North East England’s long and dramatic history has produced a heritage asset which benefits the region in economic, education, health and leisure terms, says a new study.
As a frontier region for centuries and later a hotbed of industrial and scientific invention, the North East is awash with history.
Now the vital role played by heritage – and the local communities, organisations and groups who care for it – is highlighted in a new report.
It reveals that 34,000 jobs are directly supported by the national heritage tourism economy and conservative estimates suggest that at least 7,345 of those jobs jobs are in the North East.
Heritage-led regeneration also plays a key role in economic development, creating special places in which to live, work and visit.
Research has found that the historic environment is a key factor in decisions on business location – ranked alongside road access in levels of importance.
The Heritage Counts study also reveals that 77% of people from the North East have visited a heritage site in the past year and 95% of adults agree that it is important that heritage buildings and places are well looked after.
In addition, 91% consider the historic environment important or very important in decisions on where to visit.
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Download Heritage Counts summary (PDF).