Tourist bosses believe the Bath Spa Project which will bring the city's famous hot springs alive again will bring tourists flooding to the city in 2002.

Tourism leaders who met in the city were given an outline of the Bath Spa Project, which is due to open in 18 months time.

British Tourist Authority director Paul Symons said: "It's perfect timing from a marketing point of view because overseas tour operators and travel agents will very soon be planning for 2002 and we want to make sure that the new Bath Spa is at the centre of those quotes."

Mr Symons said Bath's tourist industry was already very strong and this gave the city a head start when publicising any new attraction.

He said: "There is an average of 20,000 non-residents in Bath every day of the year, if just one in 30 of those visitors were to use the new spa complex it would be full.

"Or looking at it another way, if every resident of B&NES were to use the new spa just once a year it would be 70 per cent full.

"I believe that it could be a case of managing demand rather than generating it, once this remarkable new facility is up and running."

Spa Project spokesman Emma Remick said the hot springs would be more than just a tourist attraction and could help people suffering from complaints such as arthritis.

She said: "There is a medical centre offering complementary therapies and we hope to get some trials set up with the NHS, so that GPs can refer patients for care with arthritis and psoriasis."

The £19m project is now back on track after a disagreement between the council and conservationists has been ironed out.

The Springs Foundation of Bath had been in dispute with Bath and North East Somerset Council because it feared the project would have a bad effect on thermal waters.

But these fears have now been allayed and the threat of civil action by the voluntary organisation has been dropped.

The council and the Spring Foundation are now working together to protect the hot springs.

The council has agreed that the foundation's expert will have the opportunity to inspect the ground as the works proceed.

Following a vote of no confidence in the spring project's developer/operator, Thermae Development Company, the council has decided to ask other developers to tender for the project.

Project spokesman Giles White said: "TDC are not on board anymore since the council voted them out, we are going back to the market.

"A vote of no confidence was returned in TDC because they failed to meet deadlines set."