Bid to attract international visitors to county

A county's tourism officials are hoping to woo visitors from Australia and New Zealand on a government-backed trip down under.

Cumbria Tourism is heading on the trip in September, along with several tour operators.

Head Gill Haigh said: "It's our aim to get these visitors travelling out of the major cities and visiting our wonderful county."

Windermere Town Council mayor Christine Hallatsch said the council would prefer tourists who wanted to appreciate the "natural beauty" of the Lake District, rather than groups coming "to party".

Ms Haigh said the group was looking forward to joining the national agency VisitBritain on the trip to the two countries.

"Australia and New Zealand are key markets for British tourism," she said.

The group will meet tour operators in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the hope of developing business links.

Windermere Lake Cruises, along with Lake District Country Hotels, the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, is one of the operators joining the trip.

The company's sales and marketing director Jennifer Cormack said foreign travel agents had traditionally only included London and Edinburgh in their travel itineraries.

"Now they are adding the English Lake District," she said.

Meanwhile, mayor Ms Hallatsch said visitors from Australia and New Zealand were more likely to be staying in hotels than in an Airbnb, and so were less likely to displace local residents.

"The town council would much prefer tourists… who are here to learn about our heritage and appreciate the natural beauty of this World Heritage Site than the stag and hen groups who come here to party resulting in anti-social behaviour," she said.

The trip is planned for 8 to 13 September.

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