24/05/2010

With two weeks to go until Visit York opens its new state-of-the-art Visitor Information Centre at 1 Museum Street, the countdown to opening is firmly underway.

The grade II listed building has undergone a full renovation and restoration programme by York Conversation Trust and will open at 9.30am on Thursday 27th May.

Christine Morton, manager at the new Visitor Information Centre, has overseen the project from start to finish. Christine, 49, has worked for Visit York as Visitor Services Manager since February 2006, having previously held numerous key commercial positions throughout her career including as a Buyer for Waitrose; Commercial Manager for Derbyshire Chilled Foods; Retail Development Manager at Catalina Marketing and most-recently before joining Visit York as Category Manager for Jacksons Stores Ltd, a British chain of 114 convenience stores in Yorkshire and the North Midlands that was acquired by J Sainsbury plc in 2004.

Passionate about York and Yorkshire after graduating from York University in 1982, Christine is certainly enthusiastic about the imminent opening, having been the driving force behind the project working with main contractors George Sharkey & Sons Ltd, SoVibrant for the interior design and Savilles Audio Visual who installed 11 plasma screen TVs to ensure the centre boasts all the latest mod-cons.

As well as watching all of the developments take shape and come to life, Christine's passion to provide a first-class service for all customers has seen her working determinedly on all aesthetic aspects of the new interior, from sourcing regional suppliers for the gift shop to making sure the new state-of-the-art plasma screens are put to best use and busy negotiating ticket deals with local and national event organisers.

Christine comments: "The site development has moved on apace in the last couple of months and it's great to be facing the final hurdle, with the end now in sight. The Visitor Information Centre team and all of the partners involved have been working flat out to ensure the new centre delivers on wow-factor and is the number one place for local residents and locals who want to get the most out of a visit to York and Yorkshire.

"As a team, we can't wait for the opening. We are all extremely passionate about York and the wider Yorkshire region and believe the new facility will provide a gateway of information and services to visitors and locals alike, providing them with the keys they need to unlock the region. It will be the best place in the area to find out what's on today, this week, this month and this year - whether you're looking to purchase attraction or event tickets, obtain travel information or source accommodation. It will very much be at the heart of the city and the region, making it a resource which can be used by residents and visitors - a centre for all.

"From experience I have thoroughly revised the Visitor Information Centre's approach to retail. For us our story is in the clever and innovative way we have developed ranges specifically for the centre that make us different from our peers. As a result the Visitor Information Centre will showcase a wide selection of foods and products including gingerbread Vikings, crafts from local artists, gifts and books including recipe books for visitors to help take a taste of Yorkshire home with them. The new centre will also offer disabled access into the building and will accept Euros in payment for goods & services making transactions for European visitor much easier.

"It is inspiring to be part of such an exciting project and I am very proud to have been involved with this opportunity. As a manager I am passionate about leading my team to deliver great service and thrive on creating a fantastic service environment, which is something we will deliver everyday to every visitor that comes through the Visitor Information Centre's doors."

Supported by the City of York Council, York Conservation Trust and Welcome to Yorkshire amongst others, in its first full year of trading at Museum Street, Visit York is aiming to increase visits to the Visitor Information Centre by an additional 96,000 bringing the total footfall to 336,000 (a 40% increase). It has ambitions to increase this figure to 400,000 in subsequent years.

John Yeomans, Chairman of Visit York, added: "This is the biggest single investment in visitor information for many years. With this new facility, Visit York will be leading the way in information services, ensuring that York and Yorkshire have a visitor centre fit for the 21st Century, using the very latest technology."

Coming Soon: Visit York Information Centre, 1 Museum Street, York YO1 7DT

www.visityork.org