York slips out of tourism Top 10

3:00pm Friday 5th September 2008

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TOURISM chiefs are gearing up to launch York’s official souvenir guide in their latest bid to lure visitors to the city.

The move comes as York was knocked out of the top ten in a rundown of city break destinations, compiled by Condé Nast Traveller readers.

York was ranked twelfth in the league of favourite cities for holidays, falling from its seventh position last year.

London was singled out for having the better nightlife/entertainment, culture and the tastiest food/restaurants than anywhere else in the UK, making it the nation’s favourite city this year .

Edinburgh was in second position while York was also beaten by Glasgow, Oxford, Bath, Leeds and Plymouth.

Around 40,000 readers completed the survey during April and May, and the list is printed in the latest edition of the magazine. The table has been compiled yearly since 1998. Readers were asked to rate cities on aesthetics and architecture, culture, environmental friendliness, food and restaurants, nightlife and entertainment, people and hospitality, accommodation, safety and value for money.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of Visit York, said: “We are disappointed to have dipped a little to 12th place, however, this is still a fantastic achievement. “Around 100,000 readers subscribe to Condé Nast and the magazine is generally aimed at the independent traveller. It’s fantastic to be named as one of the UK’s top city choices, particularly as this magazine is a top quality travel publication. “We hope to return to the top ten spot next year and will be rolling out new marketing campaigns shortly to ensure we achieve this.”

As part of that drive, Visit York has published an official souvenir guide which is being launched at the Mansion House on Wednesday, September 17.

The guide features 160 pages of photographs and information on York’s history from the founding of the city by the Romans up to present day.

It also includes an introduction by Dame Judi Dench, who grew up in York, along with chapters on York’s schools, its chocolate history, bridges, attractions, churches, historic inns and its ghosts.

The book aims to be a souvenir for visitors as well as for hotels to place in rooms and sell or give away Sue Frumin, Visit York’s business development manager, said: “We wanted to produce a guide that could illustrate York’s fascinating history in a more contemporary way. We’re delighted with the results and hope this new addition to our range of publications will be a hit with both visitors and residents alike.”

The new Top 12 (position last year in brackets)

1. London (3)
2. Edinburgh (2)
3. Liverpool (7)
4. Durham (1)
5. Glasgow (4)
6. Oxford (9)
7. Bath (10)
8. Manchester (5)
9. Leeds (new entry)
10. Cambridge (10)
11. Plymouth (new entry)
12. York (7)