A new bid to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to the region by emphasising its cultural offer is being launched across Norfolk and Suffolk.

The two county councils have taken on Southwold-based communications agency Spring to work on a campaign to attract visitors to the region.

East Anglia is home to some of the leading arts festivals in the country – but there is a belief across the tourist industry in the region that with better publicity many more visitors could be attracted to them. The campaign will capitalise on events like Houghton Revisited and Grimes on the Beach in Aldeburgh in attracting people to the area.

Erika Clegg, from Spring, who until September 2014 was a member of the New Anglia local enterprise partnership board, said the culture on offer – and the region's easy access to London, the Home Counties, and the Midland – gave East Anglia a huge advantage. She said: 'If you look at how culture has become key to the economy of the cities of the north west, there is much for us to work on. I've known Liverpool for many years and for a long time it was a bit of a cultural desert.

'Now it has a really thriving scene and is attracting people from a wide area. We are much nearer London and the south east than the north west – and have fantastic cultural offerings throughout the year.'

Tourism is worth £4.6bn annually to the two counties.

Do you think Norfolk and Suffolk could attract more visitors? Email EDPLetters@archant.co.uk and include your full contact details.