Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg Thursday announced a drive to encourage overseas tourists to spread their wings beyond London when they visit Britain.
Addressing a summit meeting in the Yorkshire city of Leeds, Mr Clegg said almost a third of tourists stayed within the nation's capital because they didn't realise there was much to see outside London.
He pledged 10 million pounds to help the 29 individual tourism boards in the North of England to develop a clear and harmonious tourism strategy.
London receives 4.5 times more international visitors than the North of England as a whole. Scotland has twice as many tourists as the North, said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Clegg said: "It's absurd that our great North is missing out on visitors when it boasts such stunning countryside, history and culture. London is not this country's only tourist destination."
Through a government-backed project he is heading called Northern Futures, Mr Clegg asked people in the regions what northern cities need to compete globally.
"The resounding call is clear - a strong Northern future relies on putting the North back on the map: a top tourist destination. Creating a vision and plan will bring more visitors to our great Northern cities."
The Northern Futures Summit in Leeds, convened by the Deputy Prime Minister and the think-tank Centre for Cities, also outlined a raft of proposals to make the North more attractive to businesses.
Mr Clegg said: "Northern Futures is not about Whitehall wading in. This summit brings ideas for the North that have been 'made in the North."
Proposals include replacing ageing railway rolling stock, ending the misery of overcrowded trains for thousands of commuters and travellers, with over 8m a year having to stand during their journeys to work.
Widening from six to eight lanes Britain's highest motorway, the M62 which links the North West and North East across the Pennines mountain range.
Mr Clegg said: "One of the key things that comes up time and again is the need for better transport links. That is why I am pushing for a huge programme of transport improvements in the North to begin immediately.
"London and South East has had billions of transport investment over recent years. The perfectly reasonable requests I have been hearing from the North are basics that are needed if we are to create a true economic hub in the North of England. We need to get this started as soon as possible.
"Ancient rolling stock and lines that have not been upgraded in 30 years are not fit for a 21st century metropolis. Decrepit trains which are literally ancient buses on rails, are not a fair way for people in the North to get to and from work. They would not be deemed acceptable on London commuter lines, and they are not acceptable in the North.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he wanted to see the program he announced on Thursday completed in just over a decade, by 2025.