The service costs the price of a text message

The "Find It" pilot will allow visitors and residents to access useful tourist information on the move.

It is the first scheme, launched on Tuesday, of its kind in the UK.

Until 8 January details of Edinburgh bars, restaurants and attractions, included in the pilot project, will be available to download to mobile phones.

The Find It pilot scheme will allow Edinburgh's Hogmanay revellers to access useful information whilst on the move for the first time Tourism Minister Patricia Ferguson

There is also top 10 tips on what to do during your stay in the city and weather updates.

Users can sign up to the service by texting Find It to 64118 or by registering on the website www.visitscotland.com/findit, where all the information will be available to help visitors plan their trip and make advance bookings.

A free video podcast will also be available for downloading from the website to give visitors a flavour of Hogmanay partying in Edinburgh.

If the project is successful, this technology would be used in other parts of Scotland in 2007.

Tourism Minister Patricia Ferguson said: "Visitors increasingly want to get information using new technology, and that is why the executive allocated funding to VisitScotland in November to maximise the potential new media can offer.

"The Find It pilot scheme will allow Edinburgh's Hogmanay revellers to access useful information whilst on the move for the first time."

Quickly and easily

Ewan Aitken, leader of Edinburgh Council, said: "We live in an electronic age in which most of us own a mobile phone, so VisitScotland is onto a winner with this project.

"Edinburgh is a great city which is bursting with things to do and see, and anything which helps people to find out about it must be welcomed."

Ben Carter, VisitScotland Edinburgh and Lothians director, said: "More and more people are using their mobile phones regularly to find or download information so we are keen to test the use of mobile technology to get useful information quickly and easily directly to visitors."

VisitScotland developed the Find It mobile messaging service with TXT4 and is providing the pilot service free to the visitor, the user will pay only the normal charges to their mobile phone provider.