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What Is the Role of a Tourism Information Center?

By Anna Duncan

A tourism information center is an essential entity in the tourism industry. It is a centralized location that serves as a guide for tourists looking for information about their travel destination. The role of a tourism information center is to provide visitors with comprehensive and up-to-date information about the local area and its attractions.

What Does a Tourism Information Center Offer?

A tourism information center offers a range of services to help visitors plan their trip. These services include:

  • Maps and Guides: A tourism information center provides maps and guides to visitors, which they can use to explore the local area. These maps and guides include information about local attractions, restaurants, hotels, and other amenities.
  • Accommodation Information: A tourism information center provides visitors with information about hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and other accommodation options in the area.
  • Transport Information: A tourism information center provides visitors with information about transportation options in the area. This includes bus schedules, taxi services, car rentals, and other modes of transportation.
  • Sightseeing Tours: Some tourism information centers organize sightseeing tours for visitors. These tours are led by knowledgeable guides who provide insights into local history, culture, and attractions.

The Importance of a Tourism Information Center

Tourism is an important industry that generates revenue for many destinations around the world. A well-functioning tourism industry requires a reliable source of accurate and up-to-date information for visitors. This is where a tourism information center plays a crucial role.

1. Enhances Visitor Experience

A tourism information center enhances the visitor experience by providing valuable information about local attractions, events, and amenities. This helps visitors make informed decisions about their travel plans, ensuring that they have a memorable and enjoyable trip.

2. Boosts Local Economy

A tourism information center also has a positive impact on the local economy. By providing visitors with information about local businesses and attractions, it helps to promote these businesses and attract more customers. This, in turn, generates revenue for the local economy.

3. Promotes Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism is an important concept that aims to minimize the negative impact of tourism on the environment and local communities. A tourism information center can play a role in promoting sustainable tourism by providing visitors with information about environmentally-friendly activities and responsible travel practices.

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12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently

Visitor Centres, and the value they contribute to their region's visitor economy, is often unclear, and often in the line of fire for visitor servicing review.

They are seen by many local government and tourism organisations as a significant cost line in an operating budget, with very little visible impact to the economy.

However through our work, training, research and conference case studies, we've found a number of examples of Visitor Centres who are adapting their services to remain relevant to their visitors, and as a result, adding real value to their local visitor economy.

So in this article, I've highlighted 12 things that successful Visitor Centres are doing differently, which can provide inspiration to other Visitor Centres both here in Australia, and globally.

1. 'Visitor Servicing' not 'Visitor Information Centre' Focus

Successful visitor centres understand their centre is one of many touch-points that visitors are accessing to learn more about how to experience the destination..

They know this because they have a visitor servicing strategy.

It's a plan that guides all their activities, including the running of the centre, and is able to answer the following questions:

  • Who are our region’s High Yield Visitors and Niche Segments?
  • What is their visitor journey and online + offline touchpoints ?
  • What are the information, inspiration and experience gaps in our High Yield Visitor's Travel Purchase Journey?
  • What gaps can our Organisation address?
  • Who else is supporting visitors in our region? eg Regional Tourism Organisation/Private Industry/Community Groups/Retail Traders/Local Residents.
  • Where and how can we support these people / organisations / groups with their visitor servicing activities?
  • How can we work hand in hand with our Regional/Local Tourism Organisations to better market and service our visitors across their travel purchase journey?

2. Location Reality is Faced

Successful visitor centres who add real value to their local visitor economy understand the reality of their location..

They know many visitors will find the information and inspiration they need for their town/region, without ever stepping in their centre.

They understand that unless their centre is in a high traffic visitor location, or co-located with an attraction itself, numbers will continue to fall through their front door.

While every destination is different, below are recent examples of Organisations addressing the location challenge of their Visitor Centres.

City of Mount Gambier regularly take their visitor servicing team  out and about and run pop up Visitor Servicing at Mount Gambier's key visitor attractions such as the Blue Lake, Umpherston Sinkhole, Cave Gardens and the Mt Gambier Farmer's Market.

Tourism Central Australia 's recent Visitor Servicing Review 's key focus was looking at the opportunity to better locate a future Visitor Centre to be able to better service more Visitors.

When required to move due to new light rail , Canberra Regional Visitor Centre relocated from the outskirts of town to Regatta Point which is in the heart of the key visitor experiences of the city. The building's location is also very importantly co-located with the National Capital Exhibition, which is a key visitor attraction that tells the City's founding story.

The Mackay Region Visitor Information Centre  move was prompted by the new Mackay Ring Road, which meant the loss of important northbound drive traffic to the region . Its new location is 33km south of Mackay in the refurbished Sarina Railway Station. However, most importantly it's co-located next to the popular visitor attraction the 'Sarina Sugar Shed', giving people more of a reason to stop and visit.

3. Offer a Wow! Experience

Successful visitor centres know people don't come to their destination to visit a visitor centre..

Their visitors come to a destination for an experience.

Therefore they have ensured their Visitor Centre is a wow experience in its own right, especially if they don't have the opportunity to co-locate with a key visitor experience or high visitor traffic area (see #2).

After covering the foundations of brochures, personalised service, maps, toilets, WIFI, they give visitors a reason to be there and something to rave about, both on and offline.

A couple of Visitor Centres doing this well include the newly opened Albany Visitor Centre . Since opening in 2018, it has become an attraction in its own right due to its free, three-minute virtual reality experience, where visitors can experience parts of the region they can't access any other way. Visitors love it, and are raving about it to other visitors, as you can see online !

The  Southern Highlands Welcome Centre team put a lot of effort into delivering an engaging experience that encourages visitors to stay in the centre longer and learn more about the region. One of their initiatives was through their colourful public toilets  which won the Best Economic Contributor category in the 2017 International Toilet Tourism Awards. Low cost upgrades to make the toilets wow-worthy included flowers, posters, audio reel, quirky fact stickers and free WI-FI.

4. Custodians of Regional Stories

Successful visitor centres play an important role in telling the many stories of their destination..

Stories that Visitor Centres could potentially curate and share with those who visit include:

  • People Stories – Indigenous, Early Settlers, Historic Figures, and Living Icons.
  • Place Stories – Indigenous perspective, Geography, Geology, Flora, Fauna, History and Heritage.
  • Produce Stories – Local Industries, Food, Wine, Beverages, Craft, and Art.

The stories a Visitor Centre chooses to tell will depend on what gaps exist in their wider destination experience, and also what stories will support the wider visitor experience in a region.

These stories are told through a variety of mediums (either high or low tech) based on the resources and space within a centre. They are also told through their retail offering in their centres.

The small community of Port MacDonnell, South Australia's most southerly town have a fantastic Maritime Museum co-located in their Community Complex and Visitor Information Outlet . The Museum tells the many fascinating stories of people, place and produce of the region, and easily keeps visitors engaged for a few hours. Their friendly staff also encourage kids to do a quiz "treasure hunt" as they explore the exhibits.  They receive rave reviews from visitors, and are a key attraction for visitors to the town and wider region.

After loosing their centre to fire in 2010, Malanda Falls Visitor Centre rebuilt their centre to refocus their storytelling around what visitors were visiting their region to see now, the rare and unique Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo. They also continue to work with the local Indigenous community to bring more of their stories into the centre. The success of this storytelling can be seen in the rave reviews online and the Centre being rated as #1 TripAdvisor attraction in the region .

Kapunda Visitor Information Centre is home to the small yet engaging "Taste of the Region" interpretive centre in the basement of their Visitor Centre. The stories it tells helps visitors to have a richer understanding of the town and its history. They also team up with the Kapunda Historic Society for guides who bring the town's rich mining and agricultural heritage to life for bus groups.

5. Address Marketing Failure

Successful visitor centres understand their role in the visitor economy food chain, and keenly identify new opportunities where gaps exist to support the experiences available in the destination..

