COMEDY duo Hale and Pace once produced a spoof commercial for Yorkshire Airlines.

In under two-and-a-half minutes the sketch ticked off almost every Yorkshire stereotype there is. Ferrets up the trousers, whippets, real ale, outside toilets, drab decor, plain food, arrogance and brusqueness by stocky women call Doris who say "ay up" a lot all featured.

Twenty years on and the sketch is still very funny but the references to an old fashioned Yorkshire stuck in its contrary ways will go over the head of many younger viewers who stumble on the clip on YouTube.

According to those whose job it is to promote the county, Yorkshire is no longer seen as dull and dreary. While the county is respectful of a past shaped by heavy industry and agriculture, the new Yorkshire is said to be young, raw, dynamic and exiting.

Gary Verity is chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, which has done more than any organisation to change the image of the county.

He says that when the tourism agency was launched in 2008 it was with the aim of altering perceptions and focusing attention on more positive aspects of the county's personality.

These include its glorious scenery, thriving cities and culinary offerings, with the county boasting more-Michelin starred restaurants than any other in England outside London.

The success of Yorkshire athletes at the London Olympics was also seized upon. You might have heard it before as Yorkshiremen and women are fond of repeating it, but if the county had been a country its haul of seven gold medals, two silver and three bronzes would have placed it in twelfth position in the medal table.

Most recently the county's crowning glory has been the huge success of the Grand Depart which showed the world that Yorkshire had both stunning countryside and the ability to throw a damn good party.

"Yorkshire is undoubtedly on the map globally now and thanks to that amazing weekend on July 5 and 6 the lazy stereotypes of it being 'grim up north' should finally have been put to bed," says Mr Verity.

The Yorkshire Dales resident, who runs a sheep farm when not promoting the county to the world, believes there is nothing in the UK that comes close to the brand power of Yorkshire at the moment.

"We are rightfully at the forefront of everyone’s minds and we have done it with little support from central Government to really promote the county to its fullest which would help rebalance the economy away from London, which is part of the Government’s stated aims for tourism."

Mr Verity believes the tangible benefits of that brand power are companies wanting to relocate to Yorkshire and expand in Yorkshire, as well as young people who will consider holidaying and working in Yorkshire and keeping the next generation of talent in the county.

Richard Norman, chairman of business consultancy Brand Yorkshire, which helps firms take advantage of their Yorkshire roots, says that as well as a uplift in the county's public image, Yorkshire cities like Leeds have undergone massive redevelopments in recent years, while once-neglected towns like Doncaster are also enjoying significant improvements.

He adds: "We went through a very hard time like most parts of the country from 2008 to 2011 and 2012, but the people of Yorkshire are very resilient and now they're fighting back.

"As the economy picks up we're now starting to see a shortage of good quality commercial offices in some Yorkshire cities, prompting lots of refurbishment work.

"People feel very passionately about their part of Yorkshire and the county as a whole and want to do business with local people which is good for the local economy."

Knaresborough-based bluestone design group specialise in branding and sales director Jonathan Robson says he is not surprised Yorkshire's stock has risen so highly.

"We boast award-winning hotels and restaurants and are surrounded by stunning countryside with friendly, welcoming people," he says, adding that Yorkshire folk have known for years that we are so much more than flat caps and whippets.

"We’ve just been keeping it to ourselves but we are now more than happy to share."

At the end of the Hale and Pace sketch, Captain Boycott - who else - declares: "Yorkshire Airlines - departing Leeds International Airstrip and touching down 20 minutes later at Leeds International Airstrip because if it's outside Yorkshire it's not worth bloody visiting."

It may have been a joke but the county's resurgence has no doubt emboldened a new generation of Yorkshire folk to believe their county is still a very special place.

  • Yorkshire Day: A celebration in pictures - Pages 35-38