Tourism chiefs chasing a slice of American pie

AMERICAN visitors are the equivalent of a Ming vase, Mona Lisa or Ferrari sports car to York's tourist economy.

Out of every nationality of traveller to the city, they are the most valuable to hotels, restaurants and attractions.

Americans are the biggest spenders - on excursions, food, souvenirs and everything in between. The whole industry, it appears, benefits from a piece of the American pie.

It is little wonder then that York Tourism Bureau has launched a major offensive to get more of them over here in an attempt to claw back some of those who stopped coming following the September 11 terror attacks.

Last year's visitor survey results found 26 per cent of all overseas visits were from the United States. Prior to September 11, 500,000 Americans came to York every year, compared with 260,000 who visited last year. That was still up by 50,000 on the previous 12 months, but the bureau thinks they can continue the improvement.

Kay Hyde, the bureau's PR manager, and a representative from the National Railway Museum (NRM) will fly to New York in two weeks to "sell the city" to more than 100 US travel writers and editors.

Kay is under no illusions about what a successful pitch can mean to city tourism. A full page travel article in the Washington Post last year generated increased bookings and enquiries.

The bureau's emphasis will be on what is new about the city, highlighted in their theme for last Friday's tourism awards - "We love new York".

Kay said: "We'll be promoting the new attractions in York such as DIG and Flying Scotsma, and selling in strong feature ideas such as a stay in the oldest working convent in the country, the Bar Convent."

Camilla Harrison, of the NRM, said they hoped to stir up interest in the Big Apple for their new exhibition, The Flying Scotsman Story.

Camilla said: "It clearly has the ability to stir the emotions of the American public, and we are very keen to work with colleagues in the tourism industry to make the most of its potential to attract more visitors from this key international market."

Tourist leaders have also wooed some big hitters from the other side of the "pond" to promote the city for them.

Flamboyant Marty Markowitz, president of Brooklyn Borough, led a visiting delegation from New York last week.

He was so impressed that he even mentioned the possibility of the two cities joining forces during an informal chat in the Mansion House with civic dignitaries and tourist leaders.

Speaking to The Press from his beloved borough, Marty said he was full of optimism that they could forge closer links in the future.

"York is a beautiful, breathtaking city," he said. "It really is England at its best. The Lord Mayor (Coun Janet Hopton) could not have been nicer to me - and my wife loved Shambles! We are going to keep in touch and hope to continue the dialogue. I will certainly be encouraging the people of Brooklyn to visit York."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said the meeting was "very warm, friendly and productive".

She said: "Mr Markowitz and his colleagues were keen to promote the exciting prospects for tourists from York visiting his city.

"Likewise, the council's civic party took the opportunity to promote the history and treasures of our great city. The visit was seen by both parties as an opportunity for starting a friendship between the cities.

"Both the York civic party and its American guests were pleased with the initial meeting and plans to forge further links are now in progress."

Kay said: "The American market is exceptionally important for York as we have the right product fit."

US tourists: Facts and figures

* Last year's York Visitor Survey results showed 26 per cent of all overseas visits were from the US.

* That figure was up on the previous year, which had plummeted to 21 per cent of all overseas visits.

* Before the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, US visitors accounted for half of all overseas visits to York.

* The total percentage of all overseas visit versus domestic visits has increased since 2002/03, from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.

* The total number of visitors to York was four million last year, of which about 260,000 were from the US. The previous year there were 210,000 US visitors, compared to 500,000 the year before 9/11.

City of York's stateside connections

* York, Pennsylvania, was once the capital of the United States, the birthplace of the Articles of Confederation and where the words the United States were first spoken.

* York, England, after which York, USA, takes its name, was 1,670 years old when its American offspring was founded back in 1741.

* New York and New York County were named after James, Duke of York, when the British captured the Dutch colony and changed the name of its capital from New Amsterdam to New York.

* The Grand Old Duke Of York He Had 10,000 Men is an American scouting song. The song refers to Frederick II, Duke of York.

* After the York Minster fire of 1984, carvings in the south transit had to be replaced. A competition was held by Blue Peter to come up with six replacements, two of which had an American theme - Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and space exploration, where the American Flag is depicted.

* The Minster's Astronomical Clock shows how the sky would look approaching York and Yorkshire, and is dedicated to the Allied airman who flew from North Yorkshire in the Second World War, many of whom were American.

* The Gee Monument in the Minster was looking a bit neglected and an American visitor, named Gee, organised a world-wide collection from members of the Gee family to restore it.

* In 1572, the head of Penniman was placed on Micklegate Bar for treason. His son gathered the family together and set off to New England to start a new life.

* New York's river was once called the Ouse, the name of York's river today.

* Fairfax County, USA, was named after the Fairfax family, whose home was in Skeldergate, York. Thomas Fairfax lived in the Treasurer's House.

* Audly, the poet and writer, was born in York but emigrated to America and became an American citizen.

* Lindley Murray was an American Quaker from Pennsylvania, who moved to York for health reasons. He became a leading Quaker in York and was an English teacher at The Mount School. Two streets in Holgate are named after him - Lindley Street and Murray Street.