Almost all of the top five countries where visitors to York and North Yorkshire came from were outside of Europe in 2023, official figures show.

Data from Visit Britain showed visitors from the USA ranked first in terms of spend in North Yorkshire, followed by those from Australia, Ireland, China and Canada.

It compares to the national ranking based on the average spend across UK destinations which ranked visitors from the USA, Ireland, France, Saudi Arabia and Australia from first to last.

A report on tourism in York stated that it was worth £1.82bn in 2023, with 1.3 million out of around nine million coming to the city from overseas.

The figures were included in the yearly report on the performance of Make It York, the body which oversees tourism and events in the city.

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The report also set out the dates of upcoming events in York.

The Yorkshire Halloween Festival is set to be held in the city from Thursday, October 24 to Friday, November 1.

It is set to host artisan traders and offer interactive craft activities for families with an autumnal and Halloween theme, along with a tipi offering sensory and inclusive events.

This year’s Christmas Market is set to run for 39 days from Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, December 22.

A total of 75 chalets are set to feature during the event, along with 10 street food vendors and three serving mulled wine.

Make It York has also been working with York Council on a ‘Safe Space venue’ scheme.

The report stated it would be a national first for improving accessibility to large-scale events, subject to securing funding.

Make It York is also working on events for next year designed to appeal to both visitors and residents, including with a special programme of markets according to the report.

The report also set out figures for York’s tourism industry during 2023.

The 9.03 million visitor total for the year was up two per cent compared to 2022.

Almost 7.3 million of those were day visitors compared to around 1.7 million who stayed over.

The number of holiday lets listed on Airbnb and Vrbo reached their highest average quarterly level from April to June this year at 2,125.

The average occupancy rate was 65 per cent.

In July, the total grew to 2,183 and the report stated traditional bed and breakfasts were increasingly using Airbnb to reach a wider audience.

The average daily rent for Airbnb lets across York was £161 in April but it has since fallen, while the average earnings per property was £2,836 from April to June.

Footfall totals for the whole of York reached almost 2.5 million from April to June.

The total for Parliament Street was 1.8 million, four per cent less than the same time last year.

Footfall in Micklegate rose by 16 per cent to 711,000, partly due to the demolition of the Queen Street Bridge which saw pedestrians take alternative routes and local events.

The Snooks Trail, an event themed around characters created by Yorkshire-based illustrator Sian Ellis run in partnership with St Leonard’s Hospice from March to April, made a £27,000 profit.

Make It York’s total pre-tax profit for the 2023-4 financial year was £297,618.