Visit York Tourism Conference 2026
Sponsored by LNER
The Visit York Tourism Conference will return at York St John University on 13th January 2026. We look forward to welcoming you, where you can explore the city's tourism priorities and opportunities and receive an overview of Make It York's plans for the year. The conference will be followed by a networking lunch and optional wordshop sessions in the afternoon.
The conference is free to attend for Visit York Members. Not a Visit York member? Find out more here.
Speakers
Sarah Loftus
Managing Director, Make It York
Sarah is Managing Director of Make It York. Prior to this role she was Chief Executive for LincolnBIG, a not-for-profit place making organisation, tasked with ensuring Lincoln city centre was well maintained, welcoming, creatively animated and had great public spaces. She has over 25 years of experience of reducing inequalities and creating growth, having delivered several complex physical and revenue regeneration and town centre management projects. Sarah holds a MPhil in Town planning from University College London.
Katerina Rysova
Senior Insights Manager, VisitBritain
Katerina is a Senior Insights Manager at VisitBritain. Katerina has delivered data, analysis and presentations across domestic and inbound tourism leveraging a range of data sources, also diving into areas such as accessible and inclusive tourism, regional analysis and understanding the tourism business landscape in England.
Katerina has 20 years’ experience in Research and Insight, with the recent 4 years at VisitBritain.
Tom Riordan CBE
Tom Riordan is the government’s recently-appointed envoy for the northern growth corridor. This role will see him work closely with government departments, mayors and other partners to shape a shared plan promoting growth and investment across the north.
Host
Dr Brendan Paddison
As an urban geographer, Brendan's research interests include tourism and destination management, spatial justice, policy, and collaborative forms of destination governance and development. Brendan teaches across a range of Business and Management subject areas, including tourism, responsible business and politics and completed his PhD titled Governance and Community Advocacy in Tourism Development: An International Comparison. Brendan leads the Visitor Economy and Experience research group at York St John, is co-chair of the Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) and Chair of the York Tourism Advisory Board. He is Subject Editor: Tourism for the Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education and a member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism and the e-Review of Tourism Research journal.
Schedule
After the Tourism Conference, attendees are invited to join us for a networking lunch sponsored by York St John. In the afternoon, there will be a choice of two optional workshops.
08:45 - Registration, refreshments and networking
09:30 - Conference starts, hosted by Dr Brendan Paddison
09:30-10:45 - Part One
- Sarah Loftus, Managing Director, Make It York: 2025 in review and looking ahead to 2026
- Katerina Rysova, Senior Insights Manager, VisitBritain: Data and Insights
- Nick How, Research Director, QaResearch: York Business Barometer - live
10:45-11:30 - Refreshments and networking
11:30-12:45 - Part Two
- Keynote: Tom Riordan, Government Envoy for the Northern Growth Corridor
- Panel in conversation, chaired by Brendan Paddison
- Closing remarks
12:45-14:00 - Networking lunch, sponsored by York St John University (pre-booking required)
14:00-16:00 - Optional Workshops
- 14:00-14:45: "Taking England to the World" - travel trade training with VisitBritain (pre-booking required)
- 14:00-16:00: Membership Support Session - the Visit York membership and digital teams will be on hand during this drop-in session with useful guidance to help improve your online presence plus practical tips for making the most of your Visit York membership.
- 15:00-15:45 - Introduction to York Business Clinic and York St John Law Clinic - meet the Business and Law teams at York Business School, York St John University, and discover how they can support your business (pre-booking required)