Yorkshire is warming up for a Bumper Bank Holiday
Story Published: 27 August 2010
Yorkshire could be in line for a bumper Bank Holiday weekend according to a new survey from official tourism agency, Welcome to Yorkshire.
Results from Welcome to Yorkshire's How's Business? Survey, which samples a mix of accommodation providers across the county, reveals that 75% of those businesses surveyed said current booking levels for the Bank Holiday weekend were similar or higher than at the same time last year.
Over half of accommodation providers in the county are already at or near full capacity for the August Bank Holiday weekend this year. Scarborough is proving a particularly popular choice with at least two thirds of accommodation providers completely fully booked over the weekend. More good news for the town is that, at the time of the survey, over half of accommodation providers said they were at or near full capacity during the week leading up to the bank holiday.
Many businesses say that last minute bookings have been more common this year in general which could impact greatly on the weekend's booking outcome.
The optimistic results could mean Yorkshire experiences a strong summer season compared to the rest of the UK, following on from last summer's news that Yorkshire was the fastest growing region in the UK for attracting domestic visitors, up 31%.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said:
"These results show that Yorkshire really is the place to be this summer. We had a record breaking summer 2009 and this year is looking just as positive which is great news for the fabulous accommodation providers, visitor attractions, restaurants, pubs and teashops we have across the county."
Other survey results include a rise in the number of first time visitors and some businesses noting an increase in the number of couples staying in their establishments.
Gary added:
"Welcome to Yorkshire has significantly raised the profile of Yorkshire both domestically and internationally, we have been carrying the Yorkshire story around the world, and now it seems the results are starting to come through with more first time visitors and an increase in couples making bookings alongside our traditionally strong family market."
The tourism industry in the county has already seen significant growth since the creation of Welcome to Yorkshire 16 months ago. The value of tourism to the local economy has increased to £6.5bn per year with almost a quarter of a million jobs sustained by tourism in Yorkshire alone, in difficult economic conditions.
The impact of major events has been a huge draw to Yorkshire this year. In excess of 180,000 people attended the Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival and the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival; over 130,000 flocked to the Great Yorkshire Show in July and another 100,000 attended the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race finale in Hull.
Following on from these successes, hopes are high for this weekend's events which include the Leeds West Indian Carnival, Limetree Music and Arts Festival near Ripon, and The Forest of Galtres Festival at Crayke in addition to the ever successful Leeds Festival which sees people travelling to from across the country.
Further events and activities can be found on yorkshire.com
Editors' Notes:
- Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism body for Yorkshire, working to grow the county's visitor economy.
- Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.
- Key facts include:
- Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £6.5 billion annually
- The Yorkshire tourism industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
- There are 209 million visits to Yorkshire each year
For further information please contact:
Beverley Richmond - Press Officer
Email: brichmond@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3507
Mobile: 07769 257380
Andrew Denton - Press Officer
Email: adenton@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3537
Mobile: 07855 812094