what is a tourist information centre

• Northern Ireland
• Southern England
• Northern England
• Other Regions
• Shopping Guides
• Restaurant Guides
• Historic Attractions
• Theme Parks/Adventure
• World Heritage Sites
• Top UK Attractions
• UK National Parks
• England Airports
• Scotland Airports
• Wales Airports
• Northern Ireland Airports
• UK Airport Hotels
• North America
• Travellers Tips
• UK Travel Tips & Advice
• Articles & Inspirations
• Holiday Packages
• Hotel Reservations
• Travel Tools
• UK Holidays
• Travel Articles
• UK Travel Tips
• Tips for Travellers
• Tourist Information
• UK Travellers FAQ
• Travel Offers

UK Tourist Information Centres

Related articles, east anglia tourist information centres, midlands tourist information centres, wiltshire tourist information centres.

• Website Terms
• Site Disclaimer
• Privacy Policy

How Tourist Information Center Helps Tourism Industry?

By Michael Ferguson

Tourism is a vital industry for many countries all around the world. It not only brings in revenue but also promotes cultural exchange and economic development.

However, for tourists who are visiting a new place, it can be difficult to navigate and find the best places to visit. This is where tourist information centers come into play.

What is a Tourist Information Center?

A tourist information center (TIC) is a physical location that provides visitors with information about local attractions, accommodations, transportation options, and other useful resources. It serves as a one-stop-shop for tourists who need assistance in planning their trip or navigating the area.

How does TIC help tourists?

TICs provide tourists with essential information that can help them make the most of their trip. They offer brochures, maps, and other materials that detail local tourist attractions, events, and activities. TICs also have staff who are knowledgeable about the area and can answer questions or provide recommendations.

Many TICs also offer services such as booking accommodations or purchasing tickets for tours or events. This saves tourists time and effort in researching and booking these things themselves.

In addition to providing information and services, TICs also enhance the overall tourist experience by creating a welcoming atmosphere. They often have comfortable seating areas where visitors can relax while planning their day or waiting for transportation.

How does TIC help the tourism industry?

TICs play a significant role in promoting tourism in an area. By providing valuable information to tourists, they encourage visitors to stay longer and explore more of what the area has to offer. This leads to increased revenue for local businesses such as restaurants, shops, and attractions.

Furthermore, TICs are often involved in marketing campaigns that promote the area as a travel destination. They work closely with local government agencies and tourism boards to create brochures, websites, social media posts, and other marketing materials that showcase the best of the area.

Tourist information centers are an essential part of the tourism industry. They provide visitors with valuable information and services that enhance their overall experience while also promoting the area as a travel destination. So, if you’re planning a trip to a new place, be sure to visit a TIC to make the most of your travels!

Key Takeaways:

• Tourist Information Centers (TICs) provide visitors with essential information about local attractions, accommodations, transportation options, and other useful resources.
• TICs offer brochures, maps, and other materials that detail local tourist attractions, events, and activities.
• TICs save tourists time and effort in researching and booking accommodations or purchasing tickets for tours or events.
• TICs create a welcoming atmosphere for tourists by providing comfortable seating areas where visitors can relax while planning their day or waiting for transportation.
• TICs play a significant role in promoting tourism in an area by encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more of what the area has to offer.

9 Related Question Answers Found

How does world travel market help the tourism industry, what is the role of travel agency in tourism industry, what is the role of a tourism information center, how does leisure and recreation help tourism industry, what is tourism promotion example, how does tourism business work, what is the mission of tourism industry, what is attraction in tourism industry, how can we solve the problem of tourism industry, backpacking - budget travel - business travel - cruise ship - vacation - tourism - resort - cruise - road trip - destination wedding - tourist destination - best places, london - madrid - paris - prague - dubai - barcelona - rome.

© 2024 LuxuryTraveldiva

Definition of 'tourist information centre'

Tourist information centre in british english.

tourist information office in British English

Examples of 'tourist information centre' in a sentence tourist information centre.