Where market failure exists, and private industry hasn’t filled an experience gap or been able to activate a local public owned asset, Visitor Centres (and/or it's key funding organisation) step in to find a solution to fill an experience gap.

Examples include:

  • Walking Tours
  • Boat Cruises
  • Water Based Hire Equipment - Kayaks/Life Jackets
  • Group Tours
  • Hop on Hop Off Transport
  • Accommodation

A great example of this is Renmark Paringa Visitor Information Centre, who identified a major gap in the visitor experience in Renmark 4 years ago. There were no cruises available for the many visitors looking to get out on the Murray River in Renmark.  To address this gap, they identified a local boat hire business, and encouraged them to offer a day cruise for visitors, with the VIC team running the booking management and visitor communication side of the tour.

The business has since been sold, and the new owners have grown the original single day tour from strength to strength with new tour offerings, and it has become a must do experience for visitors to Renmark.

The VIC and River Cruise Operator continue to have a very close working relationship, with the Visitor Centre sharing visitor insights to ensure tours adapt to seasonal market changes, and continue to support the business through bookings and communications.

6. Digital Visitor Servicing Embraced

Successful visitor centres embrace the many online opportunities to help visitors who prefer to find their information online..

Covid has supercharged digital uptake for online bookings, online shopping and social media use , and strategic Visitor Centres know and understand this, and so they invest dollars, time and staff training to:

  • Manage online review + location based listings. They manage and respond to reviews and questions and answers for their visitor centre and also key visitor assets on TripAdvisor, Google My Business and Facebook.
  • Social Media. They use social media as a way to share their region’s stories, both inspiring and informing potential visitors. They may also invest strategically in targeted ads to drive bookings for time sensitive offers, such as events or relevant travel deals. It’s also a key channel for them to keep everyone informed at times of challenging events (such as bushfires, floods or storms). They also leverage all opportunities to amplify their social media posts and stories through their local Destination Marketing Organisation (where relevant).
  • Online Messaging + Chat.   They provide visitor information via Live Chat on their destination website and social media direct message channels.
  • Regional Brochures and Factsheets. Their visitor guide / fact sheets / maps can be found on their own website / regional website and/or local government websites, in a mobile friendly format, with live website links and/or click to call phone numbers.
  • Website. Many manage their destination website to inspire, attract and convert visitors in their region. If they don't own their website, they work with the relevant stakeholders to ensure the right content is on their website.
  • Australian Tourism Data Warehouse listings embraced. They make sure their local towns and public attractions are listed, and also support and help their local businesses get their listings up and optimised.

They also adjust their resourcing to support these tactics, as they need people with the skills and also time to support these activities

They also know it will be messy and potentially be a steep learning curve for the team. To help with this, they invest in training for their visitor servicing teams.

7. Tourism Industry Engagement Focus

Successful visitor centres are active in engaging the local tourism industry, especially at a local level when their centre is part of a larger destination..

2020's bushfire and covid-19 pandemic highlighted how important a role this is for Visitor Servicing teams.

They engage and collaborate with local industry in the following ways.

  • Industry eNews. They maintain an updated industry database, even if they aren't membership based, where they share a regular enewsletter with local tourism operators. Key during crisis, but also super important for business as usual times to keep local industry updated with upcoming events, new businesses, changes in local tourism products etc. They also include Sharing Economy operators in this database, as they understand they are also a key parts of their local visitor economy.
  • Staff Famils.  Their staff regularly attend famils, so they can confidently talk about key experiences in the region, especially those relevant to their destination's Ideal Customers.
  • In-House Training.  Local tourism operators are invited into the Centre to provide in-house updates to staff.
  • Networking Events.  They host networking events at their Centre for local industry (if their Visitor Centre has the space), or move it online when travel is restricted. If they can't host, key staff attend relevant networking events.
  • Membership Prospectus.  Depending on their organisation structure, they clearly communicate how local tourism operators can leverage the services at the visitor centre.
  • Other Visitor Centres. They engage with neighbouring and gateway visitor centre (even if they are in another state!), keeping them updated with visitor guides and maps, famil invites and other cross region opportunities to better engage their visitors.
  • Influencer Outreach.  They are proactive at training and getting visitor guides and maps to other visitor influencers, such as taxi drivers and Air BnB hosts.

While they are all membership based, Kununurra Visitor Centre , Margaret River Region and Tourism Central Australia all have fantastic industry prospectus's that clearly outline how local tourism operators can engage with their centres. Importantly, their membership fees are based on how much support a tourism business would like to be a part of, not on the size of the business.

8. Residents, Retail Traders + Service Provider Engagement

Successful visitor centres understand how important residents, retail traders and supporting service providers are when it comes to influencing visitors to their region..

Examples of how they engage these different groups include:

  • Education Plan. They help educate service provides, such as retail stores, service stations, bakers they are all are part of local visitor economy. They are not protective of their patch as the sole owner of visitor information in their local town and wider region.
  • VFR Plan. They understand that Visiting Friends and Relatives is a major market which drives significant visitation to their destination. They encourage and enable residents to become advocates of their region by distributing visitor guides to residents, and even by developing specific campaigns.
  • Communication Plan.   They engage local media and local government communication teams to share good news visitor servicing happenings/events in their region. They also seek out relevant community Facebook Groups and add value where possible, such as sharing of info about upcoming events.
  • Community Group Engagement. Depending on their region, they will have a staff member attend or sit on committees of local Progress Association/Retail Traders/Business Associations to support and cross leverage projects, events and other opportunities that activate their region's visitor economy.
  • Open Days. They host open days at their visitor centre or their organisation managed visitor assets to engage the community.

Clare Valley Food, Wine and Tourism Centre has regular Friday Night Wine Tasting  which is attended by locals as well as visitors, while Canberra Regional Visitor Centre engaged locals when they moved to their new open location with a well attended open day.

9. Never Accept the Status Quo

Successful visitor centres are fantastic at asking 'why they do what they do'..

They are always reviewing everything they do.

They don't accept the status quo just because something has always been done that way, or it's too expensive or hard to change.

Or if there is a history of a poor relationship with a key stakeholder and their centre, they put egos aside to see how they work together to achieve the common goal of attracting, engaging and delighting more visitors in their regions.

While funds or resources may be tight, they get creative and try different things to better engage their visitors both on and offline.

They also keep up to date with changing visitors and market trends, such as the incredible rate of digital adaptation we've seen since Covid-19, and looked at how they can adapt/evolve accordingly.

10. They don't just Measure 'Reach' Metrics

Successful visitor centres know that traditional reach metrics only paint part of the picture of the true impact they are having in their region..

Traditional reach metrics can include:

  • # Visitors to their Centre
  • # Brochures Distributed
  • # Social Media Followers
  • # Website Visitors

While these metrics are good indicators of the success of a region's visitor servicing activities, it doesn't tell the full picture of visitor engagement with their activities or if they've turned any visitors into word of mouth advocacy for their region.

Other metrics they can monitor that will better measure the impact they are having in their region include (but not limited to):

Visitor Centre Visitors

  • Capture rate of their Centre
  • Dwell time in Visitor Centre
  • Visitor Sentiment of Visitor Centre
  • Visitor Advocacy of their Visitor Centre
  • Over Counter Retail Sales
  • In Person Product Bookings

Online Engage Engagement Metrics

  • Download + engagement with digital visitor guides/maps/fact sheets
  • Online Bookings and/or Retail Sales
  • Engagement metrics of online platforms they have influence over (eg Facebook Engagement, Instagram Engagement, Website Engagement)

Local Community/Industry/ Events Engagement

  • Events attended
  • Growth in database of local residents
  • Engage/Conversion metrics with eNews
  • Local engagement on FB posts in community groups etc

They capture all the relevant data they can (such as using Google Analytics + Google Tag Manager, Social Media Insights, Review Sentiment, Manual Tracking) and use it to build a case for continued local industry + stakeholders support for their visitor servicing activities.

