The number of people visiting the two visitor information centres in Angus dropped by 6% last year, a council committee has heard.
Angus Council’s development and enterprise committee granted funding of £39,000 for the centres at Arbroath Harbour and Pictavia, near Brechin, which are operated by VisitScotland.
Footfall for 2013/14 at the Arbroath centre was 26,010 and 8,334 in Brechin, a reduction at both sites compared with the previous year.
Arbroath East and Lunan councillor Bob Spink described the reduction as “curious” and asked officers to investigate whether this was an ongoing trend or a one-off drop.
He added: “As far as I am concerned, the visitors’ centre in Arbroath makes a valuable contribution to the harbour and attracts people to the town and the surrounding area.
“Twenty-six thousand visitors a year to the centre in Arbroath strikes me as a fairly healthy number.”
Alison Smith, service manager for economic development, said she would look at the trend in visitor numbers.
VisitScotland is in the process of trying to make many of its centres ‘cost neutral’.
The policy means Pictavia’s future is under scrutiny after the national tourism body told the council it is considering closing its tourist information point there because of dwindling visitor numbers.
Under an informal arrangement, VisitScotland staff help operate the centre, but the local authority fears that if they go the costs of staffing the Pictish attraction might not prove viable.
A final decision on the Pictish attraction’s future is pending the outcome of an Angus Council feasibility study which is under way.
The £39,000 contribution from the local authority covers the Arbroath visitor centre from April 2014 to March 2015 and the Brechin tourism point until October.
The funding package will see Angus Council contribute 48% towards the running costs of the visitor centres.
The committee also agreed to provide an additional £15,000 for seasonal marketing activity for the national tourism body to promote Angus.
By making this contribution, an additional £10,000 is supplied by VisitScotland’s European Regional Development Fund, giving a total of £25,000 to be spent on advertisements and direct mail specifically marketing Angus.