Browse alphabetically tourist information centre

• tourist hub
• tourist industry
• tourist information
• tourist information centre
• tourist information office
• tourist infrastructure
• tourist island
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'T'

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

• Why We’re Different
• Join Our Team
• Strategic Alliances
• Why Tourism
• Strategic Planning
• Tourism Development
• Workforce Development
• Destination Management
• Destination Marketing
• Solimar DMMS
• Creative Portfolio
• Testimonials
• Tourism for Development Blog
• Case Studies
• Useful links

Tourism Information Center Management

After a destination has successfully attracted a visitor, the next opportunity to serve the market is through a Destination Visitor and Information Center, sometimes referred to as a “welcome center”. Solimar has developed a number of these centers in popular tourism destinations that provide a one-stop, physical location from which travelers can connect to local businesses and services.

These centers provide a welcoming environment for travelers to congregate, learn about available tourism products and services in the region, and make reservations. In addition, tourism information centers can provide a space to generate revenue through the sale of merchandise and local handicrafts as well as capture and analyze important traveler information and statistics.

At the crux of the Destination Visitor Center concept is its dual mission. Visitor centers not only provide information and reservation services to travelers, but can also service local tourism suppliers and the greater community. Aside from training the staff of the tourism information centers, Solimar can help destinations congregate groups of destinations stewards to tackle a range of local initiatives—from recycling initiatives to beach clean-ups, to organizing farmers markets and local festivals.

Solimar develops these centers and implements training programs with the goal of providing services to both travelers and suppliers. Solimar understands the role of TIC management is complex. As well as overseeing the daily operations of the center, they are involved with marketing the destination, networking with the local travel trade, planning events, and serving as a liaison with the local community.

What to Expect

• Information Center Development – Solimar will develop your Tourism Information Center into a well presented and accessible physical space to educate visitors about the assets available in the destination—as well as serve as a local hub and meeting place for local residents and stewards.
• Management Training – We will training Tourism Information Center Managers to identify, implement, and monitor commercial opportunities and additional services to raise revenue—including booking accommodations, making tour reservations, and selling local crafts and merchandise.
• Local Engagement – A proven ability to engage multiple stakeholders – including public sector, industry representatives, NGOs and communities – to work collaboratively to ensure the future of their destination.
• Data Collection – A process for gathering, interpreting, and supplying tourism data.

Project Examples

Bocas del Toro, Panama

USAID Timor-Leste “Tourism for All”

Izabal, Guatemala

Related stories.

Visitor Centers We Love

When working in destination marketing, it’s easy to get caught up in the initial phases and to focus your attention and energy upon attracting visitors to your destination. But what happens once the visitors arrive? Your visitors need a physical place to begin their trip, to get comfortable with the location, and to plan their […]

Tourist Information Centers in Los Angeles

Get Sightseeing Help Here

Tourist Information kiosks are not as ubiquitous in the United States as they are in Europe, but Visitor Information Centers do exist in Los Angeles if you know where to look for them. Their friendly multi-lingual staff can help you book hotels, tours, shows and attractions tickets or make dinner reservations. They can provide you with walking maps of the area around them and attraction brochures. They also often have discount shopping coupons available for nearby retailers. Unlike the better-staffed Visitor Centers, kiosks generally only provide maps, brochures, and directions and may not sell attraction and tour tickets.

In addition to these Visitor Centers, the information desk staff at shopping malls, and your hotel concierges can provide many of the same services. However, unlike your hotel concierge, the Visitor Information staff are not expecting a tip for selling you attraction tickets and making you reservations.

Los Angeles Visitors Information Center at Hollywood & Highland Location: On the 2nd Floor of the Hollywood & Highland shopping complex at 6801 Hollywood Blvd , #207, Hollywood, CA 90028 (moved inside from the previous location out front). It's now deep inside, to the left of the Dolby Theatre, next to the Starline Tours office. Hours: 9 am - 10 pm Monday through Saturday; 9 am - 7 pm Sundays Phone: (323) 467-6412 Parking: available for a nominal fee in the Hollywood and Highland parking structure or in metered spaces along the street. Website:   www.discoverlosangeles.com Tip: If you're parking at Hollywood & Highland Center to explore Hollywood, the Visitor Information Center can validate your parking so you only pay $2 for the first 2 hours. Note:  This Visitor Information Center has relocated 3 times within Hollywood & Highland, so if you don't find it at #207, check the directory for its new location.

