Bournemouth will be turned into a Christmas Tree Wonderland this festive season – with Yellow Buses as the official transport providers.
The town will be festooned with dozens of trees in a bid to turn the summer resort into a forest of festive fun.
Amongst the arboreal Yuletide offerings will be a 60ft video tree that visitors can walk through, illuminated trees from around the world and even a walk-through bauble.
Businesses are being encouraged to join in and create their own displays to help attract visitors.
The wonderland is a partnership between Bournemouth Tourism, Bournemouth Town Centre Bid, Bournemouth Coastal Bid and attraction providers.
Yellow Buses is the official transport partner for the next four years and managing director David Squire was at the business engagement event along with mascot Buster Bear and two giant Christmas puddings.
He said: “Everyone knows Bournemouth is a summer resort, but we want people to think of visiting over Christmas.
“We had an excellent event on the pier with many businesses hearing from the official partners about the plans. The town is going to look amazing.
“As transport providers we will be using an open top bus to carry passengers through the town from Boscombe across to Westbourne; there is going to be so much going on.
“All this is to encourage people from the town to come out and join in the festivities, but also to attract visitors from outside.
“Tourism is a huge part of the economy in the summer and we want to help bring a bit of that income back during the winter months.”
Jon Weaver, Head of Resort Marketing and Events, Bournemouth and Poole Tourism, said: “We want to make Bournemouth into one of the top Christmas destinations in the UK and Christmas Tree Wonderland will give a truly magical reason for people to visit.
“It is fantastic that Yellow Buses have joined us as a key event sponsor and there has been huge enthusiasm for the event.
“Local businesses now have a golden opportunity to get involved whether it’s through sponsorship or creating their own show piece trees in store.
“So please get in touch and see how your business can really reap the rewards over the important Christmas period.”