We're one of world's best places to visit

Release Date:  29-Dec-2008

Bristol has been selected as one of the world’s ‘Top 10 Cities for 2009’ by the planet’s best-selling guidebook.  

The only UK city to be named in the list by DK Eyewitness, Bristol will now feature in the DK Top 10 guidebook series alongside Buenos Aires, Gdansk, Washington DC, Vienna, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Fes, Seattle (USA) and Vilnius.   

Bristol was commended for its strong shopping offer, following the opening of Cabot Circus and for its growing status as a ‘green’ destination, after it was named the 'most sustainable city in Britain' and selected as the only UK nominee for the title of ‘European Green Capital’.

The selection of Bristol as one of the world’s top ten cities to visit in 2009 is the latest in a series of recent awards and accolades. These include:

• Only city in UK short-listed  by EU for first European Green Capital Award.
• Named UK’s 'Most Sustainable City’ according to an independent assessment by Forum for the Future
• Crowned 'European City of the Year’ by the Academy of Urbanism, whose 100 members include industry-leading architects, planners, engineers, developers and designers
• Made UK’s first official Cycling City by the UK government
• Hailed as most attractive English city outside London for Foreign Direct Investment in 2008 by FDi Magazine

In addition, Bristol’s new £500million retail development, Cabot Circus, won the ‘Best Shopping Centre’ award at the 2008 MAPIC international retail development conference in Cannes and a top UK award from the British Council of Shopping Centres

Bristol's St Nicholas Markets, managed by the city council, was also declared the ‘UK's Greenest Market’ by The National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) and

Council Leader and Co-Chair of Destination Bristol, Councillor Helen Holland, said: "Being recognised by the DK City Guides as a top 10 world destination city, adds to the many other accolades that Bristol has been awarded this year. It confirms what Bristolians already know; Bristol is a great place to live, work and enjoy. Despite the current uncertain economic climate, we will continue to work hard with our partners to promote Bristol as a leading sustainable city and to ensure that by increasing visitor numbers, we help to build further job and training opportunities for the city."

John Hallett, Managing Director of Destination Bristol said: “Bristol is an exciting city to visit right now.  The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide commendation is not only evidence that Bristol is becoming one of the most talked about places in the UK, but it is also recognition that the city is well on its way to achieving something special on both a European and International scale”      

“Our visitor economy is a vital pillar in Bristol’s economy. Recent figures released by the International Passenger Survey (IPS), reveal that Bristol has overtaken Oxford and is now the seventh most visited city by international tourists to the UK.  Some 470,000 overseas visitors came to Bristol in 2007 and the city attracts more international visitors than its neighbouring city Bath. With the opening of Cabot Circus as one of the UK’s elite shopping destinations, visitor interest in Bristol is expected to continue rising.”

Author:  Kerrie Grist at Destination Bristol - 0117 946 2205

For all media enquiries relating to this press release, please contact Corporate Communications on 0117 922 2650.

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