A Lake District tourism group has been celebrated at a prestