THE North-East's trade and tourism communities have been urged to seize the opportunities offered by the arrival of Emirates Airlines in Newcastle.

The company's president, Tim Clark, said that Emirates' new daily service to Dubai - the region's first long-haul flight - would put the North-East "on the radar" of millions of people based in or passing through the Middle East.

"Our record whenever we open a new operation is that we create a market not just in the region we are serving and not just in Dubai, but beyond," he told the Entrepreneurs' Forum. "So suddenly, Newcastle becomes part of the network mantra - it is marketed as a destination by us.

"It's then a question of how your stakeholders, NGOs, tour operators and so on go out to markets, do the roadshows and get people to come here."

Vic Sheppard, Emirates' vice-president for the UK and Ireland, said there was no reason why Newcastle could not become a Heathrow-style gateway, which visitors would use to reach not only Northern England and Scotland, but Europe and beyond.