When people fly into London's Heathrow airport, they will have a new incentive to travel on north: VisitBritain has launched a series of new campaign advertisements at the airport that will promote Yorkshire to international visitors.
The promotional campaign images will be live across 134 digital screens in all terminals at Heathrow, focusing on Yorkshire’s countryside, retail and architectural strengths.
Yorkshire by the Numbers
The campaign comes as Yorkshire is seeing a rise in international tourism. In 2013, the region had 1.2 million visits from overseas - an increase of 11.7 percent from the previous year and almost back to the pre-economic crisis record of 2008. Visitors spent an average of 8.6 nights in Yorkshire on these visits and the total amount spent in 2013 reached a new record of £584 million - a significant increase of 34.8 percent on the previous year.
The cities of Leeds and York consistently make the top twenty most visited cities in Britain by international visitors. In 2013 York was the 14th most visited city - up four places from 2012, when it held 18th place. Leeds reached 11th place in 2013, moving up from 12th place in 2012. There were 36 percent more visitors to the city of York in 2013 (271,000 visits) compared to 2012.
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The Tour de France in Northern England
The campaign is also especially timely as the northern region is set to host the Tour de France Grand Départ in July. According to the Yorkshire Post, Princes William and Harry and Duchess Catherine are set to attend the Grand Départ to see off the 22 cycling squads as they get the first leg of the 2,272-mile trip under way from Leeds.
According to the Yorkshire post, riders will race against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales as they make their way from Leeds to Harrogate on July 5. The 101st tour will feature two more stages in Britain before heading across the English Channel.