BUSINESS-related tourism generated almost £100m for the city of York last year.

Research commissioned by the York Tourism Bureau has highlighted the importance of business tourism for the local economy.

The key aims of the study were to quantify the scale and characteristics of meetings, conferences, exhibitions, dinners and drinks receptions - excluding weddings and private parties - last year.

It revealed that business-related events generated an estimated £98.4m of direct value to venues in York.

Almost one million delegates attended events in the city - and an estimated 25,800 events took place in during the year - an average of 437 events per venue.

The majority of those - 88 per cent - were conferences and meetings. Banquets, dinners and receptions made up about ten per cent of events and exhibitions only two per cent. Three quarters of all events were held in hotels and one third involved an overnight stay.

In keeping with national trends, peak periods for conferences were autumn, particularly October, and to a lesser extent spring.

The average daily delegate income achieved by venues for conferences and exhibitions was £33. The average 24-hour residential rate was £121.

The average rate for banquets, dinners and receptions was £29 per head, on a par with national averages.