THE Vikings are helping a city to buck the downward trend in tourism caused by the foot-and-mouth crisis.

York is defying the downturn in tourism nationally with more visitors than last year. And one of the reasons is the popularity of the city's Jorvik Viking Centre.

The centre, which recreates Viking life in detail, reopened at Easter after it underwent a £5m revamp. In the 18 weeks since then, a quarter-of-a-million people have passed through its doors and stepped back centuries in time.

Its success is having a knock-on effect across the city, with visitor numbers at other attractions on the rise.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of the York Tourism Bureau, said: "The quality of our attractions is playing a key role in bringing people into the city."

Dr Peter Addyman, director of the York Archaeological Trust, which owns Jorvik, said: "Our visitor numbers for August so far are up 30 per cent on the same weeks last year - but we are not sitting on our laurels."

About 3,000 people a day are stepping back into the Viking age at the centre.