City seizes golden opportunity to bring Olympic visitors north

Visit York is carrying out a marketing campaign with posters on 20 stations on the London Underground, including the Olympic Park in Stratford.

The tourism organisation is also hosting visits to York by the official Olympic broadcaster for the United States NBC, and their counterparts for Japan, NHK, in the hope of building further links in North America and the Far East.

The poster campaign in London will also take in stations at Charing Cross, Earl’s Court, Knightsbridge, Embankment and Westminster.

Tourism officials in York have been involved in negotiations with Visit England and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to stage the charm offensive. The exact cost has not been disclosed but it will be staged over four-weeks, starting later this month.

Visit York’s chief executive, Gillian Cruddas, said: “Our poster campaign, positioned at flagship sites on the London Underground will dramatically increase the profile for York as a top visitor destination.”

The move is aimed at boosting York’s tourism industry, which is already responsible for attracting 7.1 million visitors and bringing £443m into the local economy each year.

About six million visitors are expected to visit London during the Olympic Games, which will begin on July 27.

The biggest visitor groups are expected from the US, Europe, Australia and the Far East.

There are normally 3.5m journeys a day on the London Underground, but another 20m trips will be made by spectators during the Games.

Meanwhile, five-time Olympian Mark Foster yesterday carried the Olympic flame through Southend where he began his swimming career. Among the other highlights on the latest day of the Torch’s ongoing nationwide tour was a visit to the Olympic mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm, Essex.

The Torch was mounted on a mountain bike as fitness instructor Kim Axford, 43, took it around the course.