Keighley and Haworth are helping Yorkshire in its role as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the UK.

Bradford district comes out as a top spot in a visitor survey which reveals how the county is bucking tourism trends.

And the Brontë Parsonage Museum and Keighley and Worth Valley Railway are among the tourist hotspots.

The city and surrounding area was praised for its “good atmosphere”.

The majority of visitors — 84 per cent — planned to attend museums or other cultural attractions, according to the survey.

Almost 11,000 people visiting the county were quizzed about their opinions, between May 2008 and April this year.

The survey was funded by Yorkshire Forward and managed by Welcome to Yorkshire.

Its aim was to give a breakdown of visitor habits and the results revealed high scores for feeling welcome, customer service and atmosphere and value for money.

Bradford was said to be full of character and had lovely countryside and the Haworth area was good for walking and visiting.

Jim Shipley, of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, said the survey was in line with what the heritage line was experiencing.

“We have noticed that the number of visitors midweek is higher — last year we suffered a drop,” he said. “And there is a distinct increase in the number of foreign visitors. All this is very gratifying. Keeping visitors and ensuring they return involves giving them extra value when they get here — not just a trip on a steam locomotive.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “This is the first time that such in-depth visitor information has been collated.

“Headline results show that 96 per cent of visitors would recommend to a friend and 88 per cent are likely to return, which is excellent.”