The return of the Tyne-Wear derby to next season's Premier League fixture list should be used in efforts to attract more tourists to north-east England, political leaders have said.
Next season will be the first time since 2016 that both Newcastle and Sunderland have been together in the top flight and there is a hope to capitalise on tourism surrounding English football.
North East Combined Authority (NECA) has agreed that the investment agency Newcastle Gateshead Initiative would now promote the whole of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham.
Sunderland City Council leader Michael Mordey told a NECA meeting football could "really drive forward" footfall in the region.