'Economic sense' of investing in heritage

HERITAGE investment is one of the main drivers of Yorkshire's tourism industry and generates more than £2.1bn of annual visitor spending in the region, according to a report which warns of the economic cost of government funding cuts.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Oct 2010, 12:09 BST
Updated 14th Oct 2010, 12:09 BST

Membership of heritage organisations the National Trust and English Heritage is at an all-time high and their sites in Yorkshire and the North East saw nearly 2.2m visitors in 2009-10.

And the heritage industry has created and protected thousands of jobs in the past decade with the UK's historic attractions a major draw for foreign tourists, with one one third of international visitors citing heritage as their main reason for coming to the UK.

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The Heritage Counts study, which profiled five historic sites, found investment totalled 23.4m and for every 1 invested, 1.70 was generated for the local economy over 10 years, with half the jobs generated in places such as restaurants and shops.

The Yorkshire and Humber region annually attracts 37m day visitors, with a heritage-related activity being the main purpose of their trip.

But heritage bodies are worried about the possible impact of government funding cuts of at least 25 per cent.

Baroness Andrews, chairwoman of English Heritage, said: "Investing in heritage is not a luxury. It makes sound economic sense...heritage is the very thing that makes England special in the eyes of the world and can help to underpin the economic recovery."

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Among the heritage programmes highlighted by the study was The Cultural Industries Quarter (CIQ) in Sheffield.

Richard Motley, CIQ Agency vice-chair, said: "Investment in this heritage sector of Sheffield has enabled the development of schemes which support economic regeneration and form a centre of cultural and learning excellence and renewal in the city."

Related topics:YorkshireNational TrustEnglish HeritageNorth EastHumber