Tourism award win completes a success story for York's red City Sightseeing buses!
1 month ago
York’s leading open top tour CitySightseeing York is celebrating after tourism agency VisitEngland named it as Yorkshire’s Best Told Story.
The coveted award win comes as the team behind the tour reflects on an amazing summer season, with a record-breaking 50,000 customers choosing its bright red open-top buses to discover York’s fascinating history this summer.
Each year, VisitEngland highlights attractions across the country that deliver the best visitor experience with its Attractions Accolades. The Best Told Story title is awarded to attractions that tell their stories in a memorable and creative way to give visitors an entertaining day out.
Just 14 winners across the country from South West England to Northumberland have been selected from hundreds of visitor attractions to receive the Best Told Story award, based on the scores achieved in annual VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme assessments.
City Sightseeing York General Manager Kel Pizzuti said: “I’m delighted for our team who work hard every day to make our tour the stand-out success it is. Welcoming over 50,000 people onto our buses in a summer which brought us mixed weather to say the least is a massive achievement.
“We’re also in the top five fastest growing tours in the entire CitySightseeing network in the UK and Ireland – that has to be good news, not just for us but also for York’s visitor economy as a whole, as we are the gateway of choice for many to discover our city’s leading attractions such as York Minster, Clifford’s Tower, the Castle Museum and many more.
“Even though summer’s over, that doesn’t mean the end of the road for us. We’re gearing up for our Autumn and Winter season, starting at Hallowe’en as York looks forward to a busy time with the ever popular York St Nicholas Christmas Festival starting on November 16th.
“Last year’s festive events event influenced 75 per cent of visitors in their decision to come to our city, and we’re looking forward to welcoming newcomers and returning sightseers to discover York’s amazing story with us.”
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “These accolades are a testament to the outstanding experiences and customer service that attractions in England give visitors. They also recognise attractions who really go the extra mile, including in magical storytelling.
“The attractions we’ve honoured go out of their way to make visits memorable, creating reasons for people to travel to new locations, while also boosting their local economy.”
CitySightseeing York’s eye-catching red buses serve 21 stops across the city. Tickets are valid for 24 hours, so first-time visitors can complete a full circuit of the tour route before hopping on and off at the attractions of their choice. Tours feature a mix of live guides and audio commentary available in 10 languages including a Yorkshire-voiced version.
The tour also offers a Rainy Day Guarantee for visitors who buy tickets online ahead of their arrival, who can use their tour ticket on any other day during the week following their booking if it rains on their planned tour date.
