IT dismisses England as a nation of "overweight, alcopop-swilling, sex-and celebrity-obsessed TV addicts".

But York tourist chiefs were breathing a sigh of relief today as the city has survived a mauling from one of the UK's top travel guides.

The authors of the latest Rough Guide to England encourage visitors to head for York, naming it as "the North's most compelling city" and praising its historic attractions such as the Minster and Bar Walls.

It is a further boost to tourism chiefs following positive increases in visitor numbers over the Easter period.

The Rough Guide said: "York is the north's most compelling city, a place whose history, said George VI, "is the history of England".

"This is perhaps overstating things a little, but it reflects the significance of a metropolis that stood at the heart of the country's religious and political life for centuries and, until the Industrial Revolution, was second only to London in population and importance."

On the Minster it said: "Nothing else in the Minster can match the magnificence of the stained glass in the nave and transepts."

York Tourism Bureau's Visitors Information Centres reported increases of 50 per cent over last year in the week's run-up to Easter in accommodation bookings, the sale of York passes and tickets for YorkBoat, the York Dungeon and open-top buses.

York Dungeon in Clifford Street, had 12 per cent more visitors this year, many of them attracted by its new feature, the Labyrinth Of The Lost. There was also a huge surge of interest in the National Railway Museum's Yorkshire Wheel, with tens of thousands flocking to the attraction.

Tourism bureau chief executive Gillian Cruddas said she was "not surprised" by the comments in the Rough Guide.

"This is in line with comments we get from the millions of visitors that come to the city," she said.

"It's always good news to have it endorsed by travel publishers like Rough Guide because potential visitors take note of what is being written about us."

The Rough Guide authors also remark that no visit to the north of England was complete without a visit to York, and "the city's former importance has made it easy to get to, with good road and rail connections".

The book names Whitby as having the tenth best beach in England and Yorkshire's "best family beach" and describes Castle Howard as among the country's "grandest stately homes".

The Press recently reported that the Lonely Planet's Cities Book had ranked York as among the top 200 places to live in the entire world.

Updated: 10:10 Tuesday, April 25, 2006