The Yorkshire Tourist Board (YTB) has said the region is reaping the rewards of its Biggest Break marketing campaign.

Funded by Yorkshire Forward, the campaign targeted London, the south east, the north west and the Midlands and figures produced for VisitBritain by the United Kingdom Tourism Survey show the region has received 600,000 extra trips from people from those areas.

The research has also shown the Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire region has seen an increase in visitor spending of 17.5 per cent in the first six months of 2003, compared with a national decrease of 2.5 per cent.

Targeting high spenders has seen a 31 per cent increase in spending by people from the south east alone – the equivalent of an extra £29m.

The number of city breaks taken in the region has also risen, by 25 per cent.

Chief executive of YTB, David Andrews, said: “The figures bear out what we have been seeing on the ground.

“Businesses have been reporting a more buoyant market, especially from London and the south east, an area where we have undertaken extensive target marketing.

“The figures now show our work is paying dividends for tourism in Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

“The next set of domestic results should show an even greater increase if the feedback we are getting from businesses now is as good an indication as feedback given for the first half of the year.” Details: www.ytb.org.uk