If you’re looking for somewhere to go for that late summer break then Yorkshire could be the place for you. Yes, you did read that right. The largest county in England has been awarded two gongs at the recent World Travel Awards held in Athens, Greece.
Dubbed as ‘the Oscars of the travel industry’, the coveted accolades recognised Yorkshire for being Europe’s Leading Destination, and its tourism agency, ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’, as having Europe’s Leading Marketing Campaign.
This all comes hot on the heels of the county successfully hosting the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in July this year.
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “This is yet more evidence that
Yorkshire continues to be the premier European travel destination by winning this prestigious award.
It is a tribute to the 12 months of hard work that has gone into making this year the most successful year of all time for the county.”
In Yorkshire’s case, success certainly seems to have bred more success, as this is the third time the county has won for its marketing campaign, and the second year in a row for being the top destination in Europe.
Destination Yorkshire: Must see attractions
So if you’re considering a trip to ‘God’s own county’, here are some things you can do when you get there.
York – The city which gives the county its name was one of the top 20 most visited towns in Britain last year by UK residents, with the Shambles being hailed as the country’s most picturesque street.
Shopping – For those in need of some retail therapy, Meadowhall in Sheffield boasts Europe’s biggest shopping and leisure complex and is visited by over 400,000 people every week.
Seaside – Scarborough has been welcoming families for the past 360 years and is Britain’s oldest seaside resort.
Snow – Winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy the real thing in Castleford’s Xscape. It has over 1,500 tonnes of real snow and the longest indoor slope in the UK at 170 metres.
National Parks – For outdoor types there is plenty on offer to explore as nearly one third of England’s national parkland is found in Yorkshire. (The North York Moors, most of the Yorkshire Dales and part of the Peak District.)
Heritage – Yorkshire is certainly rich in history with over 2,600 nationally important ancient monuments, 800 conservation areas and 116 registered parks and gardens. The county also has two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Studley Royal in North Yorkshire and Saltaire Village in West Yorkshire.
As we can see there are a wealth of different experiences and activities for you to enjoy whatever type of getaway takes your fancy. There’s also plenty of room to accommodate you if you want to stay overnight or longer, as Yorkshire has over 4,800 hotels, guesthouses, self-catering properties and campsites.
In fact there are enough bed spaces available to sleep the entire population of France over the course of a year.
By Sereena Assih Freelance Writer.
The images above are courtesy of the tourism agency ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’