Visit England denies ‘snub’ allegations
Visit England has defended itself against criticism from the Yorkshire tourist board that Yorkshire was ‘snubbed’ in the latest funding rounds.
Welcome to Yorkshire has complained to the Government after Visit England refused to give it any of the money set aside to help boost tourism because it claimed Yorkshire was not a ‘destination’.
Visit England has allocated £500,000 each to York and Leeds to help promote both Yorkshire cities, but Welcome to Yorkshire said its requests for funding to promote the county as a whole had been rejected.
In a statement, Visit England praised the work of Welcome to Yorkshire but said it does not have the resources to support the operational costs of any "sub national tourism organisation".
Instead, it said it works in partnership with these organisations across the whole of the country, including Welcome to Yorkshire, on our programmes of work.
It said the complaint from Yorkshire refers to Regional Growth Fund programme, which is not a tourism specific source of money but was created to stimulate the economy in areas of need and to create jobs at the local level.
It said the selection process for the destinations element of the programme was based on criteria of both economic need and tourism growth potential.
"In addition to the destinations activity there is also a thematic element of the Regional Growth Fund programme which Welcome to Yorkshire is able to participate in and we would hope that partners in Yorkshire will collaborate together with Welcome to Yorkshire to take advantage of this opportunity," said the statement.
"It is unfortunate that the funding stream for RGF which is set up to support growth at the local level appears to have become confused with VisitEngland’s overall approach to tourism.
"Be assured that we do recognise Welcome to Yorkshire as the tourism marketing body responsible for promoting Yorkshire. Be further assured we continue to seek out funding opportunities to support both tourism growth and the activities of organisations across England to facilitate and support that growth."
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026