Category: Yorks
& N.Midlands
Date: 07.10.2004
Printable version
Swedish-born Liza Rameryd loves visiting Yorkshire so much she's been
named the county's top tourist.
大象传媒 Look North launched a competition earlier this year, as part of
the Yorkshire Tourist Board White Rose Awards for Tourism, to find the
most enthusiastic visitor to the White Rose County.
Entrants from around the world were asked to say in no more than 100
words why they come to Yorkshire on holiday, how long they have been
coming and what they do on their trips.
Judges were looking for someone who always comes to Yorkshire for a
break and can't stop telling their friends just how great it is!
And one entry stood out above all others. Liza, who works at the Swedish
Embassy in Washington, has been holidaying in Yorkshire every year since
1991 and stays with friends in Stamford Bridge and Scarborough.
"I think Yorkshire is pure magic," says Liza. "As soon as I leave
I can't wait to get back!
"I love the green fields with the stone walls and sheep everywhere,
your wonderful tea rooms - one cream tea a day is a must - your quiet
villages, your pretty little market towns, beautiful York Minster, walking
the wall around York, the absolutely lovely people and so many more
things.
"I even love your narrow country lanes which makes it a challenge
to manoeuvre the smallest car and on the left side of the road!
"And I love the excellent shopping at your charity shops. I've
always been very interested in British history and I need a 'history
fix' once a year, which I miss here in the US.
"For me, York is the epicentre of history in the UK. After all,
my ancestors the Vikings were once there.
"I have been visiting Yorkshire since 1991 when I stayed in Claxton
where my friends had a B&B at the time. That was all it took, I fell
in love instantly.
"Unfortunately I could not come back again until 1997. But since
then I've visited Yorkshire every single autumn."
Top of Liza's tourist destinations are Betty's in York, Castle Howard,
Helmsley, Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, Pickering and Thirsk.
She also drops in on a pen-friend in Scarborough, whom she has known
since 1970.
Even the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York failed to put a
stop to her trips - within a month, Liza was on a plane to her beloved
Yorkshire.
"There are so many other places I could go in this world but I always
return to my favourite place - Yorkshire," she adds.
"I'm totally and utterly crazy about the White Rose county. My colleagues
here at the Embassy always admire my wallpapers on my computer. Did
you guess? Scenes from Yorkshire!"
Liza will be presented with her award at the Yorkshire Tourist Board's
annual White Rose Awards at York's National Railway Museum on Thursday
7 October 2004.
The award, sponsored by the 大象传媒, is one of 15 categories at the ceremony
which aims to celebrate all that's great about Yorkshire's tourism industry.
大象传媒 Look North presenter Harry Gration, who will present
the award, said: "Liza's love of Yorkshire really came across in her
entry and she is a very deserving winner.
"She's a wonderful champion of the county and is always telling
people they should visit here.
"Yorkshire is a wonderful place to visit, and it's awards like this
which make me realise how lucky I am to live here.
"It's great that there are people out there like Liza who are
spreading the word and telling people all round the world what a great
tourist destination it is.
"In the past we've honoured the county's great tourist attractions,
its wonderful hotels and beautiful countryside, so we thought it was
about time we paid tribute to those people who keep coming here on holiday
year after year."
