Why the tourism sector is heating up in Yorkshire

Personally, I feel that as a region, Yorkshire has a lot to celebrate. During my time at Bdaily, I have seen the region’s tech and digital industries continue to blossom, followed budding entrepreneurs launch innovative startups, witnessed the emergence of a Northern Powerhouse, and reported on the ongoing success of Yorkshire’s more traditional sectors.

However, I do believe Yorkshire needs to remember that one of its most prosperous sectors is tourism. For instance, according to recent figures published by Visit Britain, among tough competition in tourism sector, Yorkshire contributed £3.2bn of the overall £59bn that generated last year. Impressive right?

So what about this year? 2016 will undoubtedly be remembered for the vote for Britain to leave the European Union. The aftermath has already seen the appointment of the country’s second female Prime Minister, tensions rise among political parties and the economy left reeling.

But as uncertainty continues to clouds Theresa May’s post-Brexit Britain, I wanted to highlight and celebrate why the sun is shining brightly on Yorkshire’s tourism sector.

Sport

Over the past two years, the Tour de Yorkshire has attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators to the region over the course of a weekend to watch the best cyclists in the world, and this year was no different.

The 2016 Tour de Yorkshire, which took place over the weekend from April 29 to May 1, provided a £60m boost to the region’s economy. This year’s race saw a 27.8% year on year increase in accommodation spend, and non-accommodation items such as food and drink, souvenirs and transport was also up from last year by 12.4%.

In addition, the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon also took place for the first time in Leeds on the 11-12 June 2016. Around 100,000 people attended the World Series event to watch the world’s best triathletes, including the hometown brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee.

Both sporting events are set for a return in 2017.

Retail

As one of the best shopping destinations in the country, tourists visiting Yorkshire will most certainly also take part in a little retail therapy. But as visitors flock to the usual hot spots such as Sheffield’s Meadowhall, Leeds’ Victoria Quarter and the York Designer Outlet, I wanted to give a shout out to two of the newest retail destinations in the region.

In June, the £50m Fox Valley town centre development in north Sheffield opened its doors. Anchored a 20,000 sq ft Aldi store, the development has delivered a brand new town centre for north Sheffield, and attracted a lineup of new stores to this part of the region, including the Cornish Fashion and homewares brand Seasalt, the boutique mother and baby store JoJo Maman Bebe and the first multi brand store from The Edinburgh Woollen Mills, including Ponden Home and Peacocks.

Ponti’s Italian Kitchen has chosen Fox Valley for its first restaurant outside London, which is set around a landscaped fountain area at the centre, - also home to a Central Bean Coffee Shop and the Yorkshire-based gourmet burger company NYC Bar and Grill.

A second phase of store openings will follow in September when the centre’s boutique department store Sandersons will open as well as M&Co and Next.

The much-anticipated £165m Victoria Gate scheme in Leeds is also set to welcome shoppers for the first time in October. This brand new retail development will become part of the new 575,000 sq ft Victoria Estate shopping district, which also includes Leeds’ Victoria Quarter arcades.

Victoria Gate is expected to attract visitors nationally and from around the world, as it is set to feature a flagship John Lewis store, as well as new retailers and restaurants including Russell & Bromley, Aspinal of London, Le Pain Quotidien, Neom Organics, T2, GANT, Hackett, Tommy Hilfiger, Anthropologie and international restaurant group D&D.

Culture

As well as Hull becoming the UK City of Culture in 2017, Bradford has now launched a bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North, which is set to take place in summer 2018.

For a two-month period, the Great Exhibition of the North will showcase the best of art, culture and design in the North of England to national and international audiences.

This exposure will be able to bring these two cities, as well as Yorkshire, into the limelight and show off Yorkshire’s rich cultural heritage. Thus, attracting more people to our region.

Analysis

Whether it is shopping, food and drink, sport or culture, Yorkshire offers a plethora of opportunities for tourists to enjoy visiting our region all year round.

But as a large percentage of tourists visiting Britain are from EU countries, the long-term effects of the Brexit vote are still not yet realized. As for the short-term impact, Yorkshire may soon feel the benefits of the Brexit vote as the drop in the value of the pound has led to a surge in bookings from Europe bound for the UK.

However, in recent weeks we have already seen cheap holidays provider Lowcostholidays.com go into adminstration and Thomas Cook reported an 8% decrease in revenues. This, coupled with the recent terror attacks in Europe, could play a significant part in where holidaymakers plan to visit.

Will the tourism sector in Yorkshire remain strong in a post-Brexit Britain? Have your say in our comments section below