11. Financially Sustainable

Successful visitor centres are developing multiple streams of income. they then test and tweak what works based on their resources and their local industry..

A goal for most Visitor Centres we work with are to become more financially sustainable.

This is so they can reduce their reliance on public funds in their operational budget.

However their challenge is to maintain their reputation of offering up to the minute yet independent advice.

Various revenue streams successful Visitor Centres include:

  • Industry Contributions.  Via their Industry Prospectus (see # 7 and examples), such has having brochures racking.  Where resources are available, they also provide fee-for-service support, such as helping with ATDW listing set up, Google My Business and TripAdvisor Training.
  • Booking Commission.  Via Online Bookings, Face to Face Bookings, Event Tickets, Owned Product Packaging + Distribution
  • Retails Sales + Gift Packages.  Sold either offline (in VIC, at Events) or online via their Website.
  • Own Product Sales.  Entrance Fees, Own Tour Products (only where market gaps exist see #5) such as Guiding Service (groups), Hire, Transport, Walking Tours
  • Advertising Opportunities. In Centre - Posters, Window Projections, Touchscreen, Print.
  • Venue Hire.  If they have venue space, hire it out for local events.

Albany Visitor Centre had a $100,000 profit from the Field of Light packages they have developed and sold via OTAs and traditional trade partners. They also have various advertising opportunities in the centre for operators, such as advertising on their projector-lit Visitor Centre windows each night.

Barossa Visitor Centres overhauled their Visitor Centre to make it a must visit for foot traffic in Tanunda Main Street, and have seen huge growth in revenue from their retail sales.

Canberra and Region Visitor Centre  negotiates to receive ticket allocation for major events or exhibitions when they are in town. They also do a roaring retail trade at their Floriade pop up store each year.

12. Strong Leadership + Management

We see a common thread in successful visitor centres of having both strong leadership and management in their centre..

This may be achieved by the same person, or a couple of people in their organisation.

Common examples we see include:

  • As a Leader, they take an active role in educating and inspiring the local industry and residents on the importance of the visitor economy for their town/region, so they get whole region's support in achieve their visitor servicing goals.
  • As a Leader, they build strong relationships and trust with their region's key stakeholder groups.  This helps maintain or grow funding/resources to help activate opportunities in their visitor servicing strategy.
  • As a Manager, they are very willing to say no. They push back on anyone senior in their organisation who wants them to invest time / $$ / staff time in this "fantastic advertising / marketing tactic x/y/z" that doesn't align to their visitor servicing strategy (see point #1) .
  • As a Manager, they know they can't do it all themselves. They work smarter, not harder, and look at creative resourcing of their existing staff/volunteers or activate other resources (eg other Council department staff or even Community Groups) to help deliver their visitor servicing strategy.

Over to you

We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments on these traits of successful visitor centres

  • We'd love to hear specifically in the comments what your Centre is doing on the above list.
  • Are there any other traits we've missed that should be added to the list?

This post was originally written in December 2018 and updated in November 2022.

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Rebecca White

Join the conversation about this article, you may also like these related articles, regenerative tourism vs sustainable tourism – the future of our industry, traveller and planet, understanding your dmo’s role in destination branding.

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Tourism Information Center

Visitor Services: Providing Online and Offline Customer Service

Written by Micaela Pacheco on July 30, 2020 . Posted in Projects , Services , Uncategorized .

Visitor services centers, or welcome centers, are designed to provide information and aid to any current or potential tourists within a destination and its surrounding areas. The center acts as the main point of contact for tourists’ travel planning inquiries, as well as a place where local businesses and travel agencies can go to promote their products and services. Week 7 of Solimar’s DMO Development Course with the Republic of Georgia provided a platform for participants to learn best practices in building a tourism information center.

Best Practices and Service from a Visitor Center

There are questions aplenty that tourism leaders must consider when envisioning how a visitor center should operate, and many of the answers are dependent on the destination’s offerings. Considerations include opening hours, number of staff onsite, kinds of local merchandise sold, size of the center itself, and availability of parking and bathrooms. While this is not an exhaustive list, a DMO is guaranteed to make many more decisions when creating and designing an outstanding visitor center.

The types of services that a DMO can provide in a visitor center include: 

  • Creating and printing collaterals and maps, 
  • Providing key information (where to go, what to do, where to stay, events, planning your trip, etc.), 
  • Answering phone, email and social media inquiries, 
  • Public services (parking, bathrooms, wifi, etc), 
  • Complaints and mediation with the tourism industry, and
  • Social customer service 

Tourism Information Centers: Where To Go & What To Do

A locale’s tourism information center can play a variety of roles, and it should automatically be considered a key player in the development and marketing of a destination. Although a center could do all of or more than the aforementioned services, it may also play a role in expanding the number or variety of places visited within a destination. For example, someone visiting Philadelphia is likely to visit popular destinations like the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall. An information center is an ideal resource for a visitor to learn about lesser known attractions in Philadelphia (or any area), such as Penn’s Landing or Once Upon a Nation . DMOs should use its visitor center as a tool to create a demand and get people visiting less popular areas – therefore increasing visitor spending.

Ideally, a visitor center should take some time to research the needs of possible guests. How can the center be most useful? What are the visitors’ greatest needs? What is missing? In some cases, a visitor center may be as simple as a short rest area with restrooms, air conditioning, and wifi. Others may function as an information hub with hard copies of guides and maps and ticket sales. Some may even further contribute to revenue by the sale of merchandise. Taking the time to measure potential impact will likely support the information center in the end.

Visitor Services

Expert Interview with Norbert Käthler 

As part of Solimar’s DMO Development Program with DMOs in Georgia and Armenia, our remote learning course features a weekly interview with an industry expert. This week, we interviewed Norbert Kathler, the Managing Director of Trier Tourism and Marketing in Trier, Germany. His overarching advice is to be authentic with your destination. You have just one brand – what does this brand mean, and what does it mean to say to the world? Although you may have different messaging focused on various market segments, like foreign or domestic tourists, authenticity with your destination brand is most important. Work to develop one strong brand that helps you market to a variety of visitors. 

On the same wavelength, Kathler also advises destinations to integrate into local networks. Integrating the part of the community that benefits from tourism with the part that lacks a relationship with tourism is critical to fostering open dialogue and mutual benefits among different divisions of an area. The role of a DMO is to act as a moderator and find a way to tie the community’s relationship with tourism together.

While there are a wide variety of benefits within a visitor or tourist center, the greatest may be its potential. Just as not every destination functions the same as the next, these information centers come with a variety of options for how it will serve and assist guests, all while benefiting the destination and its community. Being malleable in a destination’s goals is more important than ever with the unique travel circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Guests rely more than ever on an informed and developed information center as a core asset to any outstanding destination.

the tourist information centre helps travelers

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Tourist information

Publish date : 14 June 2024

Stockholm has four tourist information offices. Here, you can get personalized service, as well as information and tips that will make your stay even better.

Visit Stockholm

Visit Stockholm Contact Center is open daily through telephone, email, and social media to answer whatever questions you may have. Please note that we are unable to receive physical visitors. If you want to go to a visitor center on-site in Stockholm, please refer to one of our colleagues in the below list.

Visit Stockholm is the official tourism promotion agency of Stockholm and fully owned by the City of Stockholm. Through our website and social media, we offer tips, advice, and inspiration or simply show you how to get to places. We love to talk about Stockholm and are happy to be at your service. Are you longing to feel the city pulse or curious about the hidden gems in the surrounding areas? Do you want to put a silver lining to your everyday life or make your stay a memory for life? We will tell you about all the must-see and dos in our beautiful capital.

