The Yorkshire Post says: Yorkshire success - Tourism worth £8bn to region

The fact that tourism is now worth a staggering £8bn to the county’s economy, a rise of £1bn since 2011, is a reminder of just how integral it is to the region’s continuing prosperity.

This doesn’t simply happen by chance and huge credit must go to Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, and his team who have been at the forefront of this drive over the past seven years. Together they have helped make Yorkshire the new capital of world cycling, triggered by the success of the greatest Grand Départ in the Tour de France’s illustrious history.

It is not only a story of sporting success. Over the past decade the county has established itself as one of the most sought-after TV and film locations in the country, with Victoria, The Crown and Peaky Blinders among the hugely popular series filmed here.

And tourists have been flocking to places that a generation ago would have seemed almost unthinkable. Figures published last week revealed that Hull’s tenure as UK City of Culture, which attracted a total audience in excess of five million, will be worth more than £300m to the local economy.

It shows what a transformative effect art, music and culture can have when it is properly harenessed. A thriving tourism industry is good for business and good for jobs and proves, not that there was surely ever any doubt, that Yorkshire really does know how to put on a great show.