Yorkshire’s hospitality and leisure industry is set for a bumper year – buoyed by “staycations” and the Tour de Yorkshire.
A survey by Barclays Corporate Banking found that a third of people in Yorkshire would choose to holiday in the UK rather than abroad – with Yorkshire itself and Scotland the most popular destinations.
Nationally, the survey – Destination UK: driving growth in the UK hospitality and leisure sector – said the industry was set for a record year with a significant increase in both home and international visitors planning holidays in the UK.
Across the UK, 36% of British holidaymakers are planning exclusively UK holidays this year and a further 16% expect to spend more than three-quarters of their total holiday time in the UK.
Nearly four in 10 respondents cite cost as a factor behind their decision to holiday in the UK said the weaker pound made holidaying at home preferable to holidaying overseas and 39% said a domestic holiday represented better value for money in 2017.
Among international holidaymakers, 63% said they were more likely to holiday in the UK than this time last year. High profile advertising campaigns, the weaker pound, greater spending power and the influence of TV programmes like The Crown were among the reasons for Britain’s appeal.
Tony Walsh, northern region managing director for Barclays Corporate, said: “Yorkshire is well-placed to benefit from a booming year for British staycations and with many holidaymakers now choosing to stay close to home, the importance of marketing local attractions and investing in new technologies and experiences to drive footfall is clear.
“Yorkshire is also one of the most popular destinations in the UK for international guests and it’s important for the regional economy that we continue to build on visitor numbers to our beautiful county.”
Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of regional tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “It’s no surprise that so many Yorkshire people want to stay in our fantastic county as it has so much to offer holidaymakers from near and far. It’s the perfect getaway, combining stunning landscape and coastline with the buzz of thriving cities.
“Global events like the Tour de Yorkshire bring hundreds of thousands of international and UK visitors to the county. Last year more than 2m spectators lined the route, and the race was televised in 178 countries and watched by 11.4m viewers across the world. It shows everyone that Yorkshire really is a first-class holiday destination.”
