HAWORTH and its links to the Bronte sisters have helped Yorkshire become the top county for tourists taking “literary” holidays.

The new survey into literary tourism, carried out by Visit England, found that nationwide, 20 per cent of trips with a literary link were to Yorkshire.

It was only behind London, which had 21 per cent of trips.

Haworth is home to the Bronte Parsonage, where the sisters grew up and is now a museum, and the moorlands that inspired much of their work.

Yorkshire is also home to Whitby Abbey, which inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.

The study also revealed more than half of British holidaymakers would visit a literary attraction while on holiday in England, while one in four had visited a literary location while on holiday in the past year.

The same amount had read a book with a literary link to a place they had recently visited in the country.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Yorkshire’s ever-changing scenery, dramatic landscapes and fascinating characters have all been great sources of literary inspiration, so it’s no surprise that so many people want to come and see the stunning landscapes that inspired their favourite books for themselves.”