Grand Départ of the Tour de France provides Yorkshire tourism boom  

Yorkshire-based tourism businesses have experienced a major boost in visitors over the last 12 months due to the region’s Grand Départ of the Tour de France.

New figures from Visit England reveal that visitor spend is up by 45% since last June, while businesses report Yorkshire’s Grand Départ has prompted an big increase in bookings over the last 12 months.

This news comes as Welcome to Yorkshire prepares for the Great Yorkshire Show later this week with celebrity appearances from the Calendar Girls, Emmerdale’s Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle) and Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk) and Leeds Featherweight champion Josh Warrington.

Latest figures show visitors to Yorkshire are up by nearly a quarter and overnight visitors are up by 20% in the last 12 months, according to VisitEngland.

Businesses believe Yorkshire’s Grand Depart in 2014 has prompted the increase.

Rental company holidaycottages.co.uk has experienced a 120% increase in Yorkshire bookings in July 2015, compared to July 2014.

James Morris, managing director, holidaycottages.co.uk, said: “As one of the fastest growing areas in our portfolio, Yorkshire is a top destination for our holidaymakers.

“The boom in the area has a lot to thank the Grand Départ for; for showing the world what a stunning place Yorkshire is and how much is has to offer all types of holidaymakers.’’

Yorebridge House, in Bainbridge, North Yorkshire, has seen a 20% year on year increase in turnover and June 2015 was the premises’ best month in eight years.

Best Western Cedar Court Hotel at Harrogate has seen a 14% rise in turnover, which resulted in a major refurbishment of their bedrooms, conferencing and dining rooms.

Carr House Farm, a family run B&B in Ampleforth, also revealed a 50% rise in international bookings with visitors heading over from France, Sweden, Austria and Germany.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see that the county and its businesses are reaping the rewards of Yorkshire’s Grand Depart.

“We knew that once we showcased Yorkshire to the world, we would inspire potential visitors to come and see this beautiful county for themselves. These fantastic statistics show just that and I have no doubt that Yorkshire businesses will continue to flourish and build on that success for many years to come.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone to our stand at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show and celebrating another fantastic year for Yorkshire.’’

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