When the Gilroy Visitors Bureau pulls up its downtown stakes and
heads east for the Gilroy Premium Outlets, it will leaving behind
its longtime moniker.
When the Gilroy Visitors Bureau pulls up its downtown stakes and heads east for the Gilroy Premium Outlets, it will leaving behind its longtime moniker.
The tourist spot will reopen its doors as the Gilroy Welcome Center by the end of September, providing a single-stop location for visitors – and residents – who are looking to learn as much as possible about the Garlic Capital, executive director Jane Howard said.
“It’s a little more warm and inviting than a ‘visitors bureau,'” Howard said.
From their new digs at the outlets, the welcome center will try to pull in new visitors and send them out to the city’s wineries, Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, local bars and restaurants and other places uniquely Gilroy, Howard said.
And current residents shouldn’t be ashamed to drop by and find out more things to see and do in their hometown.
“We want to be somewhat more engaged with our current residents, broaden our role to not just visitors,” Howard said.
International travelers could also feel at home at the new center, where the word “Welcome” will be emblazoned on the center’s front windows in up to 10 different languages.
The Visitors Bureau has been its own independent organization since 2000, Howard said. For roughly 15 years prior to that, the tourism arm operated as the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce’s Visitors Advisory Council.
