The Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Secretary have announced a £10m fund to promote the North of England as a “top tourist destination.”
The cash will be used to get regional tourism bodies, such as Cumbria Tourism, Marketing Manchester and Welcome To Yorkshire to work together to promote the North.
“Visitors to Britain want to see world-class heritage, culture and stunning landscapes, and the North of England has these in abundance,” said Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid.
“By helping destinations work closely together to attract tourists we will ensure everywhere from Leeds to the Lake District benefits. This, in turn, will set an example across the country, showing what can be achieved when we work collaboratively.”
The Government said that it hoped the initiative would pump £177m into the local economy and create more than 3,200 jobs, with 2m additional nights spent in local hotels and B&Bs.
“This is tremendous news for tourism in Manchester and of course, across the North of England as a whole. Greater Manchester has been developing its tourism product at a rapid pace and we continue to position a unique and highly appealing offer to overseas visitors,” said Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism for Marketing Manchester.
“The new programme of investment will build on our existing strengths and help to generate additional overnight stays and visitor spend, ensuring we can fulfil the region’s economic potential.
“Indeed since the Deputy Prime Minister announced this fund last November, there has been an intense period of discussion with VisitEngland, of which Marketing Manchester has played an integral role to ensure the creation of a robust and successful plan.”
One part of the plan will be to bring influential travel journalists to the North to experience the region’s festivals, cultural and sporting attractions, including the Manchester International Festival and the Tour de Yorkshire.
The initial target markets for the marketing campaign are the USA, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.