Website: visitstockholm.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +46(0)8-508 28 508

Facebook: facebook.com/visitstockholm

Instagram: instagram.com/visitstockholm

Telephone hours:

Monday–Friday 9 am–6 pm.

Saturday–Sunday 9 am–3 pm.

Holidays and New Year’s Eve 9 am–3 pm.

December 24, 25, and January 1.

____________________________________________

Center run by Kungliga Djurgårdens Intressenter (The Royal Djurgården Society):

Royal Djurgården Visitor Center

Royal Djurgården Visitor Center offers personalized service and information about everything related to Djurgården. You can also book sightseeing tours by bus and by boat here. 

Address: Djurgårdsvägen 2

Website: royaldjurgarden.se/en/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +46(0)8-667 77 01

Opening hours: 

Open every day 9 am–5pm.

Center run by Tours and Tickets, a private company specializing in tourist service:

Tours and Tickets – Stockholm Central Station

Get help booking various trips within and outside Stockholm. Purchase tickets to airports, SL tickets, sightseeing tours by bus and by boat, and train tickets throughout Sweden. They also offer free maps and brochures.

Address: Stockholm Central Station, Centralplan 15

Website: stockholminfo.se

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +46(0)76-196 92 33

Opening hours:

Open every day 9 am–7 pm

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Visitor Information Centre

Located in the heart of downtown Kingston, the Visitor Information Centre helps visitors make the most of their time in our beautiful city.

Hours of Operation

Sunday to Thursday:  10:00am – 6:30pm

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We’re here to help! For information and assistance, please connect with us:

  • Stop by in person at  209 Ontario Street
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  • Call 613.548.4415
  • The Visitor Information Centre is completely accessible with a ramp and access to the interior and the back patio

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Topic: visitor centres + visitor experience.

the tourist information centre helps travelers

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23 March 2018

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If you started a new tourism destination from scratch, would you invest your limited resources in a brick-and-mortar visitor centre?

It’s common practice to operate one; according to one study , eight out of ten destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have an official info centre. These visitor centres can evoke civic pride when locals provide top-notch hospitality and valuable services to travellers. This makes some people reluctant to change. Why break a trusted model? Every destination needs its visitors to have positive experiences, and a well-managed visitor centre is one way to make that happen.

But the assumption that every destination needs a physical, permanent visitor centre is a destination marketing idea that needs to die .

Just because you built it, doesn’t mean your visitors still need it.

To effectively match visitor services with visitor needs, destinations need a process to align destination strategy with visitor behaviour and the customer journey .

Visitor behaviour has fundamentally changed.

As visitors use mobile technology to access information, some destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are rethinking the way they provide visitor servicing. In 2017, VisitScotland announced the closure of 39 of its 56 visitor centres after measuring a ten-year “decline in the number of tourists visiting their information centres, amounting to a 58% drop in footfall.” But Scotland has been outpacing the rest of the U.K. in visitor growth for six straight years. Where are today’s visitors getting the services they need?

Not so long ago, visitor centres provided information, maps and travel advice that were in short supply elsewhere, filling a vital need for trip planning after arrival.

Powell River map

This mid-1970s tourist map and brochure of Powell River, Canada (“Central Point of B.C.’s Coast Circle Tour”) encourages travellers to find help at the tourist information centre.

Today, smartphones are filling the information gap more thoroughly and conveniently than visitor centres can. The mobile internet has dramatically changed the way visitors plan their trips, and today, many visitors are finding that support online, anywhere they go.

Visitors servicing needs will vary from one destination to the next, says Destination Think’s Chief Strategist William Bakker, but there is an overarching trend at work. He sums it up this way:

“In the past, people proactively sought out the visitor centre. Now, if visitors happen to find one, they will probably wander in – why not? But they no longer see it as a must-do as soon as they arrive. That’s a fundamental change.”

Destination Think has been working on a number of projects around the world to help destinations review and reimagine their visitor servicing to align with their destination strategy and respond to the needs within the customer journey. Our process reveals perceptions and expectations of the local tourism industry and modern travellers, within the context of today’s visitor servicing trends.

Our Chief Strategist urges DMOs to address the fundamental issues by understanding how visitor servicing supports both business objectives (“What value does our visitor centre provide?”) and visitor needs (“If we didn’t have a visitor centre, would we serve our visitors less effectively?”).

Here’s a real-life example from Tourism Western Australia (TWA), which used our process to guide its decisions with the best available research and context.

Western Australia responds to changing consumer behaviour by changing its visitor centre.

TWA is making changes to the Western Australian Visitor Centre (WAVC) in Perth to address “a drop in visitor numbers due largely to more people accessing destination information via their mobile phones and other devices,” and following a strategic assessment completed by Destination Think. ( Read the TWA press release here for more info .)

To provide concrete recommendations, Destination Think’s team begins by researching and analyzing visitor behaviour, local perceptions and current visitor centre performance. We then review the research in the context of international trends that shape the way DMOs provide effective visitor servicing.

Within this context, we then apply the following four criteria to provide the strongest possible options for improving visitor services.

4 criteria for visitor servicing that address its role within your destination

1) dmo objectives.

What is your organization trying to achieve?

Today, visitor servicing often means enhancing the visitor experience in the destination. Better experiences lead to better word of mouth, which leads to better success for your tourism industry.

2) Place DNA® and context

How does your destination’s visitor servicing reflect the destination’s identity?

Articulating your Place DNA® will help your staff understand the value visitors will get from their experience, and connect your visitor centre with the authentic destination story. And by learning how your destination is perceived, you will be able to better address your consumers’ needs and concerns.

3) Visitor needs in the customer journey

Which problems are you solving for the visitor?

Destination Think uses a design thinking methodology to help destinations better understand their visitors’ motivations, wants and needs. Our DMO clients then create personas and map the visitor decision-making process, along with the physical routes travellers take. By understanding the customer journey , DMOs can identify opportunities to provide a better experience.

4) Human touch

At which points in the customer journey do your visitors need direct assistance from a human being?

The advent of smartphones hasn’t removed the need for face-to-face hospitality. A study of the current customer journey often reveals opportunities to improve service delivery.

The destinations that succeed with visitor servicing today have left old assumptions behind and are meeting their visitors where their current needs are greatest.

Destination Think’s international expertise and collaborative processes help organizations like Tourism Western Australia match visitor servicing to modern visitor needs. Contact us to find the right strategy for your destination.

Featured image: Friendly visitor servicing at String Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Source: Grand Teton, Flickr

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the tourist information centre helps travelers

  • Establishing tourist information centers

the tourist information centre helps travelers

Tourist Information Centers (TIC) are the most important visitor service facility in a community. They are important because they frequently provide the initial contact with most tourists who visit a community, and because they have the opportunity and the responsibility for creating the first impressions a tourist will perceive. Therefore, it should be one of the first duties of the tourism organization to establish TICs in and near the community, provide them with complete information on the area, and staff them with well-trained personnel.

The Community TIC offers specific information about the local area, its attractions, events, facilities, and services. It also assists in gathering data about tourists, such as where they come from, how long they will stay, what brought them to the area, and other significant data that a community needs to assist in the development of its tourism plan.

As pointed out in a guide published important to the listener. The necessity of developing an understanding of who the tourists are, their problems, and motives was noted.

As pointed out in a guide published by the Texas Tourist Development Agency, most visitors or "passers-by" are strangers to the community and unaware of the variety of attractions offered. Therefore, the TIC must be able to provide c omp l e te information about the community. Types of information which should be available to tourists should be classified for easy reference, and could include most of the following major categories:

Accommodations (hotels, motels, campgrounds, hostels)

Auto repair garages

Attractions/amusements

Children's services churches

Cultural attractions (museums, galleries, lectures, musicals)

Complaint referrals

Community events

Directional information

Directories of:

Emergency information

Employment information

Entertainment

Foreign visitors and interpreters

Health services and hospitals

Historical sites, places, buildings

Local industry

Local government services

Local newspaper, radio and television services

Parks and recreational places (tennis courts, swimming pools, golf courses, horseback riding stables, and other sports information)

Restaurants (showing type, price range, reservations needed etc.)

