REPRESENTATIVES from Castle Howard and Duncombe Park were among the 44 members of Yorkshire's Great Houses, Castles and Gardens (YGHC&G) to meet this week to put together a strategy to strike at the heart of the tourism market.

The Hon Simon Howard was one of several titled heads of Yorkshire to attend the annual meeting, which focused on attracting more visitors to the region.

The consortium, which was established in 1994, includes privately and local authority owned properties, as well as English Heritage and National Trust properties.

The elite properties boast a combined history of over 21,000 years.

In 1998, the group was awarded European funding in the region of £70,000 to assist in the overall promotion of its products to the consumer and the trade market over a period of three years.

The historic houses, castles, and gardens visitor market accounts for 5,638 million visits per year and owners, curators, and managers of attractions in North Yorkshire want a larger slice of the pie.

Topics raised at the meeting included concentrating marketing activity on key market segments, projecting a stronger consortium image and developing the brand image.

The meeting also focused on increasing media awareness of the consortium, increasing visitor numbers to member properties throughout the year, and maximising the benefit of new and emerging technology in tourism marketing.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Tourist Board said: "North Yorkshire has an astonishing wealth of heritage buildings and gardens.

"The consortium seeks to promote the attractions of these properties to a much wider audience, both at home and overseas, for the advancement of education and the furtherance of tourism."