The tourism sector across England could be totally transformed by this year’s Olympic Games, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has predicted, as he urged businesses to seize the opportunities provided by London 2012.

Mr Hunt, at York racecourse to encourage businesses to try and grab a share of the potential trade, told his audience of the international and national marketing campaigns that had taken place to prepare for the Olympics.

He added: “This is one of the great cultural, sporting and tourism regions of this country. We need to harness the fact that we will be at the centre of the global spotlight this year to totally transform our tourism industry.

“It is utterly impossible to underestimate the scale of what’s going to happen in this country. It will be the first time in our history we have hosted a sporting event that will be watched live by more than half the world’s population.”

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity said: “We think there is a massive opportunity from a tourism point of view. We intend to work closely with VisitEngland over the weeks and months ahead to make sure we seize this opportunity that presents itself.”