YP Comment: Lonely Planet accolade for Leeds

IT is a measure of the economic, social and cultural transformation taking place in Leeds that the city has been named as one of this year's top European destinations by the Lonely Planet travel guide.

This has not happened overnight. This accolade – potentially priceless if it leads to an upsurge in tourists wanting to sample Leeds’s world-famous hospitality for themselves – follows decades of hard work turning this industrial powerhouse into a cutting-edge city.

And while this award will inevitably rekindle the debate about the city’s transport deficiencies – trams operate in Zagreb which headlines the Lonely Planet’s top 10 list – this is one occasion when everyone in Leeds should come together to celebrate this special status and ensure that this summer’s visitors enjoy the warmest of Yorkshire welcomes.