Yorkshire attracted a record breaking number of visitors from July to September 2016, according to new figures.

Yorkshire saw a 12% increase in inbound visits from July to September to 476,098, and the number of overnight stays was up 21% to 4.9 million – both the highest quarter for the county since records began in 1961, Visit Britain said.

Spend was up 14% on the same quarter last year to £194 million.

Countries with the most Yorkshire-bound visitors included Germany, Australia and the US, while the top three reasons for trips were visiting friends and relatives, holidays and business travel.

Yorkshire’s statistics for April to June 2016 were also record breaking with a 10% increase in visits and spend by inbound visitors up by 8% to £145 million.

This means Yorkshire saw a record breaking six months for visitors from April to September 2016.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “This is incredible news and testament to the hard work being done by Welcome to Yorkshire and the businesses within the county to make Yorkshire very much front of mind domestically and internationally.

“Events like the Tour de Yorkshire, 2019 UCI Road World Championships as well as Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, Great Yorkshire Show and Yorkshire Festival, all help to showcase what Yorkshire has to offer.

“The profile of the county has never been higher and we will keep working to promote the county as the number one visitor destination.”

VisitBritain Director Patricia Yates said: “This strong growth in inbound tourism is great news for Yorkshire, not only demonstrating its appeal to visitors from across the globe, but underpinning tourism’s increasingly important role as a driver of economic growth across the region.”