RECORD numbers of people from overseas visited Yorkshire last year, according to the latest tourism figures for the region.

To celebrate, and to tie in with Yorkshire Day yesterday, Yorkshire Tourist Board is holding a fair at the Britain and London Visitor Centre, this week.

The festivities will tempt visitors with a taste of what Yorkshire has to offer, with displays by Wensleydale Creamery, the North York Moors Partnership, English Heritage, Raydale Preserves, Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, as well as Pickering-based farm food delivery firm Moorsfresh.

Results from the board's latest international passenger survey, commissioned by the Office for National Statistics, revealed that last year was a record year for Yorkshire inbound tourism, both in terms of value and volume. Overseas visitors spent £346m in Yorkshire, which is seven per cent above the UK average and an increase of 17 per cent on 2003.

The fair at the centre, on Regent Street, London, runs until Friday.