Shopping information

Sightseeing services

Special tour services

Twenty-four-hour services

Transportation services

Of course, the TIC may expand this list of categories, or use only those which represent a large portion of the questions that are most often asked by tourists.

The initial compilation of the information represents a major commitment of staff time for researching, organizing, and determining the form in which the information is to be presented to the tourist. Therefore, it is important that the information be inclusive, accurate, up to date, easy to understand, and attractively presented.

The TIC makes it easy for travelers to get reliable answers to their questions and provides an excellent opportunity to sell them on the area's attractions as well as gather information about them. By placing a facility of this type in a central, easily reached location, one stands a good chance of stopping many travelers who might otherwise just drive through the community.

The information center should be placed strategically along the major route through your community—or at the intersection of major routes. It should be conveniently located at ground level with plenty of free parking space available. In congested areas reserved parking areas adjacent to the center should be arranged. By all means, keep the building and grounds attractive. If possible, provide for well-landscaped grounds.

The center could be located in a store, hotel/motel, or the Chamber of Commerce office. However, it is preferable to have it in a building of its own. It is not necessary to have much space as long as the center is attractive, easily recognized, and large enough to provide display racks for brochures on local and area attractions.

One approach is to have a center with an unusual type building—a tepee, covered wagon, log cabin, grist mill, replica of historic building (The Alamo or Judge Roy Bean's saloon perhaps). The center should be unusual and attractive on the inside as well as the outside. It must draw attention to itself. A large sign should identify it. Posters, photographs, and historic artifacts are appropriately displayed inside. Welcoming signs on the major routes to town should give the location and hours of operation. It is important that your staff, volunteers, or paid employees, be well-informed and enthusiastic individuals who understand their purpose and have a knowledge of and pride in their community.

Visitor centers can double as a reservation bureau for your hotels and motels. Often the hotels and motels help finance such projects and their operation. Alternatively, a leading hotel or motel can be sought out to donate the necessary space to the community or at least provide rent at a minimum rate.

In sum, hospitality and tourist information facilities are important in promoting the attractions of the community. Additionally they serve the important purpose of providing a method for surveying the tourist population. These are the places where valuable information can be gathered through registrations, questionnaires, and interviews with little contamination of data from the non-tourist or the risk of alienating the visitors (in this latter case they have voluntarily stopped which is far different from being stopped or interrupted as would be required in some information gathering situations).

The number and quality of the information centers in your community should be assessed. Do you have an information center and is it adequately attracting people to stop? Is the exterior and interior attractive and is it strategically placed and identified so visitors can be enticed to stop without feeling they have to go out of their way?

Comparing registrations at lodges, various attractions, or restaurants with the registrations at tourist information facilities will give a good index of how many take advantage of such facilities. Various questionnaires may be used to assess tourism and can include questions about visitor center usage and usefulness.

An additional role and service that the visitor center can play is providing the visitor something to do and see. The economic rewards of delaying the visitor one extra day is well known. The Texas Tourism Development Agency in the United States suggests that the community should encourage visitors to use the community as a base of operations for seeing all of the attractions within easy driving distance.

  • About the author
  • Tourism through the ages
  • Motivations
  • Segments of the market
  • Factors influencing the location of tourism
  • Patterns of travel
  • Modes of transportation
  • Marketing of passenger transportation
  • Tourism destinations: attractions and tourist flows
  • Regions of the world
  • Western Europe
  • Southern Europe
  • Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
  • Africa and the Middle East
  • Asia and the Pacific
  • International
  • National organizations
  • State organizations
  • Private business firms and organizations
  • Goals of tourism development
  • Economic impacts of tourism
  • Social impacts
  • Cultural impact
  • Environmental impact
  • What is planning?
  • Importance of data collection
  • The development process
  • Market analysis
  • Planning and engineering analysis
  • Socioeconomic analysis
  • Business and legal analysis
  • Synthesis of basic data
  • Selection of development areas
  • Preparation of area-wide master plans
  • Economic feasibility
  • Administrative and legal plan
  • Overall financial feasibility
  • How to develop leadership
  • Coordination of tourism
  • Visitor services
  • Anticipating and planning service needs
  • Coordination of visitor services
  • Training for visitor services
  • The public awareness program
  • Evaluating the visitor services program
  • Developing the promotional plan
  • Tourism distribution systems
  • The role of the tour wholesaler
  • Role of the retail travel agent
  • Influences on demand
  • Final word of caution
  • Appendix A: travel and tourism information sources
  • Appendix B: glossary of terms

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HKMU

It’s been a record-setting year for global travel – here’s how we make tourism inclusive and sustainable

A colourful market in Columbia selling bags, clothes and crafts: Inclusive and sustainable travel and tourism includes supporting micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses.

Inclusive and sustainable travel and tourism includes supporting micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses. Image:  Unsplash/Michael Barón

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A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}} Get involved .chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

  • The global travel sector is experiencing a robust recovery, with tourists increasingly spending more on travel.
  • Despite the overall positive outlook, some destinations struggle with operational challenges, including workforce issues and resource management amid rising tourist numbers and environmental concerns.
  • The travel and tourism sector’s potential for advancing socio-economic prosperity is particularly impactful through the support of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises.

The global travel sector forecast is in and it's sunny skies ahead. Through March 2024, consumer spending on travel remains strong, and passenger traffic has soared. Empowered by a strong labour market worldwide, tourists will be on the roads, air and seas once again, with more of people’s budgets on travel.

The latest report from the Mastercard Economics Institute, Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries , reveals that 2024 has already witnessed multiple record-setting days as consumer spending on leisure travel remains strong. The data shows that post-pandemic travellers continue to seek unique experiences rooted in local cultures while increasingly prioritizing spending on memorable events across sports, music and festivals.

The Mastercard Economics Institute’s analysis reveals that travellers also seek opportunities to extend their stays, prioritizing leisure for longer. For the first 12 months between March 2019 and February 2020, a trip’s average length of stay was about four days. As of March 2024, the average length of a leisure trip has edged closer to five days, which translates into an economic boost for the destinations and communities hosting them.

Have you read?

These are the top 10 countries for travel and tourism, what is travel and tourism’s role in future global prosperity, travel & tourism development index 2024, tackling tourism’s challenges.

Yet, while the overall outlook for travellers looks bright, that’s not the case for all destinations. Some tourism hotspots and lesser-known locales are facing growing challenges around operating conditions. The World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024 highlights the ongoing constraints facing the global travel and tourism sector – including the lack of investment in skilled and resilient workforces and issues around resource management – cultural and natural – as destinations grapple with higher tourist visitor numbers and rising environmental concerns.

The report offers travel and tourism decision-makers recommendations around how the sector can take a more active role in tackling social challenges across socio-economic prosperity, peace and cultural exchange. As the industry accounts for approximately one-tenth of global gross domestic product and employment , the public and private sectors must work together to ensure future tourism development is, first and foremost, inclusive and sustainable.

Supporting the backbone of travel and tourism

As the TTDI 2024 notes, one area where the sector’s potential in advancing socio-economic prosperity can be particularly impactful is in the economic empowerment of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, more than 80% of travel and tourism businesses fall under this category.

Policies and investments promoting the adoption of digital solutions and enhancing digital skills development while improving access to credit can provide a major boost to tourism-focused MSMEs.

