The group behind last year’s controversial “Curious County” campaign is set to be awarded the tourism contract for Suffolk for the next two years.

Visit East Anglia will continue to organise advertising campaigns trying to persuade people to visit Suffolk for the next 22 months.

The private-sector body has run Visit Suffolk since the previous quango, Choose Suffolk, was wound up in 2011.

There have been grumbles that Visit Suffolk has not done enough to promote the county – but it was the Curious County campaign at the end of last year that thrust it into the spotlight.

When the campaign first emerged, it was not clear what it was designed to achieve and Suffolk MPs were queuing up to complain that it did show off Suffolk in its best light.

They insisted that its history and heritage were being sacrificed in a vain attempt to make Suffolk appear to be something that it is not.

However once it emerged that the Curious County was primarily a new media marketting campaign aimed at attracting people who are looking for something different to make a day trip or have a weekend break in Suffolk, the MPs were happier about the campaign.

Visit East Anglia was one of two bidders seeking to take on the new contact which is due to start within the next few weeks and last until early 2015.

We understand that senior tourist officials in the county have been told that the group has been offered the new contract, but nothing has yet been formally agreed.

The details of the contract are due to be formalised within the next two weeks when an official announcement will be made.

Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey, whose constituency includes many of the county’s most popular tourist attractions, said: “Continuity is quite important for an industry like this. I hope that the winning bidder will continue to heavily promote Suffolk – tourism will continue to be an increasingly important part of the county’s economy.”