The Visit York Tourism Conference 2026, sponsored by LNER, returned to York St John University on Tuesday 13 January. Organised by Make It York, the event explored York’s tourism priorities and opportunities with keynote speakers.
The Visit York Tourism Conference is a vital event for the city, serving as a platform to celebrate and strengthen York’s thriving tourism industry. It brings together local businesses, stakeholders and industry leaders to share insights, strategies, and innovations that drive economic growth and enhance the city’s reputation as a world-class destination.
By fostering collaboration and showcasing the latest trends, the conference ensures York remains competitive, attracts visitors year-round and sustains its position as a cornerstone of regional prosperity.
Sarah Loftus, Managing Director of Make It York, highlighted Make It York’s achievements for 2025 and gave a review of the organisation’s success over the past year, including its contribution to York’s 9.4 million visitors in 2024 [STEAM data].
The previous year’s success [since April 2025] saw Visit York’s social media content reach 15.8 million people, an increase of 8%, and the visityork.org website attain 3.2 million views by 1.1 million users.
York stands out as one of the few major UK cities to have kept its Visitor Information Centre open at a time when many have been forced to close due to financial pressures. The Centre continues to deliver exceptional support for residents and visitors, thanks to its knowledgeable team and more than 20 dedicated volunteers who ensure this valued service thrives.
Building on this momentum, Visit York delivered four bespoke marketing campaigns across the year, each generating an average of 1.6 million impressions. Alongside this were major events such as the York Ice Trail, which attracts visitors specifically for the experience, and the York Christmas Market, which continues to grow with 1.2 million visitors and 37% staying overnight – a welcome boost for the city’s accommodation sector.
The Shambles Market has seen a notable increase in visitor footfall and now ranks among the top five places to visit for both residents and visitors. Building on this success, Make It York has developed a Shambles Market Growth Strategy, which will be rolled out over the coming years.
York had a 22% increase in applications to film in the city in 2025, with an aim to build on the success in 2026. Watch York on screen in series including BBC’s ‘Michael Portillo’s 200 Years of the Railway’; Channel 5’s ‘Our Great Yorkshire Life’; and Channel 4’s ‘Patience’, ‘Top of the Stops’ and ‘Four In a Bed’. In addition to feature films including ‘Blueberry Inn’ with filming also taking place at Castle Howard.
Looking ahead, Visit York aims to broaden its audience through five marketing campaigns showcasing York as the UK’s most inspiring destination break. Highlighting everything from the city’s rich heritage, including chocolate and ghostly tales, to independent retail and attractions that can be discovered throughout the year.
Furthermore, Visit York continues to expand its international audience reach by attending trade and consumer events to highlight the city’s offerings by retaining strong partnerships and collaboration with North Yorkshire Council, North York Moors National Park, City Cruises, Castle Howard, York Minster, LNER and York Museums Trust to highlight the region. International travellers have returned with 1.3 million visitors generating an economic impact of £0.5 billion [STEAM data]. Visit York has over 556K followers on China’s platforms, including Weibo, WeChat and Little Red Book and are the leading city in England. York is noticed across the globe.
Building on the success of events, holding 12 major festivals last year, York is set to host an exciting array of events and initiatives to enhance visitor and resident experiences. York Residents’ Festival takes place over the weekend of 31 January and 1 February with a host of free entry to attractions and offers throughout the city, the popular York Ice Trail will see over 30 spectacular ice sculptures around the historic streets on 7-8 February, the 28th Visit York Tourism Awards takes place on 12 March showcasing York’s vibrant tourism industry, a new walking trail will be unveiled, and plans are already underway for the York Christmas Market.
On the back of the success of new events delivered last year, Make It York is planning to further develop the Seaside in the City event in August, which will offer family-themed activities. The Yorkshire Day Market will also return for four days in August, alongside support for WizardFest for a second year with the Wizard Night time Market at Shambles Market, and a spooky Halloween Night Time Market.
Sarah Loftus, Managing Director of Make It York, said: ”The Visit York Tourism Conference is a pivotal event that brings together York’s industry leaders and businesses, both small and big, to shape the future of York’s tourism sector. By fostering these collaboration and sharing insights, our conference plays a key role in promoting York as a top global destination. As the only self-financing DMO [Destination Marketing Organisation] in the country, it’s all thanks to our members, partners and stakeholders that we can continue to ensure the city’s continued success in a competitive tourism landscape.”
The keynote speaker, Tom Riordan CBE, the Government Envoy for the Northern Growth Corridor, spoke about “Accelerating Growth in the North”. Tom’s role involves working collaboratively across government departments, with mayors, local authorities and other external partners, with the aim of co-developing a plan to support growth, connectivity and investment across the North in line with key government priorities.
Katerina Rysova, Senior Insights Manager at VisitBritain highlighted the industry’s tourism insights and data. Reported consumer travel trends include a growing focus on sustainability, reflected in increased interest in off-season travel and low-impact transport options. Travellers are also seeking more personalised itineraries and tailored experiences, alongside trips designed to support mental wellbeing and overall wellness. Authenticity remains a key driver of travel decisions, including the continued rise of screen tourism (visiting film and television locations) as well as a desire for genuine human connection through high-quality interactions and engagement. At the same time, technology continues to play a central role, with more travellers using AI to plan trips, seek advice and optimise their itineraries.
The day’s presentations were followed by a panel discussion where Sarah Loftus and Katerina Rysova, were joined by Charlotte Watson, Chair of Indie York, and Cherie Federico, Director of Aesthetica. The session was chaired by Dr Brendan Paddison, Chair of the York Tourism Advisory Board, and explored key themes including the importance of collaboration.
These initiatives include Make It York working year-round with Indie York, which celebrated it’s 10th anniversary, explaining how it began as a way for small businesses to come together to showcase York’s independent offer and reinforce the message that the city is open. The Indie York map is available from the Visit York Visitor Information Centre.
The discussion then turned to future opportunities for York. Sarah emphasised that the city cannot rely on the assumption that people will simply come, York must actively promote itself. She stressed the importance of being innovative and standing out from competing cities, for example by promoting York as the most haunted city in England and maintaining the “open for business” message even when the river levels are high, to show that the city remains open and welcoming.
Cherie highlighted the need to better leverage York’s cultural capital, noting that culture and tourism are closely linked. She said that York’s UNESCO City of Media Arts designation plays a critical role in the city’s story, presenting York as an innovative and forward-thinking place where history sits alongside contemporary creativity.
Katerina referred to VisitBritain’s Starring campaign, which highlights film and television locations, describing it as one of the most successful and engaging campaigns, generating more than £200 million for the UK and reinforcing Cherie’s point about the importance of screen tourism.
Looking ahead to 2026, there is much to anticipate, including the Eggsplore York trail focusing on ceramic arts, which will draw visitors to independent businesses across the city; the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO showcasing York’s creative sector; the Aesthetica Film Festival which attracts thousands of visitors from around the world; and the 20th anniversary of the Aesthetica Art Prize. Sarah concluded by reiterating the importance of continuously promoting York and keeping it firmly positioned as a top, must-see destination.
Closing remarks were delivered by Mark Mattinson, Chair of the Make It York Members’ Advisory Board and General Manager of York Dungeon. Mark also noted that the day’s speakers consistently emphasised the importance of collaboration, not only within the city but also with regional partners, including North Yorkshire and Leeds.
Mark reflected on the evolution of tourism in York, using York Dungeon’s 40th anniversary as a lens through which to consider how the visitor experience has changed since 1986. He highlighted how tourism in the city has transformed over that period and outlined the collective actions needed to safeguard its future, including stronger collaboration and partnership working to nurture the city, as well as continued engagement with initiatives such as the York Members’ Advisory Board and Qa Research barometers to ensure York remains accessible, inclusive and welcoming to visitors.
The recording of the Visit York Tourism Conference 2026 will be made available soon at: https://visityork.org/members/events/visit-york-tourism-conference
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Notes to Editors
PRESS RELEASE: 15 January 2026
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