TOURISM bosses have launched a drive to encourage short-break visitors to head for North Yorkshire instead of London's West End.

York Tourism Partnership says the city's cultural and arts scene can compete with that of the capital.

As part of the campaign, influential arts and culture writers are being invited to see what York has to offer in the wake of the attention created by ex-Dallas star Linda Gray's appearance in the world premiere of Terms Of Endearment at the Theatre Royal.

And the nine-day Illuminating York festival, which starts on October 26, will also play a pivotal role, showcasing the city's digital arts scene and using after-dark artwork to bring York landmarks, including the Minster, to life.

"York has so much to offer the cultured traveller and this campaign will help raise awareness of the many things we can offer here," said York Tourism Bureau chief executive Gillian Cruddas.

"There is some extremely visionary work taking place when it comes to York's arts, exhibitions and music scene, and we want to urge people to explore it.

"York is often talked about for its historical offerings and rightly so, but we also want to show people the more cutting-edge side of the city which is causing such a great buzz."

Tourism attracts four million visitors and generates £300 million each year for York businesses. It was named Best City in Europe at this year's European Cities Tourism Awards.

Former Theatre Royal vice-chairman David Dickson, treasurer of the University of York, backed the move.

He said: "I am a big supporter of this - we have some great cultural institutions in the city and we must promote them in a competitive world.

"As London shows, people will visit cities specifically for the arts, so we must capitalise on the momentum created by events such as Terms Of Endearment and keep emphasising what York can offer."