Magical Leeds

The campaign is part of the �VisitEngland led �Growing Tourism Locally� project funded by the Government�s Regional Growth Fund (RGF)�, and is being run in partnership with local partners and sponsors, including headline sponsor Trinity Leeds and media partner Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post.

Magical Leeds is aimed at a national audience and will showcase the breadth and depth of the seasonal offer in the city. Designed to encourage increased short breaks in Leeds, it showcases the city�s cultural and shopping offer, as well as encouraging Leeds residents to shop in the city centre and enjoy the unique seasonal experiences on offer. The campaign will also see the development of a new city-wide installation, the Leeds Reindeer Trail, launching on 17th November, which will encourage visitors to wind their way around the city, discovering the 16 individually designed reindeer, each one sponsored and produced by a different city partner.

Councillor Yeadon, Digital & Creative Technologies, Culture & Skills at Leeds City Council, said: �Last year Leeds bucked the national trend and city centre footfall over the seasonal period continued to rise. This year, our Magical Leeds campaign aims to cement that trend, with a fantastic programme of events and entertainment that will add a touch of magic to Leeds� unrivalled shopping and culinary experiences.�

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, added: �The Growing Tourism Locally project continues to deliver fantastic results, creating jobs and providing a boost for tourism in England, by showcasing the high quality product on offer across the country through creative marketing campaigns, such as the Magical Leeds campaign.�

Deborah Copeland, Director of Marketing and Communications, said: �This year, all city partners are working together to send a clear message that Leeds is the place to be this Christmas. Leeds has a fantastic offer and working with our key partners across the city, as well as with VisitEngland, is vital for us to demonstrate how magical Leeds will be at Christmas for visitors and residents alike.

�This year, boosted by the creative programme in place, we aim to drive more visitors to take short breaks in the city and our campaign will target key markets in Scotland, the Midlands, London and the South East. We are already seeing great results from the campaign with one and two night bookings as a direct result and increased traffic to VisitLeeds.co.uk from across the UK. The results delivered from this campaign will add to our current RGF incremental visitor spend of over �13million.�

The Magical Leeds campaign will feature across a range of national and regional print press and digital platforms. City-wide animation, including the Leeds Reindeer Trail, winter fairies and acrobatic elves will be live across the city from mid-November 2014 until January 2015.