DAVID Quarrie says York has potential, but has to change (York is great, so let's tell the world, Letters, September 21).

While I agree with him that the Minster would look beautiful floodlit and that parking charges are too high, we should beware of change for change's sake, because York's greatest tourist asset is the fact that it has not changed over the years.

People come to York for quaint little streets, the river, calm and spiritual peace. To say that the obvious replacement for traditional workplaces is tourism is a flawed viewpoint.

If we place all our eggs in one basket and rely on the tourist and leisure industry to sustain the economy, what happens if there is an international crisis and all overseas travel is banned?

I was working in London in a top West End hotel on 9/11 and the cancellation faxes were flying all over the room. For the next 18 months, the hotel teetered on the edge of bankruptcy and it has still not covered its losses.

If there are no traditional jobs, who will have the money to spend on leisure activities? Everything has a knock-on effect and economic viability based solely on a service industry will eventually topple over and crash.

There are already far too many towns in Britain where the manufacturing, mining and steel industries have been destroyed by negative Government policies and oncevibrant communities have been replaced by "living history parks" where the only employment available to local people is seasonal and involves dressing up as a 19th century serving maid or a shop assistant for the basic minimum wage.

There is an air of desperation about these artificially created places and I would be very sad if this were to happen here in York.

Linda Sheridan, Larchfield, Stockton Lane, York.