York Guides

David Hogg
UP TO £60m could be pumped into the Yorkshire economy as visitors flock to Royal Ascot at York.

Regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, which has spent £650,000 to boost the region's profile in preparation for the event, thinks that as many as 300,000 extra people will pour into the area this week. Consultants will attend the races to investigate how to bring similar events to the county in future.
Deputy chief executive Tom Riordan said: "We are treating this like Manchester treated the Commonwealth games. It is a unique opportunity to reach a truly international audience and there is nothing as significant in the county on the sporting calendar."
This year's Royal Ascot week – Europe's most popular race meeting – is unique as it has been relocated to York Racecourse during Ascot's £185m redevelopment. The Yorkshire Tourism Board has estimated that Royal Ascot will draw a worldwide television audience of 28m viewers.
YTB spokeswoman Lesley Wragg said: "I can't think of anything else that compares in terms of visitor numbers and this is the biggest event we have had in a long time. The last thing that came near was the Pope's visit in 1982 but the people who came to see him were not exactly eating and drinking in restaurants afterwards."