OYEZ! OYEZ! The doors of Garstang's new and improved Tourist Information Centre will be flung open on 27 January.

Town crier Hilary McGrath will welcome people to the official unveiling, heralding a new era for Wyre's visitor economy.

After being entertained by youngsters from local schools, invited guests will be shown around the modern centre - now closer to the heart of the town in the new Booths building.

Then there'll be a chance to view the advanced IT facilities, which combined with longer opening hours, will give people better access to live information on how to make the most of their visit.

The ultimate aim is to revitalise Garstang and its hinterland and create a vibrant visitor economy, but as the centre will also act as a gateway for the rest of Wyre, the benefits will be felt across the whole borough.

Councillor Peter Hawley, Living Economy Portfolio Holder for Wyre Borough Council, said: "Considerable time and money has been invested in a centre that helps people experience the best of Wyre and Garstang in particular.

"Experience shows us that people still want the face to face contact that a TIC can offer, but now we can combine this with facilities that provide the very latest information at the touch of a button.

"We'll be doing all we can to ensure the centre becomes the first point of contact for both new and returning visitors and are confident local businesses will see an upturn as a result."

The new and improved Garstang Tourist Information Centre is the latest in a series of major investments made by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to improve the provision of visitor information across Lancashire and the whole of the North West.

The project was also supported by Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board and Wyre Borough Council.

Nick Brookes-Sykes, Director of Tourism at the NWDA said: "Our aim is to have a modern network of well located visitor information centres across the whole of the North West. This investment in Garstang TIC will ensure it is able to provide an excellent visitor experience and signposting service, not only for Garstang, but also across Wyre and the wider Fylde Coast."

Garstang TIC will open to the public from February 2010.