Visitors Information Kiosk at Hollywood & Highland If you just need a quick map, there's a Visitor Information kiosk in the Babylon Courtyard at Hollywood & Highland Center . They do sell some attraction tickets, but only accept credit cards. However they don't validate parking, so for that you'll have to find suite 207 inside. Hours:  10 am - 10 pm Monday through Saturday; 10 am - 7 pm Sundays

Downtown Los Angeles Visitor Information Kiosk Location:  Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St, Los Angeles 90012 Hours: Weekdays 9 am - 5 pm Website: www.discoverlosangeles.com

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills Visitor Center Location: 9400 S. Santa Monica Blvd, #102, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Phone: (310) 248-1015 Website:  lovebeverlyhills.com

Santa Monica

The Santa Monica Main Visitor Information Center Location: 2427 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Phone: toll free (800) 544-5319 or (310) 393-7593 Hours: Mon-Fri 9 am - 5:30 pm, Sat-Sun 9 am - 5 pm Website:  www.santamonica.com Visitor Information Kiosk Location: Palisades Park at 1400 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Summer Hours: 9 am -5 pm Fall Hours: 9 am - 4:30 pm

Visitor Information Cart Location:  In the middle of the 1300 block of the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica between Santa Monica Blvd. and Arizona Ave. Hours:  Sun-Thu 11 am - 8:45 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am - 9:45 pm Pier Shop and Visitor Center Location: 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Hours:  Mon-Thu 11 am - 5 pm, Fri-Sun 11 am - 7 pm

Marina del Rey

Marina del Rey Visitors Center Location:  4701 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 Phone:  (310) 305-9545 Hours:  Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm, Sat-Sun 10 am - 4 pm Website:  www.visitmarinadelrey.com

Convention and Visitors Bureau  Location:  301 E. Ocean Blvd, Suite 1900, Inside the Long Beach World Trade Center at World Trade Center and Ocean. Phone:  (562) 436-3645 Website:   www.visitlongbeach.com

Transit & Visitor Information Center Located at the end of the Metro Blue Line at the bus transit center, this Visitor Center is a street-front window, but it has a public restroom, which comes in handy if you just took the train from LA. Location:  130 E 1st Street (at Pine Ave), Long Beach, CA 90802 Phone: (562) 436-7700 Hours:  Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 4:30 pm, restrooms open daily 5 am to 1:30 am.

Visitor Center at the Pike at Rainbow Harbor Located near the Aquarium of the Pacific at Rainbow Harbor. Location:  268 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802 Phone:  (562) 628-8550 Hours:  Summer: Mon-Thu 11 am - 5 pm, Fri-Sun 11 am - 6 pm; Winter Sat-Sun 11 am - 5 pm 

Concierge Desk at the Long Beach Convention Center Location:  300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 (Inside the Long Beach Convention Center) Hours:  Open 10 am - 6 pm during Convention Center events

Anaheim Visitor Center Location: 640 W. Katella Ave. Anaheim, CA 92802 Phone: (714) 239-1340 Website: www.visitanaheim.com

This information was accurate at the time of publication but may change at any time. If you are going out of your way to visit one of these visitor centers, please call to confirm their location and open hours.

Top Downtown Long Beach Restaurants

Hotels in Los Angeles - Guide to Finding the Best Place to Stay

Day of the Dead in Los Angeles 2016

9 Smart Los Angeles Travel Tips

How to Visit Los Angeles Without a Car

Hollywood & Highland Center

One Day Los Angeles Self-Driving Tour

Our Favorite 15 Rainy Day Activities in Los Angeles

Driving in Los Angeles

19 Fun Things to Do in Los Angeles, California at Night

Top 15 Selfie-Worthy Sights in LA

48 Hours in Los Angeles: The Ultimate Itinerary

The 15 Best Day Trips From Los Angeles

Weekend Getaways in California: 34 Trips You Can Take

The 11 Best Spas in Los Angeles

Universal Studios Hollywood Visitors Guide

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

Visitor Information Centres in Liverpool City Region

See the skyline from the mersey.

