WE often read in the Evening Press how worried they are about the tourist industry in York.

There are two main reasons why this is so. Excessive car park charging by the city council and excessive charging by hoteliers.

We go away on short breaks about four or five times a year mostly staying at Best Western Hotels.

I can stay in its three-star hotel in Oxford Street, London for £49.50 a night. Staying in a three-star Best Western in the centre of York would cost me £65. A radical rethink is needed if they wish to survive.

B J Calpin,

Neville Street,

York.

Updated: 10:42 Friday, April 05, 2002