Tourism spend boosts regional economy
ALMOST £7bn has been brought into Yorkshire’s economy, aided by overnight holiday visitor spend, since the launch of tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire, new figures have revealed.
Yorkshire has seen a 22% increase in the number of overnight holiday visitors, compared to a UK average of 12%.
Welcome to Yorkshire’s high-profile marketing and PR campaign and two world awards have helped promote the region on a global stage.
The economic impact of tourism to the county has risen from £5.9bn almost two years ago, to nearly £7bn.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Confidence is key when it comes to attracting visitors.
“Fortunately for us Yorkshire is an amazing destination, we have bucket loads of confidence and our hot tip is that it will be the UK’s top place to be in 2011.
“Our national economy is dependent on sectors which can grow and succeed. It’s absolutely imperative we have the support to sustain this growth, for our industry and those which depend on it.
“The tourism industry supports a quarter of a million jobs. Our job is work with our fantastic industry partners to give Yorkshire an international profile, bring visitors into the county and grow visitor spend whilst they are here.”
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