DISAPPOINTING but not disastrous. That is the verdict on York's new batch of tourism figures.

Today for the first time the long term decline in overseas visitors is revealed. During the last eight years, the number of foreign guests coming to our city has halved. Now they account for less than one in five tourists.

This is no real surprise. American and Japanese tour parties were a common sight in summertime York a decade ago. Now they are a rarity.

They are sorely missed. Their reluctance to travel, blamed on a number of factors including the strong pound, has deprived York of its biggest spending visitors. That is a serious matter in a city where a tenth of the workforce is directly employed in tourism.

But this is not something York can change in isolation. The drop in overseas tourism has affected the whole country, and Britain must be marketed internationally as a must-see destination before the city can pitch for its share of the business.

Fortunately, York is in a stronger position than many rivals to cope with the downturn. Moves to promote the city as a leisure and shopping centre are attracting more domestic visitors. This process will be bolstered if Government and corporate funding can be secured to boost the "evening economy", including a plan to light up the bar walls and historic buildings.

The First Stop programme, which has brought visitors here by train and ferry, could soon be extended to air travel.

Talks with Jet2, the low-cost airline based at Leeds-Bradford Airport, are ongoing. And long after Harrogate and Scarborough, York is finally advancing itself as a conference centre.

These moves should keep the tourist sector buoyant until such time as the long distance travellers return.

Updated: 12:07 Wednesday, October 22, 2003