For many years Northumberland has been growing as a desirable destination to visit, either for a day, short weekend, or UK-based holiday. As the cabinet member for culture, arts leisure and tourism I am delighted to welcome more visitors to the county, but I also want Northumbrians to join me in recognising what a great place this is. Our county is in the running for a major tourism award and I want you to join me in backing our entry by clicking here.

Northumberland welcomed 10.3 million visitors to the county last year. That's a 6% increase on the previous year. Research by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative suggests that tourism contributed £924 million to the county's economy last year, also a rise of 6% from 2016.*

It's very easy to see why Northumberland is becoming more appealing to visitors. Northumberland's coastline is designated as an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. That means our sites of interest such as the many beaches and castles which draw people to Northumberland are protected to make sure they are maintained at the highest standard for future generations.

Northumberland Conservatives have also keenly promoted Produced in Northumberland, a council-led scheme which promotes our county's produce around the world to demonstrate the best produce we have to offer. You no longer have to come to Northumberland to enjoy the best, most local food and drink products, but I don't doubt that many people are visiting our county to get an authentic experience.

Most importantly though, this county relies on tourism for at least 15,000 jobs, and I'm keen to thank each and every one of those people who make it a desirable place to visit. Northumberland has been once again been nominated for a British Travel Award. You can back Northumberland by clicking here.

*For full results of the tourism survey and further details on tourism in the county please visit https://www.northumberlandtourism.org.uk/