The iconic Ferry cross the Mersey is the best way to see Liverpool's iconic skyline

Pop in to a Visitor Information Centre

Liverpool City Region’s Tourist Information Centres are staffed by experienced and knowledgeable, multi-lingual teams! The Tourist Information Centre teams are able to assist with all types of visitor enquiry.  

Additional services available include event information, accommodation bookings, attraction, theatre, event and tour ticket bookings plus the opportunity to buy gifts and souvenirs.

The Liverpool Tourist Information Centre is located at

Liverpool ONE, 5 Wall Street, Liverpool, L1 8JQ.

The Southport Tourist Information Centre is located at 

Southport Library & Information, The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1NY.

Upcoming events in Liverpool

Above and beyond tour.

• Liverpool Cathedral

The Above and Beyond Tour is your chance to venture into unseen areas of Liverpool Cathedral. Our…

Author Talk: Spencer Leigh Talks To Peter Davies

Join Peter Davies as he talks to Spencer Leigh about his debut novel Valediction Records & his…

Beyond Van Gogh - The Immersive Experience

Witness over 300 masterpieces, including instantly-recognizable classics such as “The Starry Night”…

Boys From The Blackstuff

• Royal Court Liverpool

Alan Bleasdale’s Boys From the Blackstuff by James Graham.  Gizza job. Go on, gizzit, go ‘head…

Collections in focus | The Pre-Raphaelites

• Walker Art Gallery

Join us at the Walker Art Gallery for a guided tour of our Pre-Raphaelite collection. The…

Curious About Liverpool - quirky treasure hunt style heritage walks

Curious About Liverpool gives a different glimpse into what makes Liverpool what it is today: the…

Dip Into Pride at The Royal Liver Building

• Royal Liver Building 360

This is your chance to see the Dip Into Pride Bath in one of the city's most iconic buildings…

Dobbies Afternoon Tea

Treat yourself, friends & family to a delicious Dobbies Afternoon Tea If you love afternoon tea…

Gandey's Circus Hollywood Aintree

Lights,Camera, Circus! "Get Ready for “Gandeys Hollywood Spectacular”! Step onto the red carpet…

Girl Power! Spice Girls at 30

Girl Power!  Spice Girls at 30   at the British Music Experience is a temporary exhibition…

Going To The Match

Going to the Match, painted in 1953, is LS Lowry’s best-known and most popular picture…

Grateful Fred’s: Americana & Roots Music

• The Atkinson

  Grateful Fred’s have been pioneering Americana and Roots music in Formby…

• Museum of Liverpool

Happiness! is an exhibition filled with fun and humour. Celebrating one of Liverpool’s iconic…

Identification workshop: Introduction to Bees

• World Museum

This one-day workshop will give an introduction to identifying and recording bees and will focus on…

Illegal Eagles

• Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

The World’s Official No. 1 Eagles tribute returns for another outstanding show promising more of…

Incy Wincy Wanders

Join us for a wander-full Wednesday morning. Take a story-themed stroll through Calderstones park…

Jazz Night Wine & Cheese

Live Jazz, Cocktails and Wine - the perfect combination for a chilled evening with friends or a date…

Journeys through the Tate Collection

Explore more than 80 works from the Tate collection for free. This display of art from the Tate…

Level 3 Year 2 Acting presents Much Ado About Nothing

Move Over Mrs Markham

The Carlton Players present "Move Over Mrs Markham" by Ray Cooney, John Chapman Philip…

Old Dock Tour

• Maritime Museum

Discover the origin of Liverpool's fortune, buried underneath Liverpool ONE. Revealed during…

HSP PRSNTS: Papooz. This is an 18+ event.

