Nick Clegg will commit £10 million for a more “joined-up” Northern tourism strategy.
The Deputy Prime Minister has called it “absurd” that the North is lagging behind other British destinations, despite featuring “stunning countryside, history and culture.”
Figures from the government suggest that the North accounted for less than a quarter of all visits to English tourist attractions, with nearly a third of visitors to Britain not even travelling outside the capital.
Clegg wants to unite the local knowledge of the 29 individual tourism boards in order to make it easier for tourists to access the full range of tourist attractions that the North has to offer.
The Deputy Prime Minister also wants to market Northern cities’ existing strengths and put together a decisive action plan for attracting more visitors to the North: recent government figures show that 450% more tourists visit London than the North, and that Scotland has twice as many visitors as the entire North West region.
Nick Clegg, who is also a Sheffield MP, said:
“It’s absurd that our great North is missing out on visitors when it boasts such stunning countryside, history and culture. Through the Northern Futures project, I asked people what our Northern cities needed in order to compete globally, and to grow.
“A strong Northern future relies on putting the North back on the map: a top tourist destination. From next year, I’m putting funding in place for there to be a clear strategy for tourism in the North, bringing harmony to the current offer from 29 individual tourism boards into one great offer.”
Words: Peter Cribley