Has tourism in York lost its way? Boozy hen dos, £5.50-an-hour parking and madding crowds on The Shambles blamed for plunge in visitors

Blessed with some of the country's richest medieval heritage, dozens of quaint English tearooms and show-stopping attractions including the Jorvik Viking Centre and National Railway Museum, York hasn't had to work quite as hard as some other UK destinations to woo tourists through its historic City Walls. 

However, footfall this year has taken an unexpected hit, with figures published earlier this month by tourism body Make it York showing visitor numbers slumped by 8 per cent compared to the same six-month period, January to June, last year.

The North Yorkshire city, which is home to one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world in York Minster and is in possession of the kind of English quirks that overseas tourists love – including streets called 'whip-ma-whop-ma-gate', also saw its attractions suffer a brutal 17 per cent year-on-year fall.

There are some positive stats; according to the BBC's Local Democracy Reporting Service, overseas visitors were up 4 per cent during the same period, rising from 14 per cent to 18 per cent – and stays overnight in the city have also increased. 

What's turning tourists off? There is no one obvious cause, rather a combination of factors, with those who've criticised the city citing everything from 'eye-watering' parking charges in central York to the bawdy behaviour of hen and stag dos and over-priced afternoon teas. 

York, whether it likes it or not, continues to be a major UK hotspot for pre-wedding partying, with boozed-up single-sex groups, often armed with the paraphernalia associated with hens and stags – including inflatable dolls, matching t-shirts, feather boas and veils, frequently spotted lurching down The Shambles, the city's most-visited medieval street.  

For families holidaying in the city, the hen and stag industry means part of York can feel like no-go areas on Friday and Saturday nights, with anti-social behaviour on the cobbled streets common.

In May this year, Club 55, on the historic street of Micklegate, had its licence to continue operating as a strip club, often entertaining drunk stag parties, re-issued, despite objections from local residents who claimed the venue, which sits above Ziggy’s Nightclub, was fuelling anti-social behaviour and harming the tourism industry. 

Speaking to local online publication YorkMix, the owner said the venue, which has been on Micklegate for 20 years, had 'few issues'. 

Club 55 owner Andrew Elliott said: 'Some of the stag parties come in like lions and leave like lambs. We have few issues if any, I’m not after trouble and most people know that I’ve been here for an awful long time and they respect that.'

For visitors and locals alike, parking in York can come with a painful price tag – with one recent visitor claiming it was cheaper to pay the fine issued than the actual parking charges.  

Two hours parking in Coppergate Centre car park, right in the heart of the city, costs £10.90 for two hours on a Saturday. If you're a few minutes over, it rises to £13.90 for two to three hours. 

And this week City of York Council announced increased charges to both on-street and off-street parking charges ahead of the city's busy festive season. 

Expressing frustration about the price of parking in the city, one visitor, Janet Wilkinson, wrote on Facebook last month: 'I have found in certain car parks that not paying for my parking and getting a parking ticket that I pay within 14 days is actually cheaper. Especially on an overnight stay.'

Another, Sarah Carter, remarked that her family had changed plans this summer based on the price of parking in York.

She wrote: 'We were going to book three nights away in York in August but the £25+ per day parking put us off so we went to Whitby instead and parked for three days for £13!' 

Those seeking a quintessentially English experience in the city – tea and scones, also face paying prices that can rival those found in the capital.

A Lady Betty Afternoon Tea at Bettys Café Tea Rooms, which started life in Harrogate in 1919, costs £49.95 for a Saturday afternoon slot, with the five-star Grand hotel charging £42.50 for the same slot. 

Then there's the madding crowds; for many visitors, negotiating the throngs of tourists year-round on The Shambles – and particularly during the festive season – is hellish.

While some attractions aren't cheap; visiting York Minster will set you back £20 (under 17s are free) and the Jorvik Viking Centre is £17.50 for adults and £12.50 for children, there are plenty of cut-price things to see and do in the city. 

The free National Railway Museum, home to both a Japanese bullet train and steam locomotive The Mallard, attracts 500,000 visitors a year - and City Wall walks and the York Museum Gardens are also popular.  

Next month, Scandi-style huts will line Parliament Street and Sampson’s Square in medieval York for St Nicholas Fair – an artisan gifter’s paradise and free to browse. 

The Daily Mail has contacted City of York Council and Make it York for comment.