PopUp Photo Print Shop Capital Building

Meet professional photographer with unique travel-inspiring landscape & city view photo prints…

Saturday Town

• Open Eye Gallery

Saturday Town is a photography series by the award-winning photographer Casey Orr. Since 2013 Casey…

Tate Liverpool: Sun Tunnels

• Tate Liverpool

Sun Tunnels 1978 is artist Nancy Holt’s best known work and this 26-minute film documents the making…

The Legend of Ned Ludd

• Liverpool Everyman

When there’s no more work… what then? Machines can make our work easier. They can also make it…

The Liverpool Dockers’ Dispute Tapestry

This tapestry was created by community volunteers from Sefton and funded by Heritage Lottery and The…

The Paint Republic Paint and Sip Party

Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the break. Your drink is a choice of red…

The Sefton Open 2024

The Sefton Open 2024 In collaboration with Southport Palette Club Exhibition: 23 March…

Tony Heywood & Hannah Stippl

The Sefton coast is re-imagined in this exciting collaboration. Southport-based artist Tony…

Tour of Liverpool Cathedrals with the National Churches Trust

Liverpool Cathedral is remarkable for its cavernous size and wonderful art collection, with works…

Up Next Festival 2024

• Unity Theatre

Up Next Festival – is back for 2024, providing a two-week long programme featuring brand-new shows…

Wirral Walking Festival

Throughout the month of May, Active Wirral host the Wirral Walking Festival and coordinate…

Women's Super League: Liverpool Vs Chelsea

Liverpool Women take on Chelsea Women in this Women's Super League fixture.

WoWFEST: FAHRENHEIT 2024

1 - 31 MAY, VENUES ACROSS LIVERPOOL IRVINE WELSH, JON RONSON, JACKIE KAY, JAH WOBBLE, SALENA GODDEN…

Writing Advice Desk

• Liverpool Central Library & Record Office

Join professional and published writers for advice in Liverpool Central Library on the first…

You Get a Car [Everybody Gets a Car]: RESOLVE Collective

See an exciting new installation created using material from Tate Liverpool - explore interactive…

‘The Fiction of Forgery’ A Talk by Julia Clayton

Join Julia Clayton for an exploration of how the subject of art forgery is presented in fiction…

A Tribute to Kraftwerk: 50 Years of the Autobahn & Far Beyond

Now for the 50th anniversary of the bands international breakthrough album Autobahn. Music…

Below Zero presents: ODF w/ PRESTi 360° rave @ 24 kitchen street

We're converting 24 Kitchen Street into a full 360° rave for the first time ever for…

Beyond the label: Highlights of the decorative art collections in the renaissance galleries

Discover highlights of the newly refurbished Renaissance Galleries with Nicola Scott, Curator of…

Burial At Sea

A BURIAL AT SEA are a 5 piece Post-rock band based in Liverpool. They take their influences from…

Earth's Murmurs exhibition

Two artists, working with very different media, explore their emotional connection to the landscape…

Everything Yes

Everything Yes is an American jazz fusion band spearheaded by the drummer Zack Graybeal, known…

Felix Hill + support

Felix Hill is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Bolton, who has been sweeping audiences off their…

LEAP: Liverpool Dance Prize

The Liverpool Dance Prize will feature new dance works by emerging artists from across the North…

May Wedding Open Evening

• Allerton Manor Golf Club

Join us at our wedding open evening on Thursday 2nd May, 6pm-8pm The perfect opportunity for you to…

Off The Perch Comedy Club

Join us for a night of laughter at this month's "Off The Perch Comedy Club" at The…

• Click to open search
• Open the main navigation
• Newsletter Opens in a new window

Visitdublin.com is Dublin's official tourism information website. It provides comprehensive, up-to-date information and trip planning advice for visitors to Ireland's capital city.

Browse our Things to see & do , What's on , Food & drink , Traveller guides and Accommodation collections for a comprehensive list of everything you need to know for your visit to Dublin, plus a whole lot more.

