Theatreland lines up behind new centre

Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger from the summer production of Wind in the Willows at York Theatre Royal were the first through the doors, as Chris Morton, Visitor Services Manager at Visit York, opened the centre for the first time.

Bosses of York's attractions were among those joining the queue for a glimpse inside the new home of York's information hotspot, when it opened at 9.30am.

Also waiting in line were Cinderella and her troublesome Ugly Sisters from York's Grand Opera House production, characters from the York Dungeon and a real-life Viking from Jorvik – who then set out to spread the message the centre was open.

Stilt walkers and York University samba band drummed up extra excitement around the new centre, which has replaced the information provision at the De Grey rooms to the Grade II listed building at 1 Museum Street.

York Minster also joined the celebrations by ringing its bells every hour to mark the occasion.

Tourism bosses say the new centre, which will enable residents and visitors to get the very best out of the city and the wider region whether visitors are looking to book a concert, attraction tickets, get travel information or find accommodation.

In its first full year of trading at Museum Street, Visit York is aiming to increase visits to the Information Centre by an additional 96,000 bringing the total footfall to 336,000 (a 40 per cent increase) – increasing to 400,000 in subsequent years.

Gillian Cruddas, Chief Executive of Visit York, said: "There's never been a visitor information service like this that has been devised from scratch with the customer in mind.

"Everything we have put into the design, gift sourcing and information is planned with the visitor in mind. Our aim is to make this centre a flagship for Yorkshire and the very best information service in the country, using the very latest technology – a centre of excellence."

The project, backed by York Council, York Conservation Trust, Business Link and Welcome to Yorkshire. will offer national travel information, an accommodation booking service, and itinerary planning.

Another new feature is the launch of a new exhibition space. The first exhibition, by York Museums Trust, will allow visitors the chance to learn more about the York Castle Museum.