Welcome to all

THOSE fortunate enough to live, or work, in Yorkshire know that there is no finer place in Britain. They don't need to be reminded of this on a daily basis; they can experience the region's breathtaking scenery, and vibrancy, on trips into the countryside – or a visit to a historic city like York.

This is why Welcome to Yorkshire is entirely right to devise a new marketing strategy that concentrates on the national picture rather than preaching to the converted at a local level. Tourism is big business – and every UK region is increasing its promotional activity as families look to holiday at home rather than venture abroad.

Not one marketing campaign, however, will be as innovative as the creativity behind the Y 10 campaign at its Harrogate launch yesterday. It intends to use a range of media – including the performance of a stage version of The Railway Children on the platforms of Waterloo Station, London – to promote this region as a holiday destination.

Following on from its successful association with Heartbeat, Welcome to Yorkshire will now sponsor Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, still one of the most popular programmes on terrestrial television, and back a brand new television series, The Dales, which intends to capture the national park at its very best.

Those who question the wisdom of such expenditure should remember this: tourism is one of the key components to this region's economy. And, while last summer was a successful one, in spite of the inclement weather, complacency is not an option if Yorkshire is to become the UK's top visitor destination.

This is a bold objective – but, at the end of the day, progress cannot be achieved without ambition; a trait that underpins every element of this year's tourism drive.