Come to Yorkshire... and be sure to phone a friend

The campaign, launched by tourist board Welcome to Yorkshire, will see a "rhubarb and custard" garden featured as Yorkshire's entry to the Chelsea Flower Show – with a wooden chair in the shape of a spoon for presenter Alan Titchmarsh – and an 18-week sponsorship of the hit quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

The award-winning production of The Railway Children, based at the National Railway Museum in York, is to travel to London where an anticipated daily audience of 1,000 people will enjoy the production at Waterloo Station.

The show is scheduled to run from July to September and the theatre will include an area of exhibition space to showcase the region to thousands of commuters each day.

The chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire Gary Verity described the deal as "a major coup".

He said: "When it ran at the National Railway Museum in York, The Railway Children attracted huge audiences which is not surprising as it is such an engaging, interactive experience.

"We are incredibly excited to be taking such a successful show to London.

"This is a massive opportunity to raise the profile of Yorkshire in our capital city."

The announcements were part of a 4m package of new projects announced at Y10, the Welcome to Yorkshire annual conference.

More than 1,500 delegates travelled to Harrogate International Centre to hear about the plans and were told that talks were at an advanced stage to make a new TV series, The Dales, following on from the successful programme The Lakes.

The show, which could be aired by spring next year, will see a presenter spend the summer with local people to give an insight into life in the Dales National Park.

"The impact this is set to have on tourism figures cannot be underestimated," Mr Verity said. "The Lakes attracted average audiences of 4.3 million viewers and we're hoping even more will tune in for The Dales."

And in a bid to promote the region's array of gardens, Yorkshire will have its own displayed at this years Chelsea Flower Show. Named Welcome to Yorkshire's Rhubarb Crumble and Custard Garden, it will use edible themes to highlight the diversity of the region's food.

Further announcements included a commitment to tourism businesses affected by the proposed tax on furnished lettings.

The tax, already condemned by tourism chiefs and both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats, will hit self-catering accommodation businesses in the region potentially putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

Welcome to Yorkshire are backing the Yorkshire Post Give Tourism a Break campaign, which is demanding the policy be revised.

The introduction of the Yorkshire Pass – the first sightseeing pass for any UK region – was also announced as was sponsorship for the Scarborough Cricket Festival, a new Leeds sightseeing bus and boat and a contemporary art project.

And a new marketing campaign will feature TV, cinema and Press advertising, along with many outdoor promotions.

There will be 10 Welcome to Yorkshire branded trains travelling to regions including Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria.

The Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber, Rosie Winterton, was a guest at the event and praised the "impressive results" achieved during the last 12 months.

She said: "Welcome to Yorkshire has announced some very exciting plans today which I'm sure will build on the success achieved so far and encourage even more visitors to our region.

"We have so much to offer and with the 2012 Games on the horizon, there is a great opportunity to showcase this region on an international stage."

Key initiatives for coming year

The production of The Railway Children will move from the National Railway Museum in York to Waterloo station in London. An area of exhibition space at the theatre entrance will showcase Yorkshire.

A new reality show based in the Yorkshire Dales will follow on from the success of The Lakes. The series is in the pipeline to be on television next year.

Welcome to Yorkshire will sponsor one of the biggest shows on TV, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? for 18 weeks .

The region will have its own garden at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, the Welcome to Yorkshire Rhubarb Crumble and Custard Garden. The show will also be used to launch the Yorkshire Gardens Campaign.

A new advertising campaign will see 10 Northern Rail trains wrapped in the Yorkshire brand travelling in and out of the region – to Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria among others.

The introduction of the Yorkshire Pass, the first sightseeing pass for any UK region.

New Dragon's Den style funding grants for new product development projects.