Hull City of Culture 2017 plea to rent spare rooms to visitors

A curtain-raiser event was watched by 10,000 people in the city centre in July

Residents of Hull are being asked to rent spare rooms to visitors when Hull becomes the UK City of Culture 2017 due to a lack of hotel rooms.

The programme of events is expected to bring a million visitors to the city, said Visit Hull and East Yorkshire.

This is more than can be accommodated by hotel rooms available in the city centre which number about 1,000.

Hull beat Leicester, Dundee and Swansea Bay to the right to hold the title in 2017.

The UK government chooses a new destination every four years, with the aim of helping tourism and the economy.

Participants braved the weather for the photo shoot for Sea of Hull, the work is to be exhibited during 2017

Anthony Yates, of Visit Hull and East Yorkshire, said the events were expected to bring a "million visitors to the city from all over the world".

"We want each and every guest to have a fantastic experience and leave with a lasting impression that Hull is a city with a personality like no other."

Martin Green, of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, said: "Every resident of the city is the face of Hull 2017 so we want them to embrace the 'everyone back to ours' spirit by throwing open their front doors."

Training is to be given to volunteers who want to offer rooms to visitors.

Airbnb, the accommodation website, said listings in the city had gone up by more than 200% and a host in Hull could earn £127 a week on average.

The government's Rent a Room Scheme lets you earn up to £7,500 per year tax-free from letting out furnished accommodation in your home. This is halved if you share the income with your partner or someone else.