A NEW tourist guide to the many market towns of Ryedale and Yorkshire has been created by Welcome to Yorkshire.

The chief executive of the group, Sir Gary Verity, launched the guide during a walk-round of Malton's independent food shops on Wednesday.

Sir Gary was joined on the tour by TV business expert, Kate Hardcastle, who helped create the guide, Kevin Hollinrake MP, and Tom Naylor-Leyland, director of the Talbot Hotel and Malton Cookery School, who has been working to cement Malton’s reputation as the "foodie capital" of Yorkshire.

Sir Gary said: “Yorkshire has an abundance of beautiful market towns scattered throughout the county, including the very best in Britain.

"This shows the calibre of Yorkshire’s market towns and I’m pleased that for the very first time, this guide showcases them all."

This new campaign shines the spotlight on some of the county’s best market towns, including Helmsley, which was named the market town of the year in last year’s Great British High Street Awards.

Also featuring in the Market Town Trail are Malton, Pickering and Kirkbymoorside among a total of 40 towns, and there is a Spotlight on Ryedale section showcasing the area.

Ms Hardcastle, who provides an introduction to the guide, is one of the UK’s leading retail experts and has advised and helped more than 1,000 firms across the county through her company, Insight with Passion, as part of a partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire.

Ms Hardcastle said: "I work with retailers across the globe to improve customer service, but when it comes to my own shopping, there is no place like home.

"I love the diversity that can be found across the Yorkshire retail scene - especially our fabulous markets - which offer unique products, friendly service and high quality."

The guides are to be available in hotels, businesses and tourist information points throughout the county.

Across Yorkshire, tourism is worth £7bn annually, and the county's tourism industry employs almost a quarter of a million people.