They are some of the most inspiring and breathtaking locations in the country which have caught the imagination of generations of visitors throughout the years.

And stunning landscapes and venues in North Yorkshire are now being celebrated as their links to film and television are to be the centrepiece of a campaign aimed at attracting a wave of visitors to the county.

The first marketing campaign of 2025 will see the county’s tourism organisation, Visit North Yorkshire, highlight a wide range of locations that have been used in, inspired or have connections to movie blockbusters and hit TV shows.

More than £4 billion is brought into North Yorkshire’s economy each year through tourism and the industry supports 38,500 jobs.

The opportunity of promoting North Yorkshire’s connections to locations linked to film, television and literature has been highlighted as a way of boosting the county’s multi-billion pound tourism sector.

North Yorkshire has carved out an enviable reputation as a filming location for Hollywood films such as the final Indiana Jones movie starring Harrison Ford and the latest instalment of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise.

And the county’s coastal towns, historic ruins and stately homes have also featured as venues for film crews involved in leading television shows.

Executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, whose responsibilities include the visitor economy, said: “Tourism is among the most important areas of North Yorkshire’s economy, and we are committed to ensuring we can boost the sector.

“So many people are fascinated by the locations which have been used in leading television and film productions, and are keen to see these places firsthand.

“The chance to highlight our links to film and TV is a prime example of how we can expand the market for visitors, and thereby benefit our tourism businesses and the wider local economy.”

The new campaign, called Starring North Yorkshire, will complement Visit England’s own international marketing drive, Starring Great Britain.

It will see the locations used for film and television promoted via Visit North Yorkshire’s social media channels and an itinerary is being drawn up that will be available on the tourism organisation’s new website, which is due to launch in the spring.

Data from Visit England has shown that more than nine in 10 of inbound visitors would be interested in visiting a film or TV location in the UK.

The research has also shown that one in six holidaymakers in the UK were influenced by a film or TV location to travel outside of London, while 70 per cent of visitors have visited a film or TV location nationally.

The chief executive officer of Screen Yorkshire, Caroline Cooper Charles, said: “At Screen Yorkshire, our mission is to attract high-quality film and TV productions to the region, showcasing Yorkshire’s diverse landscapes and historic locations.

“The impact of these productions creates a ripple effect from increased visitor numbers to filming locations, boosting tourism revenue, to job creation across hospitality, retail, and the arts.

“Screen tourism offers a unique opportunity to showcase Yorkshire to the world while directly contributing to the region’s economy and cultural pride. It’s a powerful example of how the creative industries can drive meaningful growth and deliver lasting value to our region.”

North Yorkshire is home to Herriot Country linked to Alf Wight’s novels and the television series, All Creatures Great and Small, while Fountains Abbey and Plumpton Rocks landscape gardens were used as locations for the Netflix fantasy drama series, The Witcher.

Both the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the world-famous limestone pavements at Malham Cove have featured in the Harry Potter films based on author JK Rowling’s novels about the young wizard.

The railway was also used to shoot scenes for the movies Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny along with Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One.

Robin Hood’s Bay, Scarborough, Staithes and Whitby were all used as filming locations for the Oscar-winning 2017 film, Phantom Thread, starring Daniel Day Lewis.

The Castle Howard estate featured in period dramas such as Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton, while the Yorkshire Dales village of Kettlewell was a location for the 2003 film, Calendar Girls starring Julie Walters and Helen Mirren.

The popularity of Bridgerton has attracted a wave of interest from younger generations, and Castle Howard witnessed an increase of more than 3,000 per cent in the number of people aged 18 to 24 who clicked on the estate’s website after the drama’s first season was screened in 2020.

Castle Howard’s visitor attraction director, Abbigail Ollive, said: “Castle Howard was one of the original screen tourism destinations, following the Granada TV series Brideshead Revisited, which put the iconic house and grounds firmly on the map in the 1980s.

“It’s fair to say that screen tourism continues to be incredibly important to the visitor attraction today.

“Following our appearance as the Duke of Hasting’s home in the hit series Bridgerton, we have seen guests coming to visit as a direct result, and have programmed special Bridgerton days, costume exhibitions, concerts and tours to further attract fans of the TV series.”

Visit North Yorkshire officially launched in October and work is under way to promote a 10-year vision to boost tourism through the first countywide strategy of its kind.

One of the central themes of the proposed destination management plan is aimed at increasing the value of the visitor economy rather than the actual number of visitors.

Targets have been set to grow the value of the visitor economy over the rate of inflation by a fifth in the next decade and increase the percentage of overnight visitors from 20 to 23 per cent during the same period.

Specific trends that have been identified as opportunities for growing the market include environmentally-friendly travel, stays that are off-grid and away from the pressures of modern life and also attracting business travellers to spend leisure time in the county.

The destination management plan is aimed at capitalising on the diversity of what is on offer in the county, including its famous countryside, stately homes and gardens and history and heritage.

Other promotional campaigns planned for 2025 include a bid to raise awareness of the Visit North Yorkshire brand to coincide the launch of its new website.