OFFICIALS on the Falkland Islands Development Corporation have turned to a York business to help them establish their once war-battered island as a tourist honey pot.

Tony Docherty, 48, who heads up the tourism consultancy division at the Continuum Group at St Edmund's House, in Margaret Street, York, has just returned from a ten-day trip to the South Atlantic islands 8,000 miles away to see how the bleak image of the place can be changed.

Mr Docherty was commissioned to examine and research the tourism market, infrastructure, facilities, visitors and services within the islands and come up with suggestions for improvements to the tourism offering.

He said: "It was a challenge because the air bases established there are watchful and allow only one passenger flight per week, but the Falklands receive about 50,000 visitors per year via cruise ships that stop off during the summer months, making tourism a major conomic driver.

"Television images of the Argentine war on the islands in 1982 are bleak because the action took place in winter, but I was there at the end of their summer and it was warm and pleasant, although the wind speed tends to be about 15 knots.

"But the fascination factor is the wildlife, with a population of amazing birds and penguins."

Mr Docherty will present officials with a detailed report by mid-May on behalf of the Continuum Group, which provides consultancy services and projects to build and run museums and attractions.

It is behind a number of award-winning museums and visitor attractions, including the Jorvik Viking Centre, Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower and The Real Mary King's Close, in Edinburgh.

Also on the agenda for Mr Docherty is a trip to Continuum's office in Talin, Estonia, where he is carrying out a training

programme for tourism leaders.

Then it is on to Shanghai, to work with the Chinese National Science Museum.

The Continuum team are also working on a number of UK projects, including a new state-of-the-art visitor information centre for York, and a Concorde exhibition at Manchester Airport.

Updated: 09:13 Tuesday, May 02, 2006