THE North East's growing popularity as a tourist attraction has seen the number of passengers using DFDS Seaways' Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry route hit a record high for the third year running.

The Danish-owned shipping giant, which employs around 60 people at its North Shields office, said more than 560,000 passengers used the route last year – up by more than 7,500 compared to 2010.

The biggest growth was inbound, with the number of mainly Dutch and German tourists coming into the UK via North Shields increasing by 5%.

A similar rise was seen in people travelling with a vehicle such as a car, caravan or motorbike, with figures jumping by 4.8% to 99,000.

Passenger director John Crummie said: “It’s no mean achievement in the current climate. There are plenty of opportunities in the year ahead particularly in relation to inbound business. We’ve got the Olympics with events up here, like the football, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.”

The business has teamed up with Visit Britain, which markets the country abroad, to promote the inbound route.

“This is the first year of our strategic partnership with Visit Britain. The Government’s new tourism strategy is unfolding overseas and hopefully that will benefit us,” said Crummie.

“Newcastle is a gateway to the North East, the Lake District and Scotland. We’re keen to make sure the North of Britain isn’t forgotten about in July and August. Obviously Amsterdam to Newcastle is an attractive city route but a couple of hours away is the Rhine-Ruhr area which has quick access to 20-odd million people.

“We’re keen we profile the attraction of the North East as a destination.”