Dignitaries and business leaders to promote New York and Yorkshire links as ledger stone begins trip across Atlantic

In May, a group of Yorkshire dignitaries and business representatives will combine to mark the occasion with a range of civic and trade related activities to promote links between the regions.

The inscribed stone slab was designed by stonemason Richard Bossons, who was responsible for creating York Minster’s statue of Queen Elizabeth II. It will be formally unveiled during a special evensong and civic reception at the Church of St Thomas on May 5, which will conclude a week of business networking events to promote York and North Yorkshire.

The West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is leading on the wider trade mission in a bid to develop new opportunities for its members, with major partners including LNER and Leeds Bradford Airport.

Speaking on the week of activities, chief executive of the Chamber, James Mason, said: “Across the week we will be holding a number of events to showcase why North Yorkshire is a great place to visit, live, study and do business.

“We have both the University of York and York St John university with us, travel brands such as LNER and Leeds Bradford Airport as well as a number of iconic visitor attractions such as Castle Howard, hotels including Grantley Hall and the Grand in York as well as the award winning York Gin Group to give North American delegates a real taste of Yorkshire provenance.”

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One of the businesses making the trip is City Cruises who operate sightseeing boat tours on both the River Ouse in York and Hudson River in New York. Chris Pegg, head of regional commercial, sales & marketing at City Cruises, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the delegation on a ‘Sights & Sips Cruise’ on the Hudson River and look forward to showcasing why City Cruises are known as a global leader in world-class experiences and creating unforgettable memories every day for guests and each other.

"As part of the trade mission, we are working with partners in York’s tourism industry to develop and forge strategic partnerships to increase and encourage visitors to our city, as well as meet and engage with group travel organisers to increase sales to our York and wider UK operations”

Vincent Hodder, CEO at Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “Leeds Bradford Airport is the international gateway to our region and is vital to our economy, community and particularly for trade and tourism. This trade mission is designed to build a bridge between York and New York and we feel that it is part of our commitment to the Yorkshire business and tourism community that the airport does everything it can to foster and increase those links.

“We have seen the positive impact of North American tourism to Scotland generating £1.4b in 2023, over a third of total tourism income. Yorkshire is a larger economy, larger population and has equally beautiful landscapes, coastlines, history, golf courses and of course the City of York itself. Increasing North American tourism has the potential to bring hundreds of millions in additional direct spending in Yorkshire based businesses and attractions and even greater impacts in terms of jobs, opportunity and economic impact.”

Castle Howard visitor attraction director, Abbi Ollive, said: “We’re thrilled to be taking part in this exciting trade visit, and deepening our relationships with the North American travel sector.

“North American visitors are very important to us as one of our largest international markets, we love welcoming groups to our House and Gardens to experience our beauty and history. With York’s status as a UNESCO Creative City, and the Howardian Hills, where Castle Howard is based, a dedicated National Landscape known for its beauty, this is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Castle Howard, York, and the wider region to potential visitors.”