It’s Great Doing Business in Yorkshire

Research Reveals Yorkshire’s Business Tourism Exceeds UK Average

Business tourism boosted the Yorkshire economy by a staggering £1.6billion in 2008 according to research just released.

The research, commissioned by Welcome to Yorkshire and Yorkshire Forward, is the most comprehensive study of business tourism anywhere in England and highlights how Yorkshire has exceeded the national average.

There has been an increase in conferences and events held in the region, now up to 180,000, with more than 10million delegates attending the various events. Spend in the region has also risen, generating revenue in excess of £490million. This figure is in addition to the £939million worth of spending at the conference venues themselves and a further £220million contributed to the market by exhibitions.

Gary Verity, chief executive at Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The research puts a true value on the business tourism economy and proves that Yorkshire as a business destination is high on the agenda, both nationally and internationally. Three of Yorkshire’s cities have appeared in research that revealed the ‘top twenty most visited English towns and cities by business visitors’ in 2008 – Leeds came 4th, with York ranked 7th and Sheffield placed at 11th.”

The strong growth in Yorkshire’s business tourism market is proving positive for employment figures; Yorkshire’s business tourism is now estimated to support in excess of 70,000 jobs in the region.

Nicola Lockwood, manager of Conference Leeds, says: “Generating £562million to the West Yorkshire economy demonstrates the importance of business tourism in West Yorkshire. Leeds constantly outperforms more established destinations including Glasgow, Cardiff and Brighton. We are very optimistic about the future as major events including the Local Government Communications Annual Conference and the 5th International Carers Conference are already booked to come to Leeds in 2010*.”

South Yorkshire is another example of good business tourism in the area. Yorkshire South won Best Destination at International Confex 2009. The Conference Ambassador Programme was also rolled out in 2008, which has generated more than £1million worth of Association business in its first year.

One of the many businesses to see the benefits is City Hall Sheffield. Dominic Stokes general manager of SIV Conferencing and Events and City Hall Sheffield, says: “We are continuing to see a real growth in our business events. Enquiries are pouring in and whilst event organisers’ expectations and desire for value of money and flexibility is getting tougher to satisfy we believe our venues are more than up for the challenge in exceeding those expectations.”

The success continues for Visit Hull and East Yorkshire who have increased the size of their conference team as a result of more money being generated in the first six months of 2009 than in the whole of 2008.

In York, tourism officials are confident that the new Cedar Court Hotel, converted from the old railway headquarters, will become the city’s first five-star hotel and will be a major pull for conference and event organisers wanting a top quality venue.

Business venues in North Yorkshire are also attracting attention. Having been awarded a Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Award and Yorkshire Moors & Coast award for its sustainable practices – The Crown Spa Hotel is leading the way for business tourism in the region as it celebrates the completion of a nine year, multi-million pound investment.

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward, said: “North, South, East and West Yorkshire each have a conference and events desk which works hard to establish good contacts with businesses and provide the best information to encourage them to bring events, conferences and exhibitions to Yorkshire and Humber.

“Having award-winning facilities across the region boosts the profile of the region as a whole. Our business tourism facilities are second to none and I am very pleased, though not surprised, by these figures.”

What the results show for 2008:

-Business tourism in Yorkshire generated £1.6billion turnover in 2008
-Business travellers spent an average of £47 on accommodation, travel, food and drink in the wider destination in Yorkshire, generating additional revenue of £490million
-Exhibitions in the region contributed a further £220million
-Business tourism is estimated to support 70,000 jobs in the region
-Over 180,000 conferences and events were held in the region, compared to 172,000 in the previous year
-The average number of events per venue is 497, which exceeds the national average (375)
-More than 10million delegates attended events, and conferences in the region last year, half a million more than the previous year
-There are 440 conference venues officially registered in Yorkshire.

Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism agency for Yorkshire and the Humber region. It exists to represent and help generate sustainable business for the region’s tourism industry which is worth £6.3bn to the region annually.
Welcome to Yorkshire is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.

For further information please contact:

Lucy Allen Press Officer
Email: lallen@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 3223563
Mobile: 07968 145611

Beverley Richmond Press Officer
Email: brichmond@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 3223507
Mobile: 07769 257380