Tourism board VisitEngland is on the hunt for an agency to promote the North of England as a tourist destination for international visitors.
The pitch is being handled through the Crown Commercial Service and is open to the agencies on the government’s roster.
York Minster, one of the North’s most popular tourism attractions
In November the government committed £10m to a “clear strategy for tourism in the North”.
The then deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “It’s absurd that our great North is missing out on visitors when it boasts such stunning countryside, history and culture.
“From next year, I’m putting funding 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.”
The Government hopes the initiative will pump £177m into the local economy and create more than 3,200 jobs, with 2m additional nights spent in local hotels and B&Bs.
The initial target markets for the marketing activity are said to be USA, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.
