Travel brochures usually contain beautiful imagery and romantic descriptions to entice tourists. The latest guide to the UK city of York, however, uses smell to demonstrate different activities the city holds – from a day at the races to the railway museum, to ghost walks.

Just 19% of Brits are planning on packing their suitcases and heading abroad for two weeks in 2015, yet almost half have booked four short trips scattered throughout the year. Why are people ditching the two-week trip of sun, sea and sand in favour of staycations and city breaks?

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,” so the saying goes. But men and women between the ages of 30 and 39 are fleeing the capital. Are property prices just driving them out, or is London really cooling? Will the supposed mass migration prompt a rebalancing of pricing and opportunities?

It’s widely assumed that pragmatic elements, like a strong job or housing market, attract people to cities – but new studies show that vibrant cultural offerings, from galleries to club nights, are the real draw. How are lesser-known cities using creative clout to attract and retain residents?