A new marketing campaign for North Yorkshire next year will highlight the location used for film and television backdrops for productions including the last Indiana Jones movie and Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible franchise.
Visit North Yorkshire intends to highlight a wide range of locations that have been used in, inspired or have connections to movie blockbusters and hit TV shows.
More than £4 billion is brought into North Yorkshire’s economy each year through tourism and the industry supports 38,500 jobs, and the opportunity of promoting North Yorkshire’s connections to locations linked to film, television and literature has been highlighted as a way of boosting the county’s multi-billion pound tourism sector.
The All Creatures Great and Small series has been drawing visitors to the county for years, whilst more recently Fountains Abbey and Plumpton Rocks landscape gardens were used as locations for the Netflix fantasy drama series The Witcher.
The CEO of Screen Yorkshire, Caroline Cooper Charles, said: “At Screen Yorkshire, our mission is to attract high-quality film and TV productions to the region, showcasing Yorkshire’s diverse landscapes and historic locations.
“The impact of these productions creates a ripple effect from increased visitor numbers to filming locations, boosting tourism revenue, to job creation across hospitality, retail, and the arts.
“Screen Tourism offers a unique opportunity to showcase Yorkshire to the world while directly contributing to the region’s economy and cultural pride. It’s a powerful example of how the creative industries can drive meaningful growth and deliver lasting value to our region.”
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, said: “Tourism is among the most important areas of North Yorkshire’s economy, and we are committed to ensuring we can boost the sector.
“So many people are fascinated by the locations which have been used in leading television and film productions, and are keen to see these places firsthand.
“The chance to highlight our links to film and TV is a prime example of how we can expand the market for visitors, and thereby benefit our tourism businesses and the wider local economy.”
The new campaign, called Starring North Yorkshire, will complement Visit England’s own international marketing drive, Starring Great Britain. It will see the locations used for film and television promoted via Visit North Yorkshire’s social media channels and an itinerary is being drawn up that will be available on the tourism organisation’s new website, which is due to launch in the spring.
