YORK has seen some amazing changes over the past decade.

It's hard to imagine now how the city looked back in 1996, before the Millennium Bridge was added to its landmarks, and before consumers could shop at Monks Cross and at the designer outlet as well as in the town centre and at Newgate Market.

York has become more continental, with street cafs, coffee-shop chains and modern bars finding a home among its ancient streets.

Upmarket new stores have expanded shopping choice, and budget hotels have given another option to travellers keen to stay a little longer.

Not all the changes have been quite as welcome; the introduction of Minster charges and the loss of York's Barbican centre are among the less happy developments.

But York appears to have weathered these storms, alongside the serious threats of global terrorism, flooding, mad cow disease and the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Other challenges now face the city.

Traditional pubs and shops still have their place in York. They must be cherished, so that the tide of modernisation does not overwhelm aspects of the city's history that are arguably as important to York's atmosphere as its historic walls.

There can be no complacency over the slight fall in the number of those who stay in York overnight, and we must still strive to attract younger, affluent visitors without losing York's appeal for mature tourists.

Those who have shaped the city's successful evolution can feel justly proud, and York Tourism Bureau is to be congratulated for the part it has played in singing our city's praises to the world. All of us must continue to spread the word about York, not just to support one of the lynchpins of the local economy, but to show proper pride in the city we call home.