Tourism leaders in west Norfolk are promoting King's Lynn as a major destination in its own right, in a bid to attract more visitors to the area.

Two new brochures – the West Norfolk Holiday Guide and Where to Go and What to Do in West Norfolk – were launched yesterday.

And while they still highlight the region's beautiful coastline and superb natural environments and wildlife, they also promote the history and heritage of King's Lynn, with the multi-million pound Stories of Lynn exhibition, opening at Easter, key to bringing in the tourists.

Stories of Lynn will cover 800 years of history and tell the stories of the seafarers, explorers, merchants, mayors, magistrates and miscreants that have shaped the town, set within the magnificent 15th-century undercroft of the Trinity Guildhall and parts of the old town gaol.

Elizabeth Nockolds, West Norfolk Council's cabinet member for culture, heritage and health, said: 'We want to promote King's Lynn more for visitors, as well as our beautiful coastline.

'This is a very special year for King's Lynn with the new Stories of Lynn exhibition opening at Easter. We're very proud of what west Norfolk has to offer.'

Meanwhile, the visitwestnorfolk.com website has also been upgraded to make it more user friendly on tablets and smartphones, making it easier than ever for people to find out about places to stay, attractions, events and to plan their visits.

Mrs Nockolds added: 'More and more people are accessing information online and particularly through mobile devices.

'Over 100,000 people used the visitwestnorfolk.com website last year. We anticipate those numbers will increase significantly this year which is why we have worked hard to update the website.'

The new guides were produced by the borough council in association with the West Norfolk Tourism Forum, whose spokesman Heather Garrod added: 'Tourism is a vital sector of our local economy and it is crucial that businesses work together with the borough council to promote the area. Together they have developed some superb marketing tools which will be effective in bringing more visitors to the area.'

The guides can be picked up at tourist information centres.

How else would you promote west Norfolk to potential tourists? Email david.bale2@archant.co.uk