Chester visitor centre ‘attracts 72,000 people’
A refurbished visitor information centre in Chester city centre has been officially opened.
Visit Chester & Cheshire, the official tourism body for the North West destination which operates the centre, said it has been improved with a more welcoming open plan area.
The centre, located next to the Town Hall and opposite Chester Cathedral, soft-opened at the end of May and Visit Chester & Cheshire claimed it has already welcomed over 72,000 people.
Work on the centre is the result of a partnership between the North West Development Agency, Visit Chester & Cheshire and Cheshire West & Chester Council.
Karen Balmer, Visit Chester & Cheshire's director, said: "This is a timely improvement to the quality of information facilities which will encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and return more often to explore the vast range of Cheshire's visitor opportunities, among them food and drink, accommodation, events and gardens."
Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at NWDA, added: "Improvements to Chester's new visitor information centre are the latest in a number of projects to revitalise the region's tourist information services. Tourism is worth £1.4bn to Cheshire and Warrington, which translates into 36,000 jobs for the sub-region itself. It is our ambition to ensure tourism remains a key industry for the regional economy, with an overall target to invest £2bn by 2015."