Hannah DixYork has long been proud of its heritage, something which makes it ever popular for many international tourists. Now York and officials from China have joined together, making a commitment to work alongside one another, on a wide range of topics, which include the promotion of the city’s visitor centre and business offer.
This new commitment was made this month with the Shainghai Consul. Falling shortly after Kersten England, Chief Executive of City of York Council went to be a keynote speaker at an international heritage conference in Zhouzhuang, China. The trip, funded by the British Council, was made in order to help promote York’s international profile.
Cllr Sonja Crisp, who is Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, said “York’s heritage plays an integral part in boosting our tourism so it was an honour for the city to be represented at this heritage conference. I’m sure this experience will give us so much knowledge about how other cities use their heritage to support tourism.”
As well as this, representatives from the UK joined with Chinese policy makers, practitioners and scholars in order to discuss the experiences which they share, in government policy making, heritage protection and the involvement of young people.
This has presented York with a perfect opportunity to send a representative to compare and contrast the culture and heritage and learn the best from around the world. Kersten England said that, “I also used this visit as an opportunity to meet universities and businesses to raise York’s international profile. Across Yorkshire we have the second highest concentration of Chinese students.”
Discussions will now take place between York and Shanghai with upcoming visits from Chinese officials, in order for them to learn more from York and its expertise. As York continues to flourish in its 800th Birthday year it is clear that it’s not just the people who live here who want a piece.
