WIREDGOV

New Visitor Centres to welcome international and domestic tourists and help them travel around London.

• Expected to help 3.5 million tourists a year visiting London

Visitors to London can now use special one-stop Visitor Centres in key London Underground (LU) and National Rail stations to buy tickets for travel and attractions.

Two new Visitor Centres are open at Paddington and Gatwick Airport and six Travel Information Centres have been transformed into Visitor Centres at Heathrow, Victoria, Euston, King's Cross St Pancras, Piccadilly Circus and Liverpool Street.

The new centres offer travel guidance and advice on how to obtain the best value-for-money products, such as Oyster Pay as You Go and, especially for domestic visitors, contactless payment. Visitors will also be able to find out what they can do in London and book tickets for attractions, sight-seeing tours, theatres and TfL's own services such as the Emirates Air Line, and the London Transport Museum.

Visitor Centres are open between 08:00 and 18:00 each day, and are expected to serve more than 3.5 million visitors to London every year.

TfL's Director of Customer Experience, Shashi Verma, said:

'Our new Visitor Centres will be the first port of call for millions of people visiting London. Our staff will be on hand to offer a warm welcome and advice on tickets and a range of services to help visitors make the most out of the Capital.'

Andrew Cooke, Deputy CEO, London & Partners, the Mayor's official promotional company for London said,

'It's great news that the new and updated collection of Visitor Centres are now in place across the capital. With record-breaking numbers of international visitors flocking to London from all corners of the globe, it's more important than ever to ensure that they have access to essential travel information, as well as inspiration on what to see and do - particularly those who have just landed in London. The city's ever-evolving cultural programme and range of attractions and events offer a world-leading travel experience, and the new centres will become the perfect starting point for visitors to begin their London journey.'

The new Visitor Centres reflect London's continued attraction as the world's most popular Capital for tourists, with a record-breaking 17.7 million international visitors last year. The Visitor Centres are one example of how TfL is investing in services and people to ensure that visitors are able to make the most of their visit to London. TfL has also made tailored information more freely available through new dedicated web pages and a new leaflet available at key visitor stations.

Notes to Editors:

The first Travel Information Centre opened in 1940 to help people get around London during the Blitz as most station signs outside central London had been removed and bus, Tube and National Rail services were restricted.

The new Visitor Centres provide live travel advice, information and maps.

Travel advice includes:

• Choosing and buying the right ticket
• Information and booking Heathrow and Gatwick Express.
• Fast-track admission tickets to some of London's most popular tourist attractions
• Booking and advice on rail and coach tours in Britain and Paris
• Advice on accessibility