private sector to create a number of dedicated marketing campaigns throughout the country that will focus on specific areas and themes. In Leeds, the creative was borne out of research which identified an increasing trend towards ‘independent discovery’ and the desire to find hidden gems rather than mainstream attractions.
