New data has revealed that tourism contributes £4 billion to the economy of North Yorkshire.

Figures released by North Yorkshire Council have revealed the extent that tourism contributed to North Yorkshire’s visitor economy last year, attracting in more than 31 million people to the county. 

The report into the data suggests that the local tourism industry supports 38,486 jobs through direct and indirect employment, making up 13 per cent of all employment across North Yorkshire. 

The figures have been collected for the first time using the STEAM model, which measures the economic impact of visits to an area.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: "The release of these new figures not only confirms the importance of tourism to our local economy, but it also provides a baseline to work from as we begin an exciting new journey for the visitor economy in North Yorkshire.

"The value of the visitor economy must not be underestimated which is why we have made it a priority for us.

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"It supports tens of thousands of jobs and sees visitors come to the county from across the world, and we are committed to ensuring that the sector continues to grow."

The release of the data comes as the newly established tourism service under North Yorkshire Council, Visit North Yorkshire, hosts a stand at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate. 

Cllr Les added: "The Great Yorkshire Show is just one example of activity that can attract visitors into the county.

"With more than 140,000 visitors attending, there is great opportunity to showcase our destination to this captive audience. 

"The Visit North Yorkshire stand will do just that by providing useful information to showgoers about what they can see and do in the area with the objective of encouraging extended and return visits."

It was announced in November last year that a joint bid for a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for both York and North Yorkshire had been approved, in a bid to create a more co-ordinated approach to promoting the tourism sector.  

The partnership, which was approved by a panel involving the VisitEngland tourism organisation and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, say they aim to ensure that the greatest benefits are achieved for both York and North Yorkshire’s visitor economy.