Visitors and residents will be able to access details about Harrogate’s attractions over longer hours with plans to relocate the town’s tourist information centre.
The centre is currently housed in the Royal Baths, but under plans which are due to be considered by North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman, it will move down the road to the nearby Royal Pump Room Museum.
The new base is set to open every day except Monday from 9.30am until 5pm, meaning it will be open an extra 15 hours every week, staffed by visitor and experience assistants.
The number of people accessing the centre have dropped drastically since Covid-19 – from 135,000 a year in 2019 to 68,000 last year.
Cllr Bastiman said:
This fall in numbers is in line with the national average as more people access services online.
By moving the centre we can make best use of our staff, improve the access and maintain a service that is vital to the local economy. And we can reduce overheads and look to rent the current building as well.
Cllr Bastiman will make a final decision at the meeting on Tuesday next week (14 February 2024).
