The National Trust is running the Visitor Information Centre in St George’s after the Old Town was left without a dedicated tourist outlet for two months.The VIC opened its doors at The Globe Hotel last week the Trust aims to try to promote the Island rather than make a profit.The charity came forward to help as it felt its work and customer service were similar to services supplied by a VIC.It is the first time the Trust has run a VIC and they have vowed to “promote the tourism product and offer top quality service to our visitors”.Trust executive director Jennifer Gray said: “We consider that the services are the same as that which we already provide with a few additional responsibilities.“The St George’s VIC has only in recent years been put out to tender and we are looking forward to making a success of it.“It is early days but we are pleased to say that we are off to a good start.“It is my sincere hope that through our services as the VIC we can enhance our partnerships with other organisations and businesses in St George’s by promoting their offerings and working together to make St George’s the most delightful place any visitor could experience in Bermuda.”The St George’s VIC opened at The Globe Hotel on May 23 with Ms Gray describing the first week as “ busy”.Peter Frith, museum manager and VIC coordinator, has reported “increased activity, great support from the Old Town stakeholders and happy visitors”.Ms Gray said they were looking forward to offering visitors “excellent customer service” and “in-depth knowledge” of Bermuda and the World Heritage Site in St George.As reported in The Royal Gazette, the contract to run the VIC should have been in place by April 1 when its contract at the World Heritage Centre came to an end.The delay in the VIC reopening for the summer season is understood to have been down to the Department of Tourism’s cost-cutting measures. The contract was put out to tender in early March at 50 percent less than what was offered last year.The Trust stood in to help as no one else came forward, but no contract has been signed. Government representatives and The National Trust have simply come to “a memorandum of understanding”.When asked whether the VIC was expected to be a profitable business venture, Ms Gray said: “Financially no, I do not believe it will be profitable. The entire Island is trying to do more with less in these tough economic times and that is certainly true for the Trust.“Servicing a good VIC takes resources beyond our current budget and the funds provided under the agreement, however we are looking at this partnership as an opportunity to raise awareness about our very special history, culture and architectural heritage.“We hope that attendance in our museum will increase and there is potential to generate revenue if we are creative and hard-working.”Ms Gray added that The Globe Hotel, which houses a museum and a store, was built by former Governor Samuel Day and is one of the oldest stone buildings in Bermuda. It is located in an ideal tourism hot spot, on the corner of King’s Square and York Street and opposite St Peter’s Church.There will also be an additional tourist stand at Pennos Wharf to serve cruise ship passengers.Ms Gray said: “We are adamant that Bermuda’s tourism success is anchored in our cultural and environmental product; we simply need to sell what makes us so unique and put ourselves on the global map as a destiny offering something very special. The Trust hopes to be a part of this vision.”