A new "Derry Girls" exhibition and walking trail are set to open in Derry City after receiving local council approval. 

The Business and Culture Committee of the Derry and Strabane District Council recently approved the plans, which aim to open a pilot visitor exhibition in Derry's Tower Museum. 

The pilot exhibition will be used to gauge public interest in the concept before the creation of a permanent Derry Girls visitor experience featuring a more extensive collection from the hit show.

The promotional display is expected to open at the Tower Museum in March this year. A bigger and more comprehensive exhibition is expected to open in the summer if the initial exhibition proves to be a success. 

The walking trail, meanwhile, will visit some of the memorable filming locations from the popular series and is being developed in collaboration with Visit Derry. 

Tourism NI has also provided more than £70,000 in funding for the projects. 

John McGowan, chair of the council's Business and Culture Committee, told BelfastLive that he is confident that the projects will become an important part of Derry's tourism. 

"I am delighted to see Tourism NI investing in this exciting venture for the City, which I am confident will become an important part of our tourism product," McGowan said. 

"The Derry Girls phenomenon has really captured the imagination – not just here, but across the world – and has the potential to draw visitors from far and wide to experience for themselves the warmth, humor, and uniqueness of this wonderful place.

"I think we have an opportunity now to build on that profile, and to show visitors what inspired Lisa McGee to share her experience of life growing up in Derry with the rest of the world."