Surge in Christmas visitors shows confidence in the 'York experience'

The figures, from the organisation’s quarterly insight report, reveal that in December - the month of the annual Christmas market - footfall was up a staggering 36.1 per cent on the previous year.

It was also up 20.2 per cent on December 2019 – the last Christmas before Covid.

BID bosses admit that the figures may be slightly skewed by the fact that in previous years the footfall camera on Parliament Street, which records visitor numbers, was partly blocked by Christmas market stalls.

So the new configuration of the markets can partly account for the steep rise, they say.

But York BID executive director Andrew Lowson said spending also increased significantly in December – up by 13.5 per cent over the year before.

Figures show that spending in York was significantly up in the last quarter of last year. Image: York BID (Image: Supplied)

While inflation might have partly accounted for that, the spending figures were nevertheless an encouraging sign, Mr Lowson said.

“Amidst fears of reducing consumer confidence, these figures offer reassurance that visitors are still willing to spend their leisure time and expendable income in York,” he said.

“The fact is the city was heaving on certain days.

“I know from speaking to other cities in the north, not all saw the high footfall that York did.

“I think this is testament to the great offer York has.”

Heaving: York city centre during the Christmas market (Image: Newsquest)

While December saw the biggest increase in spending, businesses in the city centre saw an overall 10 per cent increase in card transactions throughout the last three months of last year, Mr Lowson said.

Not all sectors of the city’s economy did so well, however.

Spending in restaurants and bars in York city centre was up by 8.1 per cent in the final three months of last year.

But clothing sales plunged by 17.8 per cent.

Mr Lowson says this is further evidence of a change in spending behaviour.

“This affirms the narrative that the demand for hospitality/food & drink is strong, whereas retailers continue to face competition from the convenience of online shopping,” he said.

Andrew Lowson, director of York BID (Image: Supplied)

But he said there was clear evidence that cities like York which offered a strong ‘experience’ for visitors – everything from eating and drinking to attractions and activities such as ‘escape rooms’ - were doing well.

Only other ‘experiential’ cities such as Bath and Chester reported a similar uplift in spend at the end of last year, Mr Lowson said.

“When talking to customers from outside York about why they had visited, they all mentioned they’d come to ‘experience the Christmas atmosphere’.

“These anecdotes feed into national trends which suggest consumers are increasingly spending on the ‘experience economy’ - eating and drinking, but also activities such as escape rooms.

“York has these aplenty and these are experiences you cannot replace with online activity.’

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Mr Lowson admitted that some local people had found the crowds for the Christmas market last year off-putting.

The Press reported that the city came close to gridlock in late November, as the opening of the Christmas market coincided with a visit to York by Hartlepool FC fans.

Crowded: Parliament Street during the Christmas fair last year (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Mr Lowson said: “We know some people find the city too busy and the success of York’s Christmas offer does affect the city’s transport systems, accessibility of foot streets and build-up of trade waste.”

But he said that this was possibly a ‘necessary side effect’ of business picking up again after Covid.

He said: “Some businesses take 30 per cent of their annual revenue in the seven weeks to Christmas, so it’s a vital trading time.”