THE borough of Scarborough has been named as one of the England’s most visited destinations.

Figures released by Visit England show the borough of Scarborough, which includes Filey, Scarborough, Whitby and parts of the North York Moors National Park, finished second overall for holiday trips and holiday spend, only missing out on the top spot to London.

For total trips and total spend, which includes business, holiday and other types of trips, the borough secured fourth place, with only London, Birmingham and Manchester finishing above it.

The figures are based on a three-year average for trips made by British visitors between 2013 and 2015.

Janet Deacon, Scarborough Borough Council's tourism manager and area director for Welcome to Yorkshire, said:

“We’re absolutely delighted with these recent figures, which show that we’re really punching above our weight when it comes to attracting visitors to our wonderful borough.

"We never rest on our laurels and are continually exploring new ways to attract more visitors, including a diverse and exciting calendar of events, investment in new technology for providing the very best in visitor information and supporting our tourism partners to go from strength to strength.”

Councillor Derek Bastiman, leader of Scarborough Borough Council, added: “While we have been the driving force behind reinventing our borough to meet the high expectations of today’s visitors, it is our partnership approach, working with those in the private sector that share our passion, which has really helped us to aim high and deliver results. Our doors are always open to anyone who wishes to be part of our winning coastal destination.”