Eating and drinking top menu for city visitors

Eating and drinking has gone into the lead as the number one most preferred activity, reflecting the quality and diversity of restaurants on offer, tourism bosses say.

Some 74 per cent of respondents said their preferred activity was eating and drinking in York, followed by visiting cultural attractions (59 per cent) and shopping (50 per cent).

The most enjoyable aspects of a visit to York were cited as being the museums and galleries, the old buildings and other attractions of historical interest, and the shops and city centre.

Most visitors also said they enjoyed strolling around and soaking up the ambience of York and 99 per cent of respondents said they would recommend a stay.

Visit York chief executive Gillian Cruddas said: "It's interesting to see that dining out is now listed as the top activity for visitors to York – not surprising since so many fantastic new restaurants have opened up in the last year or two.

"Above all, it's excellent news to see that 99 per cent of people who visit York say they would recommend it to friends or family, a fantastic endorsement for everyone involved in the York tourism industry."

There has been a decrease in the percentage of overseas visits to York, compared to UK visits – 10 per cent of visitors were from overseas (down from 13 per cent in 2008/09), compared with 90 per cent of visitors coming from within the UK.

Tourism chiefs say that reflects the impact of the so-called "staycation". Actual visitor numbers for York will be known shortly when the results of the annual economic impact model are released.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity said: "These are great results for York and are symptomatic of what is happening in the rest of the county with more people staying, enjoying and planning to return to Yorkshire."