"You'll never do it all in a day!" is the message being beamed into the north's living rooms by Bradford tourism bosses.

Bradford Council and its Tourism Marketing Partnership are trying to entice six million TV viewers to holiday in the district.

They have employed the help of the small screen to boost visitors to the area with the first ever £20,000 television advert promoting the Bradford district.

The 20-second advert - showing during shows such as The Bill, Today with Des and Mel, The Royal and Tonight with Trevor McDonald - will be shown 29 times in prime time.

It features some of the area's finest attractions including Salts Mill in Saltaire, the city's National Museum of Photography, Film and Television and, of course, Bronte Country.

Bradford Council district tourist information manager Trisha Tillotson said: "We had 300,000 visitors in 2003 and the numbers go up every year.

"The television advert is different to what we have done before. We are trying to say that Bradford district is a massive area.

"We have fantastic places and there is too much to see in a day. We are trying to encourage people to stay longer. I think people are really surprised when they visit. When people get here they realise how different it is and how friendly the people are."

She said Japanese and Americans, in particular, head for Haworth and French, Dutch and German visitors flock to Bradford and Ilkley for walks, festivals and museums.

"Bradford Council is now committed to tourism," she said. "Its seven-year tourism strategy involves the council setting up tourism partnerships across the district.

"We are working with them to promote a market for Bradford district and are putting it back on the map."

The Tourism Marketing partnerships covering Bronte Country, Bradford city centre, Saltaire and Airedale, and Baht'at Country, link the Council with key players in tourism, such as hotels and restaurants.

By using the catch-phrase, "You'll never do it all in a day," tourism bosses hope to persuade visitors to see the area as a place for a holiday or short break.

The advert - which runs until February 22 - is already being screened to six million viewers, from Lincolnshire to the North East, on Tyne Tees and Yorkshire Television.

John Swinburn, the Council's Tourism Marketing officer, said feedback had been "really, really good".

"February is a good time to run it as people are planning their weekends for the year ahead," he said. "People are watching the TV over half-term and, it seems, everybody is talking about it."