FORGET Bath, Norwich and Salisbury - York is the top historic city to visit in England, according to a new tourist survey.

Initial findings of the latest market research - commissioned by the new York Tourism Partnership - put York ahead of its rivals when it came to visitor satisfaction.

The Destination Benchmarking research was conducted by Yorkshire Tourist Board and funded by the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward.

A series of key questions, linked to customer satisfaction with visitor attractions, shops and eating places, were asked and destinations scored.

Respondents were also asked to rate their opinion of the choice of nightlife and evening entertainment.

Other destinations taking part in the survey, included Bath, Colchester, Lancaster/Morecambe, Norwich, Rochester, Salisbury, Tamworth, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Chester, Durham and Windsor.

Seventy-four per cent of respondents rated York's visitor attractions as "very good" compared with the average for other cities at 47 per cent.

Respondents were also very positive about the range of attractions in the city, with nearly three-quarters describing the range as "very good".

York's range of eateries also scored very highly in the city as well as its value for money, shops and nightlife.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said: "By using a benchmarking survey, we have been able to see how York fares against other historic cities and these results are very encouraging.

"The survey shows York's businesses are providing a valuable, quality product for our visitors. It is vital for our tourism industry and for jobs in the city that we continue to stay ahead of our competitors and uphold these high standards.

"We're also able to see areas where we can improve, particularly in encouraging more visits by public transport.

"The number of visitors coming by train has gone up year-on-year and, as part of our commitment to responsible tourism, we are keen to strengthen this trend.

"Since 1993, there's been a 52 per cent increase in visitor spend in the city, now in excess of £300 million per year.

"Our challenge for 2007 is to increase spend, not necessarily visitor numbers, while offering visitors new reasons to come back."