A DEDICATED information centre for Weymouth visitors has made a much-anticipated return to the town – the new Weymouth Visitor Information Centre has opened in the Colwell Centre.

It comes following a backlash after the old Tourist Information Centre (TIC) was relocated to the Pavilion from its base on the Esplanade and then closed, prompting major concern among tourism providers locally.

The Pavilion acts and continues to act as a visitor information point, but council chiefs decided in October last year that they would back a dedicated new centre in conjunction with a business partner ready for the summer season.

The council has not provided any money towards the new centre but it has offered its assistance.

Volunteers are now being sought to help run the centre, which is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday in winter season and 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday in summer.

Tony Peers, a local businessman who is behind the new centre, said the consensus among community leaders and residents was that a town based on tourism needed a point like this.

“There was nothing in Weymouth where people could go and get information,” he said.

“They were having to go round the town, asking shopkeepers, trying to find out what they needed.

“Everybody says the same thing – we had to have one.”

Mr Peers said he is not concerned that visitors will be unable to locate the new centre. He is in the process of having signage placed on the front of the building and the council is amending signs around the town to point people in the right direction.

The decision to close the TIC was made as part of 2013/14 budget cuts.

But Rachel Rogers, briefholder for Tourism, told the Echo that the impact of axing the service was not ‘properly appreciated’ at the time.

She said she was ‘extremely pleased’ to welcome the new centre to the town and said its location – a short walk from the beach – is ideal.

“I am really pleased that the council is working in partnership with Tony and we are going to offer all the practical support we can,” she said.

“I would urge people to pay a visit and support the centre. This will be of great benefit to visitors of Weymouth who come from elsewhere in the county, from across the UK and from overseas.

“I think the decision to close the TIC was taken too quickly and what happened last summer – the way that businesses responded and the confusion that visitors to the town were expressing – impressed upon me that we needed to ensure there was some kind of provision.”