Yorkshire in £30m tourism boost

More than 250,000 people work in tourism-related jobs in Yorkshire

Tourism managers in Yorkshire have unveiled a £30m marketing drive to lure more visitors to the region from the UK and overseas.

The "Get To Know Y" campaign will be used in TV, cinema, newspaper and online advertising.

The Yorkshire Tourist Board, which is now known as Welcome to Yorkshire, will also use social networking sites and online blogs to promote its message.

It hopes to boost tourism spending in the region by £300m a year.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "Today is the biggest event ever in the history of tourism in Yorkshire."

'Huge sum'

He told a 1,000-strong audience of business leaders and celebrities at the Royal Armouries in Leeds: "It is about persuading people to come to Yorkshire and spend their money here.

"The aim is to make this our first salvo in creating an image of Yorkshire that will shout to the rest of the UK, the rest of Europe and the rest of the world."

Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, is backing the initiative with a £30m investment over the next three years.

Mr Verity said: "I know it seems like a huge sum of money but we have to compete with destinations such as Scotland and Wales."

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The advert highlights the region's shops, countryside and history