Sustainable Bristol – Only UK City to Make DK Tourism Top 10

Bristol’s Historic St Nicholas Market

The “Most Sustainable City in Britain” edged out more obvious rivals like its neighbour Bath, Edinburgh or Oxford to be included in the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides series ‘Top 10 Cities for 2009’.

In doing so it rubs shoulders with the likes of Cape Town in South Africa and the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. The varied list also includes lesser-known cities such as Gdansk in Poland and Vilnius in Lithuania.

While Bristol, a city of some 416,000 inhabitants, might lack a knock-out single attraction like Edinburgh Castle or Bath’s Royal Crescent, Anna Paynton from DK Eyewitness Travel Guides said it had been chosen because of its varied character. She said: "Bristol is often overlooked in favour of its more picturesque neighbour Bath, which tends to get a lot more attention. The book says that if you haven’t been to Bristol, though, you really should. "The different pockets of the city have their individual charms and that’s why we included it in DK’s 2009 list. It’s a great city and one which has undergone quite a few changes over the last few years."

DK recommends a short break in Bristol, the only UK city in the top 10, for its shopping facilities, ‘green’ appeal, and charming neighbourhoods. Spokeswoman Anna Paynton said: "Bristol is often overlooked in favour of its more picturesque neighbour Bath, which tends to get a lot more attention.

"If you haven’t been to Bristol though you really should, the different pockets of the city have their individual charms and that’s why we included it in DK’s 2009 list.
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"It’s a great city, and one which has undergone quite a few changes over the last few years." The guidebook says: "Dita Von Teese recently opened a new Harvey Nichols store alongside a Cinema de Lux and a wealth of luxury apartments at Cabot Circus – a long awaited boost to the Broadmead shopping district.

"Not long after, Bristol’s robust eco-appeal got stronger as it was named the ‘most sustainable city in Britain’.

"Luxury consumerism and environmental sustainability look set to coexist in 2009."

Other Bristol highlights mentioned in the book are Georgian architecture and historical attractions – including Brunel’s Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain, the Arnolfini arts gallery and Watershed media centre in Harbourside.

Destination Bristol, which is responsible for promoting tourism in the city, described Bristol’s mention in the guidebook as an ‘impressive accolade’.

The top 10 in full is Bristol, Vilnius, in Lithuania, Buenos Aires, in Argentina, Seattle and Washington DC, both in the USA, Fes, in Morocco, Copenhagen, in Denmark, Gdansk, in Poland, Vienna, in Austria, and Cape Town, in South Africa.

In November, Bristol was crowned European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism.

The academy, whose 100 members include architects, planners, engineers, developers and designers, singled out Bristol for its strong city-region economy, dynamic business sector, distinctive sense of place and history, superb quality of life and vibrant culture.

The city’s green open spaces and environmental organisations also helped win the award.

Cabot Circus beat international competition to win three top industry awards earlier this year.

The development won Best Shopping Centre of the Year 2008 award at the MAPIC retail event in France, the Supreme Gold prize in the British Council of Shopping Centre Awards, and a European Standard Award for its car parking.John Hallett, managing director of tourism body Destination Bristol, said: "Bristol is an exciting city to visit right now. The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide commendation is not only evidence that Bristol is becoming one of the most talked about places in the UK, but it is also recognition that the city is well on its way to achieving something special on both a European and international scale." London is the only other British city to have been featured in the DK Eyewitness series before.

Top 10 Cities for 2009

1. Bristol (UK);
2. Buenos Aires (Argentina);
3. Gdansk (Poland);
4. Washington DC (USA);
5. Vienna (Austria);
6. Cape Town (South Africa);
7. Copenhagen (Denmark);
8. Fes (Morocco);
9. Seattle (USA) and
10. Vilnius (Lithuania).

Valere Tjolle