01/03/2011

Annual figures (Jan - Dec 2010) for visits to attractions in York and hotel room occupancy figures have been announced today, demonstrating a healthy picture for York's tourism industry. Room occupancy figures have increased (1% up on 2009) and room rates are on a par with 2009.

The Visit York Hotel Occupancy Survey gathers data from eight hotels in York, including the Best Western Dean Court Hotel, the Best Western Monkbar Hotel and the Queens and is compiled on behalf of York Hoteliers Association. The survey demonstrated an average 78.8% annual occupancy figure - an increase of 1% over 2009 - and the highest occupancy level since the survey began in 2007.

Occupancy was the highest in the summer months (July to September), peaking in September at 88%. September also saw the highest like for like monthly increase when compared with the previous year. The spring half term also proved extremely popular and June average occupancy figures were 10% up over the previous year.

The English average room occupancy (Jan - December 2010) from the UK Occupancy Survey stated room occupancy averaged at 63% - an increase of 5% when compared to the same period from the previous year (Jan - December 2009) where average annual room occupancy was 58%.

December in York showed a decrease in occupancy of 15%, largely due to cancellations caused by the bad weather, however, despite this, the average annual figure is still 1% up over 2009. It is interesting to note that room occupancy rose at a time when York also had a net increase in bedrooms; the Cedar Court Hotel and Spa and Premier Inn both opened in 2010 offering almost two hundred additional bedrooms.

The average room rate in York for 2010 was £78.21, on a par with room rates achieved in 2009. The average room rate in York was highest in the summer months, peaking in August at £81.99, 2% up on the same month in 2009.

Annual figures compiled by Visit York on behalf of York's ‘Big Attractions Group' for January to December 2010 demonstrated that 2.3 million visits (including education and group visits) were made to York's key attractions in 2010. This figure doesn't include visits to smaller attractions but is another guide to how well the city's tourism sector is performing. The eight attractions included are the National Railway Museum, Yorkboat, the Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum, York Minster, Clifford's Tower, Jorvik and York Dungeon. Results demonstrated:

Castle Museum - 9% increase - 336,000 total visits
Clifford's Tower - 11% increase - 126,000 total visits
National Railway Museum - 16% decrease - 620,000 visits total visits
Jorvik - 3% increase (like for like comparison Feb - Dec, Jorvik was closed Jan/Feb 2010) - 385,000 visits
York Dungeon - 14% increase - 174,000 total visits
York Minster - 1% decrease - 512,000 total visits
*Yorkshire Museum - 165% increase comparing a like for like five month period - 59,000 visits for August - December 2010 (closed 1 November to 31 July for redevelopment, new Museum opened 1 August 2010)
Yorkboat - 6% decrease - 130,000 total visits

There were other good news stories across the city in 2010; York Maze for example had a successful year with visits up by 10% over 2009. Tom Pearcy of York Maze said, ‘visitors to York Maze were up by 10% in 2010, helped by a big increase in visitors to our Hallowe'en event.'

Gillian Cruddas MBE, Chief Executive of Visit York said, ‘These are positive results given the challenging economic climate. Room rates have held strong and occupancy levels are up on the previous year. Visits to attractions are on the whole extremely positive and we are confident that visits to the National Railway Museum will increase again this year with the return of locomotive legend Flying Scotsman from restoration, their Easter Japan Festival and the opening of a purpose-built art gallery this Summer.'

Early signs for visits to attractions in 2011 are positive, York Minster for example has had a 64% increase in visitor numbers for January. The National Railway Museum is already celebrating a bumper February half term for 2011, with daily visitor numbers often exceeding eight thousand. Figures for February half term ‘Wizard Week' are just in, generating just shy of 54,000 visitors, 45% up year on year and the best February half term week for nearly a decade. Meanwhile York Art Gallery has welcomed an impressive 43,241 visitors since the launch event for David Hockney's Bigger Trees Near Warter. ENDS

Notes To The Editor

For further information please contact:
Kay Hyde - PR Manager - Visit York
Direct Line: 01904 554451
Mobile: 07961 828092
Email: kh@visityork.org
Katie Porter - PR Executive - Visit York
Direct Line: 01904 554436
Email: kp@visityork.org

*Comparison percentage figures for the Yorkshire Museum are based on comparing 2010 visitor figures for a like for like five month period August - December, with 2008 (the Museum was closed for some time in 2009 for redevelopment).

York Minster and the National Railway Museum are members of ALVA (the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions). ALVA recently published its annual visitor figures for the NRM (-16%) and York Minster (-2.5%). The reason for the slight difference in the percentage decrease for the York Minster figure is that ALVA calculates figures from April to March and Visit York figures are calculated Jan-Dec, the actual total numbers of visitors are the same in both surveys.

Visit York

• Visit York is supported by Welcome to Yorkshire, City of York Council and tourism businesses. Welcome to Yorkshire is charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber visitor economy.

• Visit York's aim is to market York as a must-see world-class destination to the leisure and business visitor, and ensure investment to develop the quality of tourism in York. Visit York is responsible for leisure and conference marketing, visitor services (running the city's Visitor Information Centre), training and developing the tourism product.

• Visit York is the driving force of the city's tourism industry. Key facts:
7.1 million visitors
£443 million total visitor spend
23,000 jobs