ACTRESS Dawn Steele is helping tourism bosses go hi-tech in their attempt to attract visitors to the Merchant City.

VisitScotland has produced 80 minutes of audio podcasts and video featuring one of Glasgow's most historic and liveliest areas.

The podcasts and video are narrated by Dawn, who starred in television show Monarch Of The Glen, and will be free to download.

They cover every aspect of the Merchant City, from its origins at Glasgow Cathedral and its colourful history through to today's hip bars, restaurants and shops and the area's stunning architecture.

Interactive maps will also be available online that allow visitors to conduct a virtual tour of the area, with pop-up information panels on places of interest and top attractions.

VisitScotland says visitors will be able to watch the video on their PC and, if they want, they can then download the audio podcasts to their MP3 player and listen to the commentary as they tour the streets.

Dawn said: "I am a proud Glaswegian, so it was a pleasure to be asked to be the voice of the podcast and do my bit to promote the city.

"I love the Merchant City. The shopping seems to get better all the time, and the area has some of the best bars and restaurants in the country.

"If this brings more people to Glasgow to get the Merchant City experience then I will be thrilled."

Tom McWilliam, VisitScotland area director for Glasgow, said: "Podcasts have exploded in popularity as an ideal way of catching up on current affairs, comedy, fiction and sport.

"Tourism is also a great fit for the format."

The video comes in three chapters and the podcast is available in 38 chapters.

The development is VisitScotland's second investment in the promotion of the Merchant City and follows September's funding award of £11,200 to the Merchant City Tourism Marketing Group.

To sample a clip of the video and podcast, click on the links above.

They will be available to download on www.visitscotland.com this month using Apple's iTunes software.