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Y 09 - 3rd April - Royal Armouries, Leeds
Welcome to Yorkshire
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Ambitious plans to make Yorkshire one of the world’s top visitor destinations have been unveiled before an audience of over 1,000 people at Y 09, the largest tourism industry event ever held in Yorkshire.
The campaign,
“A long weekend in Yorkshire isn’t long enough” will be launched with a high profile television commercial and will be used in cinema and press advertising, and online marketing. Yorkshire Tourist Board, now known as “Welcome to Yorkshire” will have digital technology at the heart of its new strategy - using websites, social networking sites such as Facebook and blogging to encourage visitors to the region.
“Today we reveal the new face of tourism for the region. High impact, this is set to turn heads both here and overseas,” says a passionate Gary Verity, Chief Executive of the new “Welcome to Yorkshire”.
The tourism industry generates £6.3 billion pounds of revenue to the region’s economy and there are 250,000 people working in tourism related jobs.
Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, has shown their support for the tourism initiative in the form of a £30 million investment over the next three years. It is hoped that this will unlock a £300 million increase in annual visitor spend.
The Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward, Tom Riordan said of the event,
“Today is a major day for tourism in Yorkshire and Humber and Welcome to Yorkshire plans to develop the region’s visitor economy are greatly received. Our region is a ‘Country in a County’ with its brilliantly vibrant cities, breathtaking national parks and rejuvenated seaside towns, making it one of the best visitor regions. Tourism is one of those sectors that can keep Yorkshire and Humber afloat during the economic downturn – with many people opting to holiday in the UK and we can reach out to global markets that can take advantage of the weak pound. We are aiming high and shaping the region’s tourism agenda, which will have a positive impact on Yorkshire and Humber’s economy”.
Gary Verity says,
“I know it seems like a huge sum of money but we have to compete with destinations such as Scotland and Wales. We want to make sure more visitors are coming to Yorkshire and spending their money in Yorkshire.”
The tourism showcase set its stall out to wow delegates with a brand new promotional approach to attracting visitors to the region. It’s hoped the high profile television ads will encourage more people in the UK to think about visiting Yorkshire.
Overseas marketing campaigns are an important part of the initiative to cash in on the current economic climate which could see overseas visitors taking advantage of the currency exchange rates to visit the UK. 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 and in 2007 won the Best European Drama.
Heartbeat stars Tricia Penrose, who plays barmaid Gina Ward, and Nikki Sanderson, who plays Dawn Bellamy, joined the launch to promote Yorkshire tourism.
“I think Heartbeat does Yorkshire proud and it helps to attract visitors from other parts of the country and further afield to visit North Yorkshire so I’m delighted to be supporting this event,” said Heartbeat’s Tricia Penrose.
Gary Verity says, “We have chosen Heartbeat because it is a much loved iconic programme which has captured the hearts and minds of people both here and abroad. We are sponsoring a product that is highly regarded and helps to brings visitors into our region.”
Y 09 was attended by many high profile business leaders and politicians. The Minister for Yorkshire & the Humber, Rosie Winterton, said,
“One of my top priorities - and it has been since I became regional minister - is to promote Yorkshire & the Humber as a great place to live, to visit and to do business.
"We have beautiful coastline, fantastic countryside, stunning locations to visit, delicious food and fabulous culture. All that plus warm and welcoming people.
"The Yorkshire brand is second to none. I am delighted that the tourist board is really getting out there and spreading the message nationally and internationally."
Gary Verity told a packed audience,
“With such ambitious and exciting plans the thought of Yorkshire becoming a top global destination is now a realistic possibility.”