Delegates Flock to Leeds as the city surges ahead in popularity poles
2007 was a boom year for business tourism in Leeds. The City has been named as
one of the UK’s top 5 meeting destinations in every major independent business
tourism survey undertaken last year. Leeds has appeared in the top 5 rankings
of both the UK Conference Market Survey (UKCMS) and the United Kingdom Tourism
Survey (UKTS). The City was named as the 4th most popular meetings destination for Association Conferences and the 5th most popular meetings destination for Corporate Events in the UKCMS. The UKCMS
surveys the buying habits and preferences of over 600 conference organisers and
is widely considered to be the most reliable benchmark in the industry.
Leeds had risen sharply in the rankings compared to the previous years, being
overtaken only by the major cities of London, Manchester and Birmingham.
The UKTS - a national consumer survey undertaken by the UK’s national tourist
organisations – compounded this surge in popularity by ranking Leeds as the 4th most visited city in the UK for business visits.
Nicola Lockwood, Head of Conference Leeds explains:
“It’s fabulous to see that Leeds is ranked so highly in these surveys. We have
seen a boom in visitors due to the immense pace of development here. With an explosion
in shopping, entertainment and meeting venues, Leeds has become a “must see” destination
for delegates.
Superb new facilities like Saviles Hall at the Royal Armouries and new hotels
such as the Radisson mean that Leeds has the capacity to handle large scale events.
This and our reputation for providing value for money, clearly shows that Leeds
is an attractive alternative to other major UK cities. It is great to see that
we are punching well above our weight and are giving major destinations like Manchester
and London stiff competition!”
Conference Leeds, the Conference Bureau for Leeds and West Yorkshire has recently
expanded to cope with demand and has now become a “super” convention bureau, representing
almost 250 venues across the region.
Conference Leeds is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development
agency. Andy Tordoff, Head of Rural Renaissance and Tourism for Yorkshire Forward
said:
“I am not surprised to see that Leeds is ranked so highly in these national surveys.
Tourism makes a significant contribution to the region’s economy and these results
demonstrate that investment in business tourism is paying dividends.”
