A COLWALL firm has been set the task of coming up with a new brand image for Worcestershire that will encourage more tourists to visit the county.

The slogans dreamed up by design consultants, Artwork, which will form the centrepiece of an on-going advertising campaign by Worcestershire County Council, are due to be announced next month.

The Council's tourism officer, Kathryn Wagstaff, explained that work had been carried out over the summer to test a suitable "branding identity" for the county.

A meeting was held in Pershore at which people working in the tourism industry offered their ideas of Worcestershire had to offer.

These ideas were than tested on people, both in the county and in London and Manchester, where many of the county's visitors come from.

Ms Wagstaff said the exercise had not thrown up too many surprises.

The main strengths identified were the countryside, heritage and the waterways.

One of the aims of the Council's Tourism Action Plan is to increase the number of overnight visitors to the county.

A survey by the Heart of England Tourist Board has revealed that more than half of all visitors to the county were on day trips, more than a quarter coming from the West Midlands.

The most popular attractions when the last survey was carried out in 1998 included the West Midlands Safari Park, which had 650,000 visitors, Worcester Cathedral and the Worcester Wood Country Park, each with 400,000.

In this area, the most popular attraction was Lower Brockhampton Court, near Bringsty, with more than 17,000 visitors.