Partner Article

Family first in friendly Geordieland

Most people would prefer to invite their own friends and family to visit rather than celebrities such as David Tennant, Kylie or George Clooney according to new research, which also revealed that Geordies offer the warmest welcome across the UK.

The findings, which formed part of research commissioned by destination marketing agency, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, (NGI), looked at all aspects of what makes people feel welcome when visiting a city for the first time. The research coincides with the inaugural visit of the QE2 to North East England (16-17 September) as part of her 40th anniversary celebrations.

The research also revealed that the popular Geordie duo Ant and Dec are the celebrities which most people think would make them feel most welcome if they were lucky enough to be invited round for tea, taking 50% of the vote. The TV stars beat off competition from the likes of Davina McCall, the Queen and the Beckhams to take the top spot in all age groups across the country.

Stella Hall, Creative Director, at NGI said: “The fact that two Geordies have topped this poll is great news but comes as little surprise. We are always hearing that the region, but in particular its people, are renowned for the warm welcome they extend to visitors. The arrival of this magnificent vessel this month and its hundreds of passengers presents us with the perfect occasion to demonstrate just how well we do this.”

Accents were also shown to be a major influence on whether respondents regarded people they met during their trip to be friendly or not. According to the research those with a Geordie accent were deemed the friendliest, polling 25% of the vote, followed by those from Yorkshire and Scotland both with 18%.

For more information about the QE2’s visit to North East England log onto www.NewcastleGateshead.com/QE2.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .