THE chief executive of Yorkshire Tourist Board (YTB) says the county will earn a greater share of the tourism market in coming years.

In his annual report, David Andrews said the priority for the industry was to provide quality for visitors.

The report said: "It is high on the agenda and the needs and demands of our customers remain a key priority as we strive to continually drive up the quality of the Yorkshire tourism product."

Mr Andrews said that by working with local authorities, partnership organisations and those running tourism businesses, visitors to Yorkshire could be ensured of a quality visit to the county.

He forecast that Yorkshire would increase its share of the tourism market, currently worth £4bn-plus to the region and employing more than 130,000 people.

The new chairwoman of the board, Judith Donovan, said in her report: "We need to turn YTB into a robust and flexible organisation. With our new hand-picked board, we have an extensive and diverse range of experience and skills and can bring a new dimension to the business of ensuring that Yorkshire has the facilities to attract first-time and repeat visitors from around the world."