ONE of the common themes on the letters page of The Press is correspondents grumbling that city leaders in York do too much for tourists – and not enough for locals.

New figures reveal just why tourism is so important, however. In 2012, visitors spent £606 million in the city. That is a new record – up from £443 million in 2008. Tourism also supports an estimated 20,200 jobs in York.

It is a more important part of York’s economy than ever, in other words. And by supporting tourism and welcoming tourists, we are really helping ourselves.

Despite the record figures, there is no room for complacency. One of the reasons 2012 was such a big success was that it was the year of the Olympics. In York, we also had the Mystery Plays.

But there is every reason to hope York’s tourism success will continue.

In 2013, we had York 800 and the Great Gathering of Mallard and its sister locomotives at the National Railway Museum: as well as a host of regular festivals.

This year, York will host the Grand Départ for the second leg of the Tour de France. Visit York, meanwhile, is being revamped to spearhead a new, broader marketing campaign amid ambitious plans to make tourism a £1 billion-a-year industry for York.

In short, tourism will continue to be hugely important for York’s economy.

So next time you see a tourist, why not give them a great York welcome? Then they’ll be able to spread the word that we’re a friendly as well as beautiful city.