Yorkshire has outperformed all other regions in England with the greatest rise in visitors to the county’s attractions.
According to VisitEngland’s Annual Attractions Survey 2017, published recently, Yorkshire attractions experienced the highest visitor increase in the country, with a 7% increase on 2016.
Yorkshire also saw the highest increase in local/day trip visitors at 9% on 2016, as well as a 7% spend increase across the county’s paid attractions.
Sir Gary Verity DL, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “This is magnificent news for Yorkshire and confirms the many positive results our members have individually reported over the past 18 months. Through events like the Tour de Yorkshire which have showcased the county on a global scale, as well as high profile national marketing campaigns taking Yorkshire across the country, it’s great to see everyone’s hard work paying off and our attractions reaping the benefits.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a diverse range of leading world-class attractions throughout the county to suit all ages and interests, including culture, heritage, activity, science, nature and wildlife. With something for everyone, Yorkshire is a must-visit destination for people all over the world.’’
The list of most visited free attractions in Yorkshire includes Millennium Gallery-Sheffield, the National Railway Museum-York, Ferens Art Gallery-Hull, Yorkshire Sculpture Park-Wakefield and the National Science & Media Museum-Bradford.
The most visited paid attractions in Yorkshire include Flamingo Land-Malton, Yorkshire Wildlife Park-Doncaster, York Minster and The Deep-Hull.
Flamingo Land and Yorkshire Wildlife Park also made the top 20 Most Visited Paid Attractions in England with Flamingo Land the third most popular attraction and Yorkshire Wildlife Park the 20th.
VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said: “Visitor attractions are an important part of our tourism landscape, driving visitors to discover more of England. It is great to see people are getting out and exploring the huge variety of attractions and places of interest on offer across the country, boosting tourism and distributing the benefits across local economies.”
