A NEW £10m fund to encourage international tourists to visit the North of England, has been announced by government.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and culture secretary Sajid Javid said £10m of government funding would be used to attract visitors from as far away as China and the USA, by encouraging tourism bodies to work together and ‘sell’ the region.

The Government predicts the move will bring £177 million into the region’s economy, create about 3,200 jobs, and result in two million more nights spent in local hotels and B&Bs.

Kate McMullen, head of Visit York, welcomed the announcement, and said: “We’re delighted by this news which will help increase the economic benefits of both leisure and business tourism, as well as introduce new audiences from overseas to all that the North of England has to offer.

“This represents a one-off opportunity for us to create real impact for York, Yorkshire and the North of England in our key international markets.

“These include the US, China, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. Being a part of this new campaign means that we can do even more to encourage visitors who fly into London for example to head north, as well as promoting direct flights via our first class regional airports.”