York ‘top destination’ for tour groups

The Yorkshire city picked up the title of Most Group Friendly UK Destination at an awards ceremony in London.

York had previously won the category in both 2006 and 2009 in the Group Travel Organiser Awards, which are organised by the Group Travel Organiser Magazine.

The city was this year one of eight finalists, beating off competition from Blackpool, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Hull, the Isle of Wight, London and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Research conducted by the Visit York tourism partnership demonstrated that group tourism brought in more than £25m into the local economy during last year alone, with spending on accommodation, visits to attractions, shopping and dining out.

Almost 10,000 group visits were made to York in 2010, with an average number of 30 tourists in each group.

Visit York is continuing to target the lucrative group tourism sector through marketing campaigns at travel exhibitions and through a dedicated visitors’ guide.