THOSE behind Hereford's new tourist information centre hope it will help put the county on the map.

The new centre officially opened in the Buttermarket last weekend and is a collaboration between Visit Herefordshire, Hereford City Council and Liz Hill, owner of Rural Concierge travel company.

The Mayor of Hereford Councillor Sharon Michael cut the ribbon at the stall – which is already the home of the Rural Concierge – and around 100 people visited throughout the day.

Liz Hill said: "It's all really exciting and it's another bit of the puzzle to get Herefordshire on the tourist map.

"It's a central hub based in the Buttermarket and it's brilliant for tourists to find out what's going on and enable them to stay longer and spend more money which is brilliant for the economy of Hereford and Herefordshire.

"It's also for locals who struggle to know what's on their doorstep. We can look at all the different places for what's on guides and use our local knowledge as well."

The team are currently producing their own merchandise like tea towels, bags and keyrings to offer visitors a memento of the county.

Signage for the new centre is being developed in collaboration with Hereford BID.

The Tourist Information Centre (TIC) in King Street closed in December 2010. The space was then occupied by the Visit Herefordshire group, which then moved to Hereford Town Hall, when Herefordshire Council said they were unable to make further funding available for the organisation.