IPOH, MALAYSIA: The next time you step into the Perak Tourism Information Centre (PTIC) on Jalan Bandar, take a look at its newly-opened gallery and you may just discover something new about Ipoh.

Tourists who visit the centre for travel information would find a good introduction to the city's diverse food, culture, arts and heritage, said Datuk Bandar Ipoh Datuk Mohd Rafiai Moktar when launching Galeri Bandaraya here yesterday.

"Ipoh has limestone caves, waterfalls, natural rainforests, recreation parks and delicious food. But if tourists do not know about these attractions, it will not be easy to persuade them to come here."

Galeri Bandaraya, open on weekdays from 8am to 5pm, tracks the history of Ipoh's growth from a village in the late 19th century to a thriving city of over 600,000 people today.

Details are also available on the various trades operating here, along with information on delicacies associated with respective areas.

On tourist arrivals here, Mohd Rafiai said there was a slight increase as shown by the hotel occupancy rates, which rose from 60.3 per cent in 2006 to 65 per cent last year.

Last year, about 600,000 foreign tourists and three million domestic tourists visited Perak, of which some 600 foreign tourists and 5,000 domestic tourists visited the PTIC, he said.