York wins European Tourism City award
York has been named European Tourism City of the Year in the first European Cities Tourism Awards held in Athens.
York beat off competition from other shortlisted cities, Gothenburg and Valencia, to take the top prize.
Thomas Gleisner, from sponsor SAS, said: “York was the clear overall winner. The city has unique characteristics, such as its 2,000 years of history, a variety of world-class attractions, distinctive shopping, and festivals and events – all of which make it a destination well worth visiting, and on a year-round basis, too.
“Yet what impressed the judges most is that this is a powerful example of a highly successful public-private sector partnership.
“The public sector has invested wisely in innovative and imaginative infrastructure projects. And this in turn has helped stimulate substantial private sector investment – because developers are confident they will see a good return.”
Over the past ten years, York has achieved a 52% growth in visitor spending, a 26% increase in tourist overnight volume, a 21.5% rise in average length of stay, and 12% more employment.
As a result of the city’s success, the local authorities and their partners have gained the buy-in of local residents, who have a very positive attitude to tourism and recognise its economic and social impact.
Gothenburg was chosen as European City Tourism Organisation of the Year with Reykjavik gaining a special commendation.
The panel of judges chaired by Paul Dubrule, co-founder of the Accor Group and Chairman of Maison de la France, stressed how impressed they were with all the shortlisted candidates.
“But we had no hesitation in deciding on the eventual winners,” Dubrule said.
The European Cities Tourism Awards, launched 12 months ago at trade show City Break 2006 in Helsinki, are to be presented bi-annually. The next awards ceremony will take place in June 2009.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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