News

York's tourism organisation plans to market the city to European visitors in order to ensure that its lucrative travel sector stays healthy this year, according to reports.

Industry chiefs hope to attract more German, Belgian and Dutch tourists to make up for an anticipated drop in transatlantic visitors as a result of the global credit crunch.

Problems in the US housing and financial industries have had knock-on effects on economies around the world and the weakness of the dollar is expected to lead to a fall in the number of Americans making trips abroad.

Visit York is now looking to support its city's tourism industry in the face of such challenges by launching its first major marketing campaign targeted at Europe, the Yorkshire Post reports.

Gillian Cruddas, the organisation's chief executive, said: 'This new campaign aims to ensure that York increases its share of European business.

'Whilst our US visitors remain vitally important to us, it's imperative that we capitalise on new airline routes into the Yorkshire region from across Europe.'

A number of infrastructure improvements are expected to support Yorkshire's travel industry this summer, including the high-speed Eurostar service connecting the region with Europe via London and the launch of new services from Leeds Bradford airport to destinations including Hamburg.

Opodo is a leading online travel company offering flights, hotels, rental cars and holidays worldwide. Search for travel deals.