Yorkshire to boost food and tourism sector with bid for £150k grant

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss has called on Yorkshire’s food and tourism community to apply for their share of a dedicated £150k fund.

The new grant, which has been set up by Defra’s Great British Food Unit, will allow local partnerships – which could include community groups, trade bodies and National Parks – to group together and bid for up to £25k each.

The money will then be used to promote regional food and drink, grow Yorkshire businesses and potentially create more jobs.

According to Visit Britain, food is a major factor in deciding where to visit for a third of all visitors. New research published today also shows the importance of food and drink in attracting tourists to rural areas with £5.7bn spent by visitors to rural areas in 2013.

As for Yorkshire, recent figures revealed that tourism in the county contributed £3.2bn of the overall £59bn that the tourism sector generated last year.

The new fund will is also expected to significantly boost tourism for the region.

The ‘Rural Tourism and Local Food and Drink’ report also reveals how an attractive food and drink offer can extend the tourist season, which further boosts local economies.

Speaking at the Great Yorkshire Show, Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: “Food is at the heart of our culture and we want it to be at the heart of our tourism trade too. Across the nation we have seen how great food can transform a region – imagine Cornwall without the celebrated pasty, or Whitby without its iconic fish and chips. It creates wealth, jobs and opportunity for countless rural areas.

“Our Great British Food campaign is all about championing British produce, at home and abroad, and this new funding means an extra boost for exciting and diverse regional cuisine all around the country.

“From forced rhubarb to Wensleydale cheese, perfect pub lunches to Michelin star dining, Yorkshire is home to some of our finest food and drink. I want to see local partnerships take advantage of this new grant to take Yorkshire’s status as a dining destination to the next level.”

Yorkshire is one of the country’s top tourist destinations and already has a strong food identity, with projects such as the Tour de Yorkshire Cuisine – a map of the top food hotspots along the Tour de Yorkshire cycle route – highlighting the benefits of partnership working and food innovation.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, added: “Yorkshire has some of the best food and drink producers in the world; from Michelin starred restaurants, to award winning breweries and artisan food producers.

“I would encourage Yorkshire’s growers, suppliers and producers to bid, through Welcome to Yorkshire, for this funding to continue to grow and showcase the region’s fantastic culinary offering to the world and shout about our Yorkshire food identity.”

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