New figures from VisitBritain have revealed the north England county of Yorkshire saw significant benefits from hosting the Tour de France in 2014.

Some 2.5 million sports fans turned out to watch the Grand Départ of the world’s biggest bike race in July last year.

VisitEngland added tourists had spent £380 million in Yorkshire in the 12 months to June.

The figure is up by 45 per cent on the previous year.

In the same time period there were 2.3 million visits to the county - an increase of 23 per cent over the previous 12 months.

The number of visitor nights spent in Yorkshire during the 12 months also increased by 18 per cent to 5.3 million.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We knew that once we showcased Yorkshire to the world, we would inspire potential visitors to come and see this beautiful county for themselves.

“These fantastic statistics show just that and I have no doubt that Yorkshire businesses will continue to flourish and build on that success for many years to come.”