In Costa Rica, the Instituto Costariccense de Turismo, a member of Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub , is championing such an approach to ensure increased tourist traffic results in better opportunities for MSMEs. Last year, the institute launched Tico Treasures , a platform facilitating tourist connections with Costa Rica’s Crafts with Identity programme, a group of 17 artisan collectives across the country. The platform allows visitors to discover local Costa Rican products, learn about artisan communities and then purchase and ship the goods back to their home country – all through one experience.

The programme is an example of public-private collaboration, including backing from Correos de Costa Rica, Banco de Costa Rica and the Instituto Costariccense de Turismo. Its objectives are multifold: delivering more authentic experiences for tourists, expanding citizens’ access to the digital economy and contributing to MSME resilience.

Protecting future environments

There are also novel approaches to solving destinations’ sustainability challenges underway. A key role of the Travel Foundation , a global non-government organization, is to facilitate innovative public-private collaborations in tourism that accelerate and scale sustainable solutions. One notable example is in Scotland, where the national tourism organization VisitScotland is partnering with the Travel Corporation, a global tour operator, to help decarbonize the destination supply chain. Both organizations are pooling their insights, data and expertise to support local businesses, develop new ideas for reducing carbon footprints and identify barriers to a green transition.

The learnings from this and other projects led by the Travel Foundation will be shared to influence future policy, investment and product development decisions at national and global levels. By combining public sector resources and capabilities with private sector technological expertise, travel and tourism decision-makers can enact policies and programmes that balance tourism growth with environmental protection, providing a nuanced approach that works for unique destinations.

It’s an important time for the sector – to leverage travel and tourism’s robust recovery and advance socio-economic prosperity, fuelling a more inclusive future for our treasured destinations. By accelerating collaboration between governments, destination management organizations and technology companies, we can ensure destinations, the communities that power them and the environments they inhabit are at the heart of all future tourism development.

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License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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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.

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Why Is It Better to Visit a Tourist Information Center?

When people feel stressed out, bored, or tired of city life, they go on a vacation. Just being outside the environment that creates monotony and boredom can relax and heal your mind. Although travel can be therapeutic, it is not easy to plan it. When travelling to a far destination, one has to prepare well in advance. For instance, they should investigate the destination well before travelling to feel more confident and have a general idea of what to expect. Although you can place your bets on a  gry hazardowe 777  game, do not gamble with your safety when travelling. Instead, seek advice from a tourist information centre about the destination you want to visit. Although the tourist information centre has been around for years, it is still reliable in the 21st century. 

Why should you use a tourist information centre? 

There are advantages to expect from using a tourist information centre. First, the centre can boost your enjoyment and confidence by providing details of what you can do and see. Armed with all this data, you can have the courage to prolong your stay even in a place you have never visited before. Additionally, you can budget your money wisely to avoid facing financial problems in a foreign country. 

Usually, a tourist information centre collaborates with the business community within the tour and travel industry. It gathers information about different tourist attractions and works closely with the public sector. For that reason, it is a trustworthy information provider that benefits the local community. Besides learning crucial details about a physical tourist site, visitors can get in touch with local tour operators and service providers. As the information centre keeps tons of valuable travel tips in a central place, it is very dependable. 

In addition, tourist information centres often create a hospitable environment for travellers to gather details about tourism products and services that concern them. If they feel satisfied, they can make a booking immediately or do it elsewhere. When viewing a tourist data centre from a business perspective, it is still beneficial to entrepreneurs. The information they can gather from there can help them adapt their products and services to the needs of target customers. 

These centres can also benefit existing organisations in the tourism sector by supporting their development initiatives. Examples of these initiatives can be tree planting, cleaning beaches, organising local festivals, improving farmers’ markets, recycling waste, saving endangered species, and so on. 

For the longest time, tourist information centres have been the middleman between tourists and suppliers in the tours and travel sector. Today, these centres use technology tools to obtain data on travellers, promote destinations, and engage the local people online. They are now sustainable facilities with up-to-date data that communities, as well as visitors, can use. 

What does a tourist information centre mean to an international visitor? 

To meet the needs of an international visitor, a visitor data centre should ensure the following: 

  • Offer an on-site customer support service provider like an employee
  • Providing maps and directions with a visitor requires travelling safely
  • Share practical information about crucial things like public transport, public washrooms, public hospitals, ATMs, banks, currency exchange shops, local malls, and more.  
  • Create a safe and hospitable environment for locals and international visitors

Are you travelling soon? We hope that you can use a tourist information centre the next time you go on a trip

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Family Information Form – Visitors, Students and Workers (IMM 5645)

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Family Information Form – Visitors, Students and Workers [IMM 5645] (PDF, 1.4 MB)

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Family Information (IMM 5645)

Who needs to complete this form.

This form must be completed by each person, 18 years of age or older, applying for a Temporary Resident Visa, a study or work permit outside Canada.

Write the personal details about:

  • If you are married and you were physically present at the marriage, choose “married - physically present” in the marital status box.
  • If you are married and you were not physically present at the marriage, choose “married - not physically present” in the marital status box.
  • If you are married and your spouse was physically present at the marriage, choose “married - physically present” in the marital status box.
  • If you are married and your spouse was not physically present at the marriage, choose “married - not physically present” in the marital status box.
  • your mother,
  • your father.

Include: full name, relationship, date of birth, marital status (married, single, widowed, common-law, divorced, separated, annulled marriage), present address and occupation (job), and if they will come with you to Canada by checking “ Yes ” or “ No ”.

If a person is deceased, write “deceased” under “Present address”, and write the city and the date they died.

If not currently employed, please indicate if that person is retired, studying, etc.

You must answer all questions. If a section does not apply to you, write “Not applicable” or “N/A”.

Note: If you do not have a spouse or a common-law partner, read “ Note 1 ”, then sign and date the declaration at the end of Section A.

Section B - Children

Write the personal details about your children. It is very important that you list all of your children even if they are already permanent residents or citizens of Canada. This includes:

  • married children;
  • adopted children;
  • children of your spouse (step-children) or common-law partner;
  • any of your children who have been adopted by others; and
  • any of your children who are in the custody of an ex-spouse, former common-law partner or other guardian.

Write full name, relationship, date of birth, marital status (married, single, widowed, common-law, divorced, legally separated, annulled marriage), present address and job, and if they will come with you to Canada by checking “ Yes ” or “ No ”.

If a person is deceased, indicate this under “Present address”, and write the city and the date they died.

Note: If you do not have children, read “ Note 2 ”, then sign and date the declaration at the end of Section B.

Section C - Brothers and Sisters

Write the personal details about your:

  • brother(s),
  • half-brother(s) and half-sister(s), and
  • step-brother(s) and step-sister(s).

If a person is deceased, write this under “Present address”, and write the city and the date they died.

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Why You’ll Pay More and Behave Better When You Travel This Summer

From Barcelona to Bali, higher fees and new rules are targeting overtourism and unruly behavior. Some locals are worried the changes will keep tourists away.

Crowds of people in bathing suits and shorts sit beneath colorful umbrellas on a beach that is so crowded, the sand cannot be seen.

By Paige McClanahan

A new tourist fee in Bali. Higher hotel taxes in Amsterdam and Paris. Stricter rules on public drinking in Milan and Majorca. Ahead of the summer travel season, leaders in many tourist spots have adopted measures to tame the tourist crowds — or at least earn more revenue from them.

All of this may pose headaches for travelers, although in most cases, the new fees or tax increases represent only a tiny fraction of the total cost of a trip. The goal is to ensure that tourism functions smoothly for visitors and locals alike, said Megan Epler Wood, managing director of the Sustainable Tourism Asset Management Program at Cornell University.

“All tourism is dependent on beautiful natural and cultural resources. You have to protect those resources in order to be a viable tourism destination — and if you don’t, they degrade,” Ms. Epler Wood said.

