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Welcome to Yorkshire

British tourism agency

Welcome to Yorkshire

British tourism agency

Welcome to Yorkshire's official logo
Sutton Bank, North York Moors National Park

Welcome to Yorkshire (WTY) was the official tourism agency for the traditional county of Yorkshire, the largest county in the United Kingdom, promoting Yorkshire tourism both nationally and internationally, until 2022. It was formerly known as the Yorkshire Tourist Board until 2009, but underwent a rebranding, and a move to offices in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The stated aim of the organisation was: 'to grow the county's visitor economy'. The Chief Executive from 2008 until his resignation in March 2019 was Sir Gary Verity. The next Chief Executive, James Mason, was appointed in 2019 having previously worked as chief operating officer of Bradford City Football Club and a journalist for the BBC.

James Mason left Welcome to Yorkshire in 2021 following an investigation, and on 1 March 2022, the business entered administration, before having its assets – including the Welcome to Yorkshire name and trademarks, sold to be run by another organisation in future. The business was carrying significant debts at the time of its demise, largely to a local pension fund.

Activities

Aside from the more traditional forms of tourism marketing usually associated with tourist boards, Welcome to Yorkshire has been involved in cultural partnerships such as the Yorkshire entries to the Chelsea Flower Show, The Railway Children tour, the Hockney tour and the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle. They are also an official partner of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, sponsoring the team's Twenty20 tour of South Africa in 2012.

Welcome to Yorkshire ran the campaign to host the 2014 Grand Depart of the Tour de France in the county. On 14 December 2012 Yorkshire was confirmed as the starting place for the race.

Expenses scandal

In 2019, it was found that an expenses scandal following the resignation of chief executive Sir Gary Verity led to further costs for the organisation of nearly £500,000 with forensic accounting company BDO unable to determine if £900,000 of expenses were justified due to a lack of clear policies for expenses. Verity repaid over £40,000 and a subsequent police investigation concluded with no action being taken.

Administration and liquidation

After the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the expenses scandal, the Welcome to Yorkshire business endured a period of financial difficulty, before entering administration on 1 March 2022. On 11 April 2022, a deal was concluded to sell the business name, websites, domains and some rights to the Tour de Yorkshire to a business called Silicon Dales Ltd who would continue to run the online operations, and committed publicly to trying to save the Tour de Yorkshire cycling race in future years.

The Welcome to Yorkshire Ltd business was therefore liquidated by administrators, Armstrong Watson. Public records showed that, at the time of its demise, Welcome to Yorkshire Ltd owed a North Yorkshire pension fund over £1.4 million, raising questions from the local media – particularly the Yorkshire Post – over whether the administration should have happened much earlier.

References

References

  1. Cook, Tim. "Welcome to Yorkshire business tourism drive". Harrogate News.
  2. White Rose Awards. "Yorkshire Awards its Tourism Stars – 4th October 2010". White Rose Awards.
  3. Ballinger, Alex. (2 December 2019). "New Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive vows to ‘regain trust’ after recent controversies". Cycling Weekly.
  4. (4 December 2021). "Councils refuse to reveal details of Welcome to Yorkshire investigation into ex-chief executive James Mason". Yorkshire Post.
  5. "Welcome to Yorkshire goes into administration as council leaders end public funding". Yorkshire Post.
  6. "Welcome to Yorkshire goes into administration". BBC News.
  7. "Welcome Back to Yorkshire!". Yorkshire.com (International) Ltd.
  8. (23 April 2022). "Revealed: Welcome to Yorkshire owes £2m debt to 67 creditors – including public sector pension fund". Yorkshire Post.
  9. RHS Chelsea Flower Show. "The Brontës' Yorkshire Garden". RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
  10. Hutchinson, Charles. "The Railway Children, Welcome To Yorkshire Theatre, London until September 5". The York Press.
  11. (10 December 2011). "Hockney art trail across Yorkshire". BBC News Online.
  12. Sykes, Alan. (14 January 2013). "Yorkshire seeks to become sculpture capital of Europe". Guardian Online.
  13. YCCC. "Welcome to Yorkshire". YCCC.
  14. YCCC. "CLt20: Welcome to Yorkshire sponsor CLt20 campaign". YCCC.
  15. (22 July 2012). "Tour de France: 'Thousands back' Yorkshire's 2016 bid". BBC News Online.
  16. Fotheringham, William. (14 December 2012). "Yorkshire to host the start of 2014 Tour de France". Guardian News and Media.
  17. "Gary Verity expenses scandal fallout costs Welcome to Yorkshire almost £500,000". The Yorkshire Post.
  18. "Investigators can't say whether almost £1m of Welcome to Yorkshire expense claims were 'reasonable'". The Yorkshire Post.
  19. (2 April 2019). "Police urged to investigate tourism boss". BBC News.
  20. (26 June 2020). "Former tourism boss will not face police action". BBC News.
  21. "Welcome to Yorkshire goes into administration as council leaders end public funding". Yorkshire Post.
  22. "Welcome to Yorkshire goes into administration". BBC News.
  23. "Welcome Back to Yorkshire!". Yorkshire.com (International) Ltd.
  24. "An Update on Tour de Yorkshire & a Thank You for your Support". Yorkshire.com (International) Ltd.
  25. (23 April 2022). "Revealed: Welcome to Yorkshire owes £2m debt to 67 creditors – including public sector pension fund". Yorkshire Post.
  26. (27 April 2022). "Welcome to Yorkshire began considering administration 'exit strategy' months ago". Yorkshire Post.
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