Tourism triumph

They show what can be achieved when there is a pro-active body that is busy promoting Yorkshire, and encouraging people to holiday here in even greater numbers than previously.

This continuing upsurge in visitors also offers salvation to a rural economy that might, otherwise, have struggled to withstand the downturn. This is important as John Penrose, the Tourism Minister, travels around the country to see how the holiday industry is evolving, and where financial savings can be achieved.

No publicly-funded body is going to be immune from the cuts. That goes without saying. Equally, it is important that the Government does not impose savings in a manner that undermines the economic yield from tourism.

So far, Ministers do not appear to understand this subtlety. They are simply looking at the financial bottom line. And, while this hard-headed approach helped to appease the City following the uncertainty over the General Election outcome, this process has to be handled in a manner that sees waste eradicated while encouraging those organisations helping bring about private sector growth.

It is also far too simplistic for Ministers to attribute the advent of the "staycation" phenomenon to the recession. In many respects, it is still far cheaper for many families to holiday abroad. What Welcome to Yorkshire is doing is highlighting this region's unrivalled qualities as a "must visit" tourist destination, irrespective of the financial backdrop.