In some places, proposals for new fees or visitor rules have drawn opposition from residents, who fear they might scare away the tourists who bolster the local economy. But destinations need to find ways to counteract what Ms. Epler Wood calls “ the invisible burden ” of tourism, which includes strains on a community’s infrastructure, utilities and housing stock, as well as tourists’ carbon footprint and any challenges they might impose on residents’ daily lives.

“You put so much pressure on the place that the people who live there become unhappy, and then they don’t present a very good face to tourists,” Ms. Epler Wood said. “The longer you wait, the higher the cost to fix it.”

Here is a look at new measures that travelers can expect this summer, and where others might be coming in the future.

New visitor fees

Since February, visitors to the Indonesian island of Bali have been asked to pay a levy of 150,000 Indonesian rupiahs, or about $9.40 per visit. Revenue will be used to support the preservation of cultural and natural assets on the island, where tourism has brought major challenges related to litter, water supply and overcrowding. Visitors are encouraged to pay the new fee online before departure, although it’s also possible to pay on arrival at the airport.

Beginning Aug. 1, most foreign travelers to the Galápagos Islands — which had a record-breaking 330,000 visitors last year — must pay a $200 entry fee, double the current rate. The money raised will be used to support conservation, improve infrastructure and fund community programs.

The change is the first increase to the entry fee since it was introduced in 1998, said Tom O’Hara, communications manager for the Galápagos Conservation Trust . Mr. O’Hara noted that the increase comes a year after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee urged the government of Ecuador to work toward a “zero-growth model” for tourism in the Galápagos.

“It’s quite a complicated topic,” Mr. O’Hara said, noting that the fee increase has been viewed “as part of the solution to overtourism.” On the other hand, he added, “everyone is trying to reassure the local tourist industry that this isn’t going to kill tourism on the islands.

In April, Venice began imposing a fee — 5 euros, about $5.40 — on day-trippers visiting on peak days, with the goal of striking “a new balance between the tourists and residents.”

But the new Venice Access Fee has drawn criticism from residents. “This project is a disaster for us. We are a city, not a park,” said Matteo Secchi, the president of Venessia.com, an association of Venice residents. Mr. Secchi said that a communications campaign would have been more effective.

The possibility of a new tourist fee has also drawn local opposition in Hawaii, where Gov. Josh Green has proposed a “climate impact fee” for visitors to the state. The measure failed during a recent meeting of the State Legislature, but Governor Green has persisted in calling for visitors to help fund the state’s preparation for future climate shocks.

“We have to get this tiger by the tail,” he told journalists in May, adding that $25 per visitor could raise $250 million a year, which the state could use to guard against climate disasters, manage erosion, strengthen infrastructure and protect parks.

Hotel fees and other taxes get a bump

Hotel taxes, also known as occupancy or accommodation taxes, are widespread in the United States and Europe, where they were on the rise for a decade leading up to the pandemic. With tourism’s rebound to prepandemic levels, several destinations have increased or adjusted the tax to capture more revenue.

Like Hawaii, Greece — which also suffered severe wildfires last summer — is looking to steel itself against climate disasters, and the government wants tourists to help foot the bill. Greece is calling the charge a climate crisis resilience fee , and it will be collected by accommodation providers. The tax will be higher from March to October, when it will top out at €10 per night at five-star hotels. The rate drops from November to February, and for hotels with fewer stars. The fee replaces the previous hotel tax, which ranged from €0.50 to €4 per night.

In Amsterdam, the hotel tax, which was already one of the highest in Europe, rose to 12.5 percent from 7 percent on Jan. 1. City lawmakers have also raised the tax on cruise passengers to €14 from €11 per person per night.

The hotel tax in Barcelona also rose this year, increasing to €3.25 per night. The measure was the final step-up in a gradual increase that began before the pandemic. A spokesman for Barcelona City Hall said that further tax increases would be aimed at tourist rental apartments and cruises that make short stopovers, which contribute less to the city’s income. The spokesman also noted that revenue generated by the tourist tax is being used, among other things, to fund the installation of solar panels and air-conditioning in Barcelona’s public schools.

Ahead of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, lawmakers in the Île-de-France region have imposed a new tax, on top of the normal hotel levy. With the new tax, which will fund public transportation in the region, a guest in a five-star hotel now owes a total of €10.73 in tax per night stayed, while a stay in a two-star hotel incurs a tax of €3.25 per night.

Though the measure was adopted by the regional government, it was not supported by the leadership in Paris itself. A spokeswoman for Paris City Hall called the move “a democratic power grab” that “in no way benefits the city of Paris.” She noted that even with the funds generated by the new tax, the region still raised the price of tickets for public transportation in the city during the Olympics — a measure that has disgruntled many Paris residents.

Introducing new rules

In other tourist spots, the focus is on curbing behavior that pollutes the local environment or harms residents’ quality of life.

In Japan, authorities at Mount Fuji will cap visitors at 4,000 per day. They have also imposed a new fee of 2,000 yen (about $13) for access to the iconic summit. Elsewhere in the country, a community council in the Gion neighborhood of Kyoto has closed some small roads to tourists, after complaints that the area, home to the city’s geisha district, was suffering from crowds.

“We will ask tourists to refrain from entering narrow private streets in or after April,” Isokazu Ota, a leading member of the community council, told Agence-France Presse in March. “We don’t want to do this, but we’re desperate.”

A spokeswoman for the city’s tourism board described the road closures as “a local initiative,” adding that “neither Kyoto City nor the Kyoto City Tourism Association are aware of any details beyond what is reported in the media.”

Rowdy visitor behavior has been the target of new rules in Milan. In some areas, city leaders have banned outdoor seating after 12:30 a.m. during the week and 1:30 a.m. on the weekend in response to resident complaints. They have also limited the late-night sale of takeaway food and drinks.

And in certain areas on the Spanish Balearic Islands of Majorca and Ibiza that are overrun with drunk tourists, the government has imposed a ban on late-night sales of alcohol and the consumption of alcohol in the street. New restrictions have also been imposed on party boats in the same areas.

“Tourism has negative externalities that must be managed and minimized,” Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic Islands, told a local gathering this month , according to The Majorca Daily Bulletin. Local tourism, she said, “cannot continue to grow in volume.”

Paige McClanahan, a regular contributor to the Travel section, is author of “The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel,” forthcoming from Scribner on June 18.

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Ljubljana, Slovenia:  Stroll along the river, explore a contemporary art scene and admire panoramic views in this scenic Central European capital .

Cities With Great Beaches:  Already been to Miami, Honolulu and Sydney? These five other coastal destinations  are vibrant on land and on the water.

Southern France:  The Canal du Midi traverses the Occitanie region and gives cyclists of all skill levels  access to parts of France that are rich in lore .

Port Antonio, Jamaica:  The D.J. and music producer Diplo recommends spots in a city he loves  on Jamaica’s northeast coast. A dance party makes the cut.

New Mexico:  Visiting the vast and remote Gila Wilderness, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, is both inspiring and demanding .

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South Africa

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Africa Tourism Information

Helping over 21 200 potential travellers to Africa every day

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the tourist information centre helps travelers

Welcome to Africa, the magnificent motherland of breathtaking landscapes, abundant wildlife, lush forests, expansive deserts, and awe-inspiring natural wonders. Prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey where adventure and nature converge. Africa beckons to nature lovers and adventure seekers from around the world, offering an unparalleled travel experience that will leave you in awe.

Immerse yourself in the wonders of Africa, home to iconic destinations such as the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, the mesmerizing Sossusvlei, the legendary Serengeti, and the enchanting Okavango Delta. The continent brims with captivating game reserves, where untamed creatures roam freely amidst rugged terrains, responding only to the calls of nature and the melodies of singing birds. It's a land that ignites the wild spirit within you and opens your heart to the true essence of nature.

