York is reaping the results of a push to appeal to international visitors, the head of the city's tourism body has said.
Make It York's Sarah Loftus told councillors a strong focus on attracting visitors particularly from the US, China and Northern Europe was helping the city out-compete other UK destinations.
The tourism body's managing director added York had the resources to better cater for families compared to other cities and it had been inundated with them as a result.
Cllr Pete Kilbane, York Council's Labour economy spokesperson, said the results were looking good but the city could not rest on its laurels.
It comes as a Make It York report stated overseas visitors contributed almost a quarter of the £2.01bn tourists brought into the city's economy in 2024.
The organisation's figures showed international visitors made up 14 per cent of the 9.4 million people who came to York last year.
Overall visitor numbers were up by five per cent compared to 2023, with 2024's £2.01bn spend 5.4 per cent higher than the year before.
Make It York estimates that 16,788 people's jobs were either directly or indirectly supported by tourism in 2024, a 4.8 per cent year-on-year increase.
In a survey of 1,006 visitors to York in 2024-5, 66 respondents said they came from the US, the highest amount of those from outside the UK.
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Canadians were the second-highest amount with 17 respondents, followed by Australians numbering 14.
Eight respondents each came from Germany, Norway and Spain.
Six were New Zealanders, with five a piece coming from Ireland, France and India.
There were four respondents each from the Netherlands, UAE, Finland and Belgium and three each coming from Sweden, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Italy.
Two respondents travelled from Poland as well as from Iceland, Thailand and Denmark, with one making the journey from Chile.
Overseas visitors spent an average of £51-a-day compared to £61-a-year from domestic tourists, according to the survey.
Almost half of those who came from abroad, 48 per cent, had previously visited York.
Make It York's report stated the growth of international tourism was a key focus for York, with a three-year strategy drawn up to try and attract more visitors from overseas.
Its staff visited China in September, have attended industry fairs in The Netherlands and Mexico and are due to exhibit at November's World Travel Market in London.
The organisation also hosted three international press visits to York last year.
Make It York's Managing Director Ms Loftus told the council's Shareholder Committee on Monday, October 13 the city was being showcased to the world.
The managing director said: "We've been inundated with family visits, other places haven't got the resources to do that.
"We've got strong international visitor figures this year, we've done a lot of work on that, it's having a massive impact."