JAMS and queues: what a wonderful sight. Much of our beleaguered tourist industry enjoyed a better Easter than anyone would have imagined a few short weeks ago. Some even reported an increase in business from last year.

The big winners were city, town and seaside. Both park and ride and train services bringing people to York were very busy. That heralded the return of a modern tradition: the long queue outside Jorvik.

Visitors faced another long wait to confront the grisly exhibits in the York Dungeon. The manager rightly credited Tony Blair's recent visit to York for prompting the boom.

Monks Cross and McArthurGlen outlets also reported brisk business. Happily, it seems both city centre and out-of-town retailers were prospering at the same time.

In Selby, too, it was the same story. Car parks were full, shoppers thronging the streets.

Meanwhile, the East Coast was enjoying a better Easter than last year. Considering that the weather did its Bank Holiday best to put people off, that is a particularly impressive achievement. Imagine what the traffic jams would have been like if the sun had actually shone.

These scenes show that people have begun to heed Mr Blair's message that British tourism is open for business. But the packed cities and seaside resorts should not be allowed to obscure the fact that many tourist businesses are still being pushed to the edge by the foot and mouth crisis.

At this time of year, the North York Moors would normally be full of walkers. But the National Park has been hard hit by the restrictions. Many village shops, tourist attractions, pubs and other traders have had their income slashed to near zero. They need more Government help.

At the same time, we must hope that today's tour of rural areas by overseas travel chiefs is a success. It is not enough that the British are returning to the countryside: tourism needs the rest of the world back too.

Updated: 10:50 Tuesday, April 17, 2001