AfricaTourismInfo.com serves as your gateway to Africa's vibrant tourism scene. As an Africa Tourism Information Centre, we provide invaluable resources for travelers seeking to explore this remarkable continent. Discover reliable service providers, uncover hidden travel destinations, explore captivating attractions, gather travel tips, find exclusive deals and specials, and access essential information about the most popular countries to visit in Africa.

Our website connects you with reputable travel operators who are eager to help you plan your adventure-packed holiday. From arranging transportation to organizing unforgettable activities and securing accommodations near your desired destinations, these professionals ensure every aspect of your journey is taken care of.

Africa is not just a destination; it's an immersion into a tapestry of diverse cultures. Come and experience the warmth and hospitality of the African people as you traverse our majestic lands. From the moment you land at the airport, reliable shuttle companies will whisk you away to your hotel or lodge. Travel agencies and tour operators will tailor spectacular experiences, ensuring you make the most of your time and create lasting memories.

Join us in discovering Africa's rich tapestry of cultures, vibrant ecosystems, and unparalleled beauty. Let AfricaTourismInfo.com be your compass, guiding you through this extraordinary continent as you embark on a journey that will leave an indelible mark on your soul.

Top Tourist Attractions to Africa

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  • Ponta Do Ouro

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COMMENTS

  1. How Tourist Information Center Helps Tourism Industry?

    A tourism information center is an essential entity in the tourism industry. It is a centralized location that serves as a guide for tourists looking for information about their travel destination. The role of a tourism information center is to provide visitors with comprehensive and up-to-date information about the local area and its attractions.

  2. What Is the Role of a Tourism Information Center?

    A tourism information center enhances the visitor experience by providing valuable information about local attractions, events, and amenities. This helps visitors make informed decisions about their travel plans, ensuring that they have a memorable and enjoyable trip. 2. Boosts Local Economy.

  3. 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently

    Kapunda Visitor Information Centre is home to the small yet engaging "Taste of the Region" interpretive centre in the basement of their Visitor Centre. The stories it tells helps visitors to have a richer understanding of the town and its history. They also team up with the Kapunda Historic Society for guides who bring the town's rich mining ...

  4. The role of Visitor Information Centres

    The role of information centres in rural tourism development is considered by Nicula et al. (2012) in Romania. Healy et al. (2016) report on how visitor centres interpret natural areas, and suggest that low-intensity interpretation is preferred to high-intensity, technologically driven displays. Download the report: Visitor information ...

  5. Tourism Information Center Management

    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 […]

  6. Overview of The Tourist Information Center Operation

    The tourist information centres can. help destinations to tackle a range of local initiative from recycling initiatives to beach. clean-ups, to organizing farmer's markets and local festivals ...

  7. Tourism Service Centers: Benefits & Best Practices

    The center acts as the main point of contact for tourists' travel planning inquiries, as well as a place where local businesses and travel agencies can go to promote their products and services. Week 7 of Solimar's DMO Development Course with the Republic of Georgia provided a platform for participants to learn best practices in building a ...

  8. Visitor center

    Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ... visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types ... there are 11 Ontario Travel Information Centres located along 400-series highways. South ...

  9. London Visitor Information Centres

    London has Visitor Information Centres where staff can offer useful advice and traveller information to help you make the most of your trip to the capital.. You can pick up free London travel maps and buy London guidebooks. At some locations, you can also book tickets for theatre shows, tours and attractions. London has Visitor Information Centres at:

  10. Tourist information centers in Stockholm

    Center run by Tours and Tickets, a private company specializing in tourist service: Tours and Tickets - Stockholm Central Station. Get help booking various trips within and outside Stockholm. Purchase tickets to airports, SL tickets, sightseeing tours by bus and by boat, and train tickets throughout Sweden. They also offer free maps and ...

  11. Tourist Information Centre

    Address: Pilies 7, LT-01123 Vilnius. Phone: +370 5 262 9660. Working hours: I-VII 9.00-19.00. Send email. An exclusive Tourist Information Centre has opened its doors in the heart of Vilnius, on Pilies Street, and will become the gateway to special discoveries in Vilnius. The modern and interactive centre offers visitors a unique experience ...

  12. Visitor Information Centre

    Sunday to Thursday: 10:00am - 6:30pm. Friday & Saturday: 10:00am - 8:00pm. We're here to help! For information and assistance, please connect with us: Stop by in person at 209 Ontario Street. Use the webchat feature on this website. Email [email protected]. Call 613.548.4415.

  13. Do your visitors still need a visitor centre? Use these 4 criteria to

    In 2017, VisitScotland announced the closure of 39 of its 56 visitor centres after measuring a ten-year "decline in the number of tourists visiting their information centres, amounting to a 58% drop in footfall.". But Scotland has been outpacing the rest of the U.K. in visitor growth for six straight years.

  14. Visitor Centres

    We'll help you make the most of your vacation. Drop in to one of our visitor information centres (VICs) for information on Nova Scotia's travel experiences. Our friendly and knowledgeable travel counsellors and tourism ambassadors look forward to helping you make the most of your Nova Scotia vacation.

  15. Travel Information for your visit to Nova Scotia

    I need more Information. Download your free Nova Scotia Travel Guide by clicking here. For more information please call: 1-800-565-0000 (within North America). If you are outside of North America, please call 1-902-425-5781, or Email: [email protected].

  16. Visitor Information, Centres and Services

    The Visitor Centre in New Denver is the hub of local information for travelers, adventure seekers, and those wanting to experience the local Kootenay lifestyle. The Visitor Centre is housed in the historic Bank of Montreal building (built 1897) and the building also contains the Silvery Slocan Museum.

  17. VisitScotland to close all information centres by 2026

    The national tourism organisation said the new approach would help to deliver its core purpose to drive the visitor economy as well as expand its reach and influence in Scotland's key global markets.

  18. Tourist Information Centers in Beijing

    Beijing tourist information centres will help you arrange your individual Beijing travel. Beijing Tourist Information Centers are open 7 days a week, 8 hours per day. Some tourist information centres operate year round and others are seasonal. Travelers may obtain literature about destinations and attractions. There are about 20 tourist ...

  19. Establishing tourist information centers

    Often the hotels and motels help finance such projects and their operation. Alternatively, a leading hotel or motel can be sought out to donate the necessary space to the community or at least provide rent at a minimum rate. In sum, hospitality and tourist information facilities are important in promoting the attractions of the community.

  20. How we make travel and tourism inclusive and sustainable

    The global travel sector is experiencing a robust recovery, with tourists increasingly spending more on travel. Despite the overall positive outlook, some destinations struggle with operational challenges, including workforce issues and resource management amid rising tourist numbers and environmental concerns.

  21. Los Angeles Tourist Information Centers

    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 ...

  22. Lonely Planet

    Whether you're interested in traveling to a new city, going on a cruise, or cooking a new dish — we're committed to inspiring you to experience travel in a whole new way. Lonely Planet's collection of 825+ travel and guidebooks is sure to inspire the traveler within. View All Books.

  23. Why Is It Better to Visit a Tourist Information Center?

    As the information centre keeps tons of valuable travel tips in a central place, it is very dependable. In addition, tourist information centres often create a hospitable environment for travellers to gather details about tourism products and services that concern them. If they feel satisfied, they can make a booking immediately or do it ...

  24. Family Information Form

    Help to download and save this form. Use your computer. The form may not open on tablets or mobile phones. For most Internet browsers, clicking on the link above will ask you what you would like to do with the form. You must save the form on your computer in a place you can remember.

  25. Global Hot Spots Take Aim at Overtourism

    A new tourist fee in Bali. Higher hotel taxes in Amsterdam and Paris. Stricter rules on public drinking in Milan and Majorca. Ahead of the summer travel season, leaders in many tourist spots have ...

  26. Africa Tourism Information Centre

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