Don't miss a trick - What's on showcases all upcoming events while the What's nearby map helps you plan the perfect trip by showing you what's going on close to your location

Tourism information offices

Fáilte Ireland operates two Discover Ireland Tourist Offices in Dublin:

• Barnardo Square Tourist Information Centre, 3 Palace Street, Barnardo Square, Dublin 2, D02 T277 
• O'Connell Street 14 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1, D01 WP59

For more information

Visit the Fáilte Ireland corporate website

For media enquiries, see our  Press and Media section If you are living, working, investing or studying in Dublin, check out  Dublin.ie  – operated by Dublin City Council to celebrate the very essence of Dublin; the people, places and things that make the city truly unique.

Enjoyed The Snooks Trail? Bid for the sculptures at auction and raise money for charity!

Visitor Information

Tel: 01904 909487.

21 Parliament Street, York. YO1 8SG

If you choose to visit York, our friendly and knowledgeable team at the Visit York Information Centre & Gift Shop will give you a very warm welcome.

The Visit York Visitor Information Centre is based in the heart of the city, not far from the iconic York Minster. Our friendly assistants are here to share their expert local knowledge of attractions, travel information, places to eat, shops and events with you. As well as our personal service, we stock hundreds of free information leaflets and guides about York and beyond. We have a fantastic shop selling York merchandise, maps and gifts and you can pick up tickets for local attractions, events, bus passes and much more.

Looking to save money on your visit to York? Buy a York Pass and get entry to over 30 top attractions for one great price. We also have an accommodation booking desk if you're looking for somewhere to rest your head in York.

Visit York Information Centre & Gift Shop

York maps and guides, useful information, travel information, travel in york, accessibility, coach and parking information, groups & travel trade, updates from visit york sign up for news on events, festivals and special offers.

By checking this box you are agreeing to receive marketing material from Visit York. For further information please see our Privacy Policy .

JavaScript is turned off in your web browser.

Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.

City Information Centre

Find out more about the City Information Centre on the new City of London visitor website.

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

Tourist Information Centre

Guildford tourist information centre, our friendly local experts are here to help you - call in and see us.

Guildford Tourist information Centre  (TIC), located in the Guildford’s historic High Street welcomes visitors and residents alike. Find us on Google Maps.

Conveniently located within an historic building on Guildford’s famous High Street, our friendly staff can assist you in getting the most from your stay here.

Whether you are an individual traveller or visiting in a larger group, we can draw on our detailed, local knowledge to make suggestions to suit your needs and help you plan your visit.  If you are interested in history, culture, outdoor pursuits, food and drink, entertainment or shopping, then Guildford has a great deal to offer and we would love to share our information and enthusiasm for this multi-faceted town.

You will also find brochures on local attractions, useful maps and guidebooks and a wide selection of souvenirs and gifts here, many of which are uniquely designed for our shop.

Contact us before or during your visit to get information on:

• Places to visit in Guildford
• What’s On
• Parking and public transport
• Information on walks and activities
• Eating out and entertainment venues
• Maps, books, souvenirs and gifts.

Tuesday – Saturday 10.00am to 4.30pm

155 High Street Guildford Surrey GU1 3AJ Telephone: 01483 444333 Email:  [email protected] Website:  www.visitsurrey.com/guildford

Searching for something

Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

The best things in life are free.

Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

• Things to Do
• Food & Drink
• Arts & Culture
• Coca-Cola Foodmarks
• Los Angeles

Get us in your inbox

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

VisitScotland is closing all of its tourist information centres

The tourist board is instead transitioning to a ‘digital first’ approach

First, the digital age killed the high-street. Then it came for our pubs, clubs, and cinemas. Now, it’s robbing us of tourist visitor centres in Scotland.

VisitScotland has announced that it plans to phase out all its remaining physical tourist information centres, known as iCentres. This follows the organisation already downsizing its number of iCentres from 65 to 25 between 2017 and 2019.

The tourism board says no changes will be made until September, but from then gradual plans will be put in motion with the goal of having all the iCentres shut by 2026.

Visit Scotland said the move reflects a change in the ways people get their information, after a 42 percent decline in visitorship to the iCentres since the pre-Covid era. The board says that more and more people are doing the bulk of their research before they travel, and therefore minimising the usefulness of having in-person information points.

