YORK hotels have not suffered a loss of bookings - despite fears over foot and mouth, the September 11 terrorist attacks and flooding, according to a new survey.

A survey by BTI UK, an independent travel management company, shows that hotel room bookings in the city increased seven per cent last year, with overnight bookings increasing by nearly 3,000 on 2000.

The figures are the reverse of the trend in New York, where booking dropped by nearly 20,000 in the same period.

Last year saw growing concerns from industry bosses in the city that tourism would be affected firstly by the November 2000 floods, followed by the foot and mouth crisis and finally by the September 11 attacks on New York.

But the latest figures show York did not suffer.

Gillian Cruddas, chief at York Tourism Bureau, said: "These figures are perhaps indicative that some of the city's hotels have seen an encouraging increase in conference business, which has not been as seriously affected as the leisure trade.

"But the tourism bureau's statistics for performance last year do not indicate an increase in bed and room occupancy."

The biggest increase in bookings was in Northampton, with a 11 per cent increase, and the worst-affected city was Chester which was 18 per cent down in 2001 from 2000.

The country as a whole was just one per cent up on bookings.

Margaret Bowler, general manager for BTI UK Hotel Service, said: "The reduction of long-haul and overseas travel has meant that UK towns and cities performed particularly well during 2001."

She added: "Only five weeks into 2002 we have already seen a marked upturn in the hotel market compared with November last year."

Updated: 11:43 Monday, February 18, 2002