Mr Oldfield, Parramatta Chamber of Commerce president, said the location of the Parramatta Heritage Centre and Visitor Information, near the Sebel Hotel on Church Street is not a convenient one for tourists.

"A good spot for it would be in the new Civic Place," Mr Oldfield said.

"That way it would be near the train station station and right in the centre of the CBD and would be easy for visitors to access."

Parramatta Lord Mayor Lorraine Wearne said at the moment, the centre is located close to the ferry terminal.

"So it's convenient for the visitors who arrive that way," Cr Wearne said.

"I think there doesn't have to be just one information point, there can be several.

"They don't necessarily need to be staffed buildings, with five employees working inside.

"There are lots of information technology solutions now."

She said the council could set up machines similar to those in supermarkets, which you can use to search for destinations or get directions.

"We could set up computerised information points in various locations, but they would work well at the train station and ferry terminal."

Mr Oldfield said the current centre is not well set up to assist international visitors.

"We need to really focus on attracting the international tourists visiting Sydney," he said. "It would be useful if council tourism officers could speak other languages, particularly Chinese and Japanese, so they could communicate with visitors more effectively."

He said the council could do a better job of promoting Parramatta's attractions.

"If you go and stay at a hotel in Sydney, you don't hear anything about Parramatta, so the council needs to start focusing on promoting the city more," he said.

"Usually they arrive, look around the city and Sydney Harbour and head out to the Blue Mountains, passing us by on the M4."

Mr Oldfield said Parramatta's rich history should be used to draw in tourists. Cr Wearne said marketing the city has always been a priority for the council and if people are looking for historic sites, an internet search will inform them that Parramatta is an important place to visit.

"But I don't know if we can overcome the fact that people from halfway around the world hear about the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the Blue Mountains and may not have heard of Parramatta."