Lord Thurso, the chair of VisitScotland, said: ‘Prioritising a digital-first model of information provision allows us to reach potential visitors at those early planning stages when we can shape their future travel decisions.’

‘In order to continue building demand and growing the value of tourism and events, it is vitally important that we target channels we know visitors use to influence them to visit Scotland.’

But not everyone supports the move. It has been criticised by some, including MP John Lamont, for lacking accessibility for those who are not digitally fluent. Lamont lamented: ‘While online tourism is growing, it is not available to all and these centres from Lerwick to Dumfries ensure vital information can be accessed by those tourists, particularly the elderly.’

RIP to Scotland's tourist iCentres. You’ll be sorely missed by Americans trying to decipher directions given to them by locals in an accent they can’t understand. 

Keeping up with the Scotsmen 

We at Time Out like to keep an eye on the best stories from across the UK, which includes our friends north of the border. Did you see that Glasgow might become the first city in Britain to offer free public transport? Or that Edinburgh is officially the most sustainable city in the country ? We’ve also got Time Out guides to both Glasgow and Edinburgh , as well as Aberdeen , Inverness , and the Highlands . 

Did you see that   one of the UK’s most legendary nightclubs is closing for good ?

Plus:  Where was Netflix’s ‘Baby Reindeer’ filmed? All the filming locations from the hit drama .

Stay in the loop:  sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter  for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.

• Annie McNamee Contributor, Time Out London and UK

Share the story

An email you’ll actually love

Discover Time Out original video

• Press office
• Investor relations
• Work for Time Out
• Editorial guidelines
• Privacy notice
• Do not sell my information
• Cookie policy
• Accessibility statement
• Terms of use
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies
• Advertising
• Time Out Market

Time Out products

• Time Out Worldwide

DISCOVER THE AREA

• Things To Do
• The Camel Trail
• ACCOMMODATION
• Late Availability

USEFUL DETAILS

• Parking & Toilets
• Disabled Facilities
• About the TIC
• Request Brochure
• Digital Brochure

A BAY FOR EVERY DAY

GET CLOSE TO NATURE

A FOODIE DESTINATION

YEAR ROUND WAVES

FUN PACKED DAYS

SHARING LAZY DAYS

Padstow & SURROUNDING AREA

A visit to Padstow offers a unique opportunity to savour all that is good about a holiday in Cornwall.  From here you can visit the 7 Bays between Padstow and Watergate Bay, Rock to Port Isaac and the quaint market town of Wadebridge.  Padstow is now an all year round destination being just as stunning in autumn as it is in the summer or at Christmas time.  We look forward to welcoming you and hope you have a wonderful holiday!

PLEASE NOTE THAT VISIT PADSTOW IS NOT PART OF THE PADSTOW TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE

TANGO IN THE NIGHT PLAY FLEETWOOD MAC AT ST PETROC’S CHURCH BODMIN

THE OLD TIME SAILORS AT HAYWOOD FARM

OLD TIME SAILORS AT THE PICKWICK INN

THE LITTLE THEATRE PADSTOW PRESENTS!

PADSTOW BREWERY EVENTS

ADAM BANKS @ BARNABY’S

Help it's raining....

THERE IS PLENTY TO DO AROUND PADSTOW WHEN THE SUN REFUSES TO COME OUT.

BOOK ONLINE

Accommodation in and around padstow.

WALK FROM ROCK TO POLZEATH

WALKS FROM PADSTOW 1

• Share full article

Advertisement

Trump’s trial is the latest chapter in the rich history of Lower Manhattan’s courts.

A cluster of downtown buildings has served as the borough’s “epicenter of criminal justice in New York since the 1830s,” said a lawyer who has led walking tours of Manhattan courthouses.

By Matthew Mpoke Bigg

• April 26, 2024

For a decade, Robert Pigott, a lawyer, has led walking tours of the courthouses of Manhattan, guiding visitors around landmarks where the city’s rich legal history has played out. Now the trial of Donald J. Trump has added a chapter to the story he gets to tell.

