YORK is set to enjoy an autumn visitor boom after a TV holiday programme turned a tourist information centre's phones red-hot.

The first event to benefit should be the city's Food and Drink Festival next month, which looks likely to enjoy record business after being featured on Monday's Holiday on a Shoestring programme.

Tourism bosses say the BBC broadcast, seen by almost five million viewers, is just the latest success of a concerted PR campaign launched in the wake of the disastrous floods on November 2000.

National media coverage of the floods led many people to believe much of the city was under water, causing the cancellation of thousands of holidays.

"The Bureau wrote to all major holiday programmes in May 2001, inviting them to film in York and the BBC team filmed in September 2001 during the last festival," said York Tourism Bureau spokeswoman Kay Hyde.

"There is a great deal of competition between UK destinations to get on the BBC holiday programmes, so we were delighted to persuade Holiday On A Shoestring to come to York."

"The phones have been red-hot since the programme," said bureau chief executive Gillian Cruddas. More than 1,000 calls have been received since the programme, many concerning places featured such as the Bar Convent and Quality Hotel as well as the festival.

Kay expected the programme to generate at least 3,000 calls over time, helping to continue a turnaround which has already started.

"The inquiries are still coming in fast and furious," she said. A spokeswoman for the sixth festival, an annual celebration of food and drink which is sponsored by the Evening Press, and takes place from September 13-22, said the volume of interest in the festival had risen substantially since the programme was aired. The event will include displays from wine producers, whisky distillers and champagne tasters.

For more information contact the helpline on 01904 554430.

Updated: 08:59 Thursday, August 29, 2002