16 June 2001

York hands the ‘key to the city’ to visitors

York is throwing open its historic gates and offering visitors the
‘key to the city’.

The York Pass, a new smart card, is being launched this summer offering visitors free entry to more than 25 attractions, plus free transport around the city on Guide Friday’s open top bus sightseeing tour. Attractions such as museums, historic houses, cinemas, guided walks and river trips are included, and in the evenings visitors will be able to use The York Pass for discounts in restaurants and evening activities like York’s famous Ghost Walks.

The ground-breaking Pass is the first of its type for York and offers unlimited access over one, two or three days. Prices atart from £21 for a one day adult, and have been set to reflect convenience and savings for visitors to the city. The York Pass provides free entry to more than £100 worth of attractions.

A website where passes can be purchased will go live later this summer (www.yorkpass.com) and telephone orders can be taken over the phone (+44 (0) 870 242 9988). Once at the attraction you can beat the queues, by swiping The York Pass through a dedicated machine. The Pass also includes free travel on Guide Friday’s open top buses enabling visitors to easily get around the city, and a 80 page trilingual (English, French & German) guidebook with maps.

The York Pass is an initiative of the Leisure Pass Group, operators of the hugely successful London Pass which launched in 1999 and is already firmly established as a ‘must have’ item for visitors to the capital. It is fully supported by York Tourism Bureau.

‘York has a fantastic range of museums, galleries, historic houses, attractions and tours,” said Andrew Grahame, Director of Leisure Pass Group. “Visitors perhaps don’t realise just how much there is to do in York and the surrounding area, one could easily stay a week and not see everything. The York Pass highlights the wealth of attractions York has to offer, and provides them in one convenient, value for money package.”

pr@leisurepassgroup.com