Mr. Pigott’s tours, which he runs in his spare time, revolve around a cluster of downtown buildings that are the borough’s judicial hub. For now, 100 Centre Street — the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where the former president’s case is being heard — is the focus.

But just down the street on Foley Square sits Manhattan’s most elegant courthouse building, New York’s Supreme Court, with its sweeping flight of 32 stone steps leading up to a series of imposing Corinthian columns. Other court buildings are dotted around nearby.

“The eyes of the nation and the world are trained on criminal court cases in New York County, whether it’s organized crime, Wall Street cases or federal cases,” Mr. Pigott said.

Mr. Trump’s trial is remarkable because it is the first time that a former American president has been criminally prosecuted. The defendant’s status as this year’s presumptive Republican presidential nominee adds a contemporary political dimension.

For Mr. Pigott, 64, who has written a book about the history of the city’s courthouses, the real significance is what it says about the status of a few blocks of Manhattan as a nexus. He pointed out that Mr. Trump’s civil fraud case and defamation case also both played out this year in courthouses within spitting distance of the criminal trial.

“Now, when I arrive at the expanse of Foley Square midway through the walk, I can point to something truly remarkable — three different courthouses where the same former U.S. president has been on trial,” he said.

Mr. Trump’s trial shows how politics, celebrity and the location of the court itself can reinforce one another to make a big story bigger. New York’s status as a media hub increases the spotlight during high-profile cases and the high-profile cases held over the decades have, in turn, made the city’s courts an attractive setting for fictional courtroom dramas.

In these buildings, a jury convicted Anna Sorokin for grand larceny in 2019 for posing as a German heiress to swindle wealthy New Yorkers — a case that almost by definition blurred fact and fiction. Naturally, the tale has since been turned into a series on Netflix.

The cluster is also where a group of Black and Latino teenagers, then known as the Central Park Five, were wrongly convicted in 1990 of raping a jogger — a case also rendered as a Netflix series — and where Mark David Chapman pleaded guilty in 1981 to murdering the musician John Lennon.

The New York Supreme Court building, a trial-level court, often serves as a symbol of the court complex. It featured prominently in the television show “Law and Order" and the 1957 courtroom film classic “12 Angry Men,” to cite just two examples.

Mr. Pigott, however, is drawn to the history of the legal system before the 20th century and how it evolved through its buildings. The first stop on the tours he runs is a sidewalk nearby with glass blocks embedded in it, through which it is possible to see the excavations of a courthouse built by the Dutch in the colonial era.

The authorities in New York built a judicial infrastructure in this part of Lower Manhattan starting mainly in the 19th century, when the area experienced significant gang violence, he said.

“This one-block radius has been the epicenter of criminal justice in New York since the 1830s,” said Mr. Pigott.

For all the drama associated with the Trump trial, the streets outside the criminal courthouse have generally been calm this week. Reporters and members of the public have lined up for entry to the courthouse. And on Thursday morning, Collect Pond Park across the street, which has been designated for protests, was empty. Its only occupants were some police officers and a few pigeons.

Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based reporter on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news. More about Matthew Mpoke Bigg

The Flourishing World of Central Park

This verdant tourist destination is a pleasure ground for locals, too..

36 Hours in Central Park:  With its endless trails, hidden nooks, museums and nearby night spots, the park is a hub for both thriving activities and where one can find  a more tranquil, timeless Manhattan .

Flaco’s Kingdom : Before his demise earlier in February , the Eurasian eagle-owl’s escape from the Central Park Zoo  and subsequent life on the loose  captured the public’s attention and hearts .

Shakespeare Hits the Road: To many people, Central Park in the summer equals Shakespeare in the Park. But this year, because of renovations at the theater traditionally hosting the productions, the show will step outside  the confines of the park.

Regreening in the Park: A construction project next to the North Woods, involves remaking a part of the park  that serves as a backyard for nearby blocks in East Harlem, where green spaces are sorely missing.

A Reporter’s Design: Ever wondered who designed one of Central Park? Read about the life of Frederick Law Olmsted , who helped create one of New York’s shining jewels.