Tour de Yorkshire 2019 shows true meaning of the words ‘weclome to Yorkshire’ – Jayne Dowle

Since the resignation of chief executive Sir Gary Verity, Welcome to Yorkshire has faced a string of problems. The organisation’s chairman has also resigned and two independent investigations into various management issues have been commissioned.

The Yorkshire Post says: What Welcome to Yorkshire must do to win back lost trust

Across the county too, local councils are reassessing their relationship with a body which was set up to help them promote all that is good and positive about their work in terms of tourism, culture and the visitor economy. Councils in Hull and Sheffield have already suspended their financial ties, pending the outcome of the investigations, while Scarborough Borough Council has put out a largely supportive statement.

Let’s not dwell, however. In terms of the sport, this year’s race has attracted its strongest-ever field as a string of star riders appear keen to test their mettle on our hills, dales and breath-taking coastal roads in preparation for the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in September.

This is great news for the region. Nothing shows off our amazing scenery as well as the television cameras panning around every bend. Last year, according to an independent survey by Nielson Sport, 40 global broadcasters covered the action, up from 34 in 2017, and there were more than 1,270 hours of television coverage shown.

And it is not just those unsurpassable rural views which impress the viewers; last year I had friends messaging me from London asking where these fantastic towns and historic buildings were in Yorkshire. When I told them that this was Barnsley and Stocksbridge they were talking about, they didn’t quite know what to say.

I smiled to myself, the words ‘‘I told you so’’ never quite passing my lips. And it’s not just our regional image which gets an injection of confidence. The regional economy does too.

Last year’s event boosted our collective coffers by an a massive £98m. TDY has also helped us towards a redefinition of what Yorkshire actually means. Often, we can find it easier to think about what we are not rather that what we are. When the furore over Welcome to Yorkshire kicked off, it prompted debate about cycling as a main driver for regional tourism.

Some critics argued that cycling had, under the auspices of Sir Gary, been promoted to the detriment of other regional attributes, attractions and events.

If this is indeed the case, then this year’s TDY should give tourism and cultural chiefs the opportunity to reassess the situation and measure Yorkshire’s myriad other positive points against this major event.

Do we, for instance, make enough noise about our theatres, concert halls and music festivals? Is enough done to tell the world about our outstanding historic houses such as Castle Howard in North Yorkshire and Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham?

Should we do more to promote our amazing gardens such as Harlow Carr in Harrogate and the Sheffield Botantical, and put our amazing woodlands, natural history and wildlife reserves firmly on the map? Rather than delivering a quick-hit impact, this year’s TDY should be the starting point for a root and branch regional re-evaluation.

But the Tour de Yorkshire does prove that we still have strong communities which pull together when there is something worthwhile to engage our interest – last year the majority of roadside spectators were from Yorkshire (79 per cent) with 21 per cent from elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

It reminds us also that we can still find inspiration and joy in a world which can so often be torn apart by difference and dissent. Even those of us who generally express no great interest in cycling can’t fail to be slightly uplifted by the excitement of seeing the riders whizzing by, transforming our workaday streets into something quite different and festive.

Despite the naysayers who complain about road closures and point out that the potholes on their street still haven’t been dealt with, TDY shows that it is possible to rise above the mundane and be proud of our villages, towns and cities. The yellow and blue bunting, often carefully made by community groups and schools, the bicycles hanging from trees and the flags in front gardens remind us that our homes and immediate environment are important.

And although our faith in governments and large companies and organisations is so regularly tested, we can at least look to ourselves and know that this event gives each one of us the chance to prove the true meaning of the words ‘‘welcome to Yorkshire’’.