TOURISM bosses in one of the region's historic cities are hoping a series of events will help struggling tourist attractions.

Thousands of extra people are expected to visit York over the coming weeks for the St Nicholas Fayre, which was held this weekend, the Christmas Early Music Festival and other Yuletide York activities.

It is hoped these numbers will boost attendances at the city's smaller heritage attractions, which have reported a difficult summer.

York Tourism Bureau took bookings for 347 coaches for the St Nicholas Fayre compared with 237 last year.

Kay Hyde, of the bureau, said: "The picture is not as gloomy as it was in the summer and more people have been coming into York since the autumn.

"If we take account of the extra trade in the last few months of 2005, we will probably find visitor numbers are much the same as last year."

"We've had a lot of successful events in the autumn - there was a problem with the fireworks, but other activities surrounding the Guy Fawkes' anniversary were extremely popular."

Figures show that 71.8 per cent of beds were filled at hotels and guest houses in York during September, only slightly down on 72.3 per cent in 2004.

Some businesses have claimed the city is being marketed in too many different ways, instead of focusing on its heritage.

Ms Hyde added: "A survey we carried during the food and drink festival showed the majority of people come to York specifically for these events.

"Festivals attract people to York who also visit historic buildings and spend money in the shops."