A new visitor information centre in York is set to open to the public in early 2010, following the completion of a £900,000 scheme to replace the city's existing tourist facility.

The Visit York Information Centre, which is housed within a Grade II-listed building on Museum Street, will feature a range of technology to offer local residents, visitors and businesses with information about the area.

An in-house box office facility for local and regional attractions, access to ticket agency Ticketmaster and accommodation and travel information are all among the services that will be offered at the centre.

Euros will also be accepted for the payment of goods and services, while a range of local and regionally sourced products - such as food, gifts, books and arts - will be showcased.

Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency; York Conservation Trust; the City of York Council and tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire have supported the development of the new centre, which will replace the existing facility at De Grey Rooms in Exhibition Square.

Yorkshire Forward's assistant director of environment, Andy Tordoff, said: "This investment represents an exciting time for tourism, providing a facility that will showcase what York and the region has to offer.

"This innovative approach to the provision of visitor information services is an excellent example of how regional tourism partners are working together to demonstrate the growing importance of tourism to Yorkshire's economy."

It is hoped that the centre, which will also act as the headquarters for Visit York, will attract an additional 96,000 visits in its first full year.

Global engineering and design consultancy Atkins has been involved with the development of the new facility.