MILLIONS of pounds will be spent promoting the North York Moors as it is revealed that tourism generates £8billion to Yorkshire’s economy.

Over the next ten years, £5million is being spent to promote the moors, with £1million being spent over the next 18-months.

A huge campaign is getting underway with adverts in cinemas, radio and on TV as well as in titles such as Cycling Weekly, Marie Claire and Woman and Home.

A further £1million has also been pledged from the Discover England Fund, led by Visit England, to promote Yorkshire as a top cycling holiday destination in Europe.

The news was announced at the UK’s largest tourism event, Welcome to Yorkshire’s Y18 conference at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre, where the value of tourism to the region was revealed.

Independent research carried out by Sheffield Hallam University showed that money generated by visitors to Yorkshire has increased by 14 per cent since the last report in 2011.

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “It’s fantastic news that tourism in Yorkshire is now worth an incredible £8 billion to the county’s economy.

“Add to that the record-breaking visitor numbers that many of our top attractions have had and it just goes to show just how strong the Yorkshire brand really is.

“We are on an all-time high and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone’s hard work.

“Yorkshire is competing on a global scale to be a top visitor destination.’

The conference also heard that Welcome to Yorkshire will be creating bookable tourism products to target travellers in Germany and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Richmond artist Lucy Pittaway used the conference to unveil her official collection for the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire.

In a break from the tradition of painting just one official piece, Ms Pittaway has released five official pictures for this year’s race. Four represent each stage of the newly extended four-day men’s race and two-day women’s race, with a fifth picture depicting the brutal climb up and over the iconic Park Rash.

This is Ms Pittaway’s third year as the official artist for the popular cycle race.