As the Northern Futures Summit takes place in Leeds, Nick Clegg is responding to ideas put forward by the public, which include developing a plan to attract more tourists to the North of England and for tourists to make the most of the stunning countryside, history and culture that the North of England has to offer.
The Government is making £10m available to back proposals for a clear strategy for boosting tourism in the North. At present London has 4.5 times more international visitors than the North of England as a whole, while Scotland as twice as many tourists as Yorkshire or the entire North West.
Nick Clegg said:
‘It’s absurd that our great North is missing out on visitors when it boasts such stunning countryside, history and culture. Through the Northern Futures project, I asked people what our Northern cities needed in order to compete globally, and to grow.
‘Your resounding call is clear – a strong Northern future relies on putting the North back on the map: a top tourist destination. From next year, funding will be in place for there to be a clear strategy for tourism in the North, bringing harmony to the current offer from 29 individual tourism boards into one great offer.’