Bradford Council has won a place in the final of the prestigious White Rose Awards for Tourism 2007.

Yorkshire Tourist Board (YTB) said its efforts in organising the International Market Festival had gained it a place in the final.

The festival, held in the city centre last August, attracted more than 500 traders from across Europe and more than half a million visitors.

It will go up against Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley, the Castle Howard Estate, near York, and the National Coal Mining Museum, near Wakefield, for Best Tourism Experience of the Year.

Marriott Hollins Hall Hotel & Country Club, in Baildon, has made it through to the final of the Best Hotel of the Year category for hotels with 35 bedrooms or over.

Meanwhile, the National Media Museum in Bradford, has won a place in the final of the Visitor Attraction of the Year category.

The tourist board said 2007 had seen the highest number of entries to date. It said the high quality of tourism product would make the judges' decisions extremely difficult.

David Andrews, chief executive of YTB, said: "Every year we ensure that the list of categories for the White Rose Awards is refined to be inclusive to the Yorkshire Tourism Industry and to embrace topics high on the political agenda.

"The finalists announced today represent the best of the Yorkshire Tourism Industry and they are deserved of this title thanks, not only to the quality of their tourism product, but to the style in which the operation is run, its success and professionalism."