Visitor center

Symbol used in Australia by accredited visitor centers

A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors.^[1] It may be:

• A visitor center at a specific attraction or place of interest, such as a landmark, national park, national forest, or state park, providing information (such as trail maps, and about camp sites, staff contact, restrooms, etc.) and in-depth educational exhibits and artifact displays (for example, about natural or cultural history). Often a film or other media display is used. If the site has permit requirements or guided tours, the visitor center is often the place where these are coordinated.
• A tourist information center, providing visitors to a location with information on the area's attractions, lodgings, maps, and other items relevant to tourism. Often, these centers are operated at the airport or other port of entry, by the local government or chamber of commerce. Often a visitor center is called simply an information center.
• A corporate visitor center, provides visitors with an easily accessible window into the corporation.

Visitor centers used to provide fairly basic information about the place, corporation or event they are celebrating, acting more as the entry way to a place. The role of the visitor center has been rapidly evolving over the past 10 years to become more of an experience and to tell the story of the place or brand it represents. Many have become destinations and experiences in their own right.

Europe

Cultural and Tourist Information Center in Ducal Castle, Szczecin, Poland

Texas Travel Information Center located near Laredo, Texas along I-35, 18 miles from the Mexico – United States border.

Iperú, the national Peruvian tourist information and assistance center. This office is located inside the Arrival Lounge of the Crnl. FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport, in Iquitos, Peruvian Amazonia.

Visitor centre of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Brazil.

North America

In North America, a welcome center is a rest area with a visitor center, located after the entrance from one state or province to another state or province or in some cases another country, usually along an Interstate Highway or other freeway. These information centers are operated by the state they are located in. The first example opened on 4 May 1935, next to US 12 in New Buffalo, Michigan, near the Indiana state line.^[5][6]

Many U.S. cities, such as Houston, Texas^[7] and Boca Raton, Florida,^[8] as well as counties and other areas smaller than states, also operate welcome centers, though usually with less facilities than state centers have.

In Ontario, there are 11 Ontario Travel Information Centres located along 400-series highways.^[9]

South America

Oceania

In Australia, most visitor centres are local or state government-run, or in some cases as an association of tourism operators on behalf of the government, usually managed by a board or executive. Those that comply with a national accreditation programme use the italic "i" as pictured above. These visitor information centres (often abbreviated as VICs) provide information on the local area, and usually perform services such as accommodation and tour bookings, flight/bus/train/hire car options, and act as the first point of contact a visitor has with the town or region.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Visitor centres.

• Heritage center
• Heritage interpretation
• Interpretation center
• Nature center
• United States Capitol Visitor Center

Notes and references

External links

• Communicating effectively with visitors - 16 tips for visitor centers.