The staff at the centre presented local resident Mr Tierney with a gift bag full of treats, including Harrogate Toffee and complimentary tickets to various local attractions, including Ripley Castle and Harrogate International Centre.

Mr Tierney was visiting the centre to gather information about local accommodation for his extended family, who are all coming to Harrogate later this year for a big family party.

Harrogate’s Tourist Information Centre is operated by Harrogate International Centre. There are four TICs across the district with further centres in Ripon, Pateley Bridge and Knaresborough. Harrogate is one of the busiest in North Yorkshire and is particularly hectic during major local events such as the Harrogate Flower Shows, the Great Yorkshire Show, and increasingly there is demand for information and bookings for the Scarborough Spa Express, which runs from Leeds to Scarborough via Harrogate during the summer months.

In 2007 the TIC handled over 162,000 enquiries, made over 3,000 bed bookings and answered just under 30,000 telephone calls. With a staff team of six it deals with enquiries from across the country. The tourism website www.enjoyharrogate.com also logged over 200,000 visits for the year to 31 March 2008.