As Visit York’s remit, we continue to showcase York as a word-class destination nationally and internationally. On Wednesday 14 May 2025, in partnership with City Cruises, Visit Greenwich and LNER, Visit York highlighted the destination in London to the travel trade network and tour operators across the country.
The event highlighted the strong cultural and historical ties between the two iconic destinations of York and Greenwich. It provided a platform to celebrate our shared heritage, foster collaboration and explore opportunities for tourism.
York welcomed a remarkable 9 million visitors in 2023 – an increase of 2.2% compared to the previous year. This growth is a testament to the resilience of the industry and the effectiveness of our strategies to attract and engage with our visitors.
The day began with a LNER train from York to London’s King’s Cross. LNER links the two destinations of London and York, offering travel between both locations in as little as 1hr 45mins. With York perfectly placed half-way between London and Edinburgh, it’s an easy and hassle-free journey with LNER.
Firstly, the group took in the Pirates exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. With so much to see and do, Visit Greenwich has all the unmissable inspirational ideas.
The group then boarded a City Cruises vessel from Greenwich Pier to Westminster Pier – a journey taking in all the stunning Thames riverside landmarks.
City Cruises London welcomed 130,000 passengers from Greenwich in 2024, with the travel trade market growing substantially over the last few years as consumer demand showing more and more guests want to see a different side to London. City Cruises London are also working closely with Greenwich-based partners and attractions to facilitate travel throughout the closure of Cutty Sark station.
City Cruises York welcomes 220,000 passengers a year and are seeing great success with two new evening sightseeing cruises, the Alive After Five is a ‘Happy Hour’ cruise with snippets of commentary about the history and culture of York with discounted drinks and activity sheets for kids, with the ‘Evening Escape on the Ouse’ being a Wimbledon-themed Strawberries & Cream experience.
On board, the team from York Dungeon hauntingly bought Guy Fawkes and Dick Turpin for showstopping performance pieces.
Visit York continues to promote the city to the travel trade network and tour operators nationally and internationally, aiming to strengthen relationships, increase group bookings and position York as a must-visit destination for both domestic and international travellers.
