INTEREST in the region as a place to visit has soared during the past month, latest figures show.

Marketing agency Welcome to Yorkshire says traffic to its yorkshire.com website increased by 47 per cent in May, compared to the previous month.

And 91 per cent of people clicking on the web pages were first-time visitors.

Traffic to members’ listings pages rose by 45 per cent.

James Mason, Welcome to Yorkshire’s chief executive, says indications are that the ‘staycation’ market is “set to boom” as lockdown restrictions are eased.

“Our creative and digital team – in fact the whole organisation – has worked non-stop since Covid-19 struck,” he said.

“The aim was to lead from the front with engaging, yet important, information for the industry.

“I think these statistics prove more than ever that Welcome to Yorkshire is a viable proposition, but more importantly has a huge part to play in the region’s recovery – both as an economy and tourist destination.

“The data is very encouraging.”