HOTELS and businesses across York say Americans are staying away in droves since the attack on the World Trade Centre.

York is Britain's most popular destination outside London for transatlantic visitors.

But the city's Tourism Bureau today vowed to fight back and step up the drive to encourage domestic visitors to come to the city.

Bureau public relations manager Kay Hyde said: "We do expect the situation to be quite gloomy and for there to be a dramatic decrease in the number of U.S. visitors."

Miss Hyde said the Holiday Inn, in Tadcaster Road, York, had suffered a two-thirds drop in American tour bookings.

Craig Malia, assistant manager of the Dean Court Hotel, in Duncombe Place, said: "We've had quite a few cancellations, which is a concern."

Keith Wood, the manager of Ascot House guesthouse in East Parade, York, said he expected up to four or five inquiries from U.S tourists each day, but these had now "completely dried up".

A spokesman for City of York Council, which runs several of the city's attractions, including the Castle Museum and the Yorkshire Museum, said: "Obviously there's a great deal of concern about what will happen."

Nick Brown, vice-chair of York Chamber of Trade, said: "The impact has not really kicked in yet, although I don't expect it to be that bad."

Updated: 14:54 Tuesday, September 25, 2001