Tourism body Make it York has achieved a “phenomenal” turnaround in its fortunes under its latest boss, a senior York councillor has said.

Cllr Paula Widdowson praised the efforts of Sarah Loftus and her team following a report to the council’s shareholder committee.

Managing director Ms Loftus took over the struggling destination management organisation (DMO), which manages tourism, city centre and cultural activities in York, at the end of 2021 following a turbulent period.

MIY, a company wholly owned by City of York Council, had come under fire for having poor relationships with Shambles Market traders, a lack of transparency and poor financial management.

In a report to the council in November, Ms Loftus was forecasting that MIY would make a loss of £60,000 – but the organisation is now on track to deliver a profit of £8,000 – with a profit of £90,000 predicted for 2023/24.

Relocating the visitor information centre to Parliament Street has saved cash, while difficulties in recruiting has also helped the organisation’s bottom line.

Ms Loftus said the last year had been “interesting”, “difficult” and “a year of change”.

MIY now has a better governance structure, new board members, a members’ advisory group, new tendering procedures and is sharing more information with the council, Ms Loftus said

“We’ve put a strong governance position in place for Make it York and in terms of business performance, I think it’s very strong,” she added.

Chair of the committee Cllr Widdowson said: “It’s amazingly strong from where you were to where you’ve brought it.”

York Press: Cllr Paula WiddowsonCllr Paula Widdowson

MIY has held 10 events since the end of Covid restrictions and has attracted 18.3 million visitors to the Visit York website and social media.

Cllr Widdowson singled out February’s ice trail as a particular highlight.

While footfall is still down 15 per cent on pre-pandemic figures, Cllr Widdowson said 10 million people had visited York over the last year – a figure she described as “just phenomenal”.

Ms Loftus said it was still “early days”, but added: “I think we can claim to be the best DMO in the UK.

“We are turning the organisation around – the team has been absolutely fantastic this year and I’m looking forward to another year of success.”

Relationships with the market traders and York BID were also improving, Ms Loftus said, and the focus on making the city centre more attractive to residents as well as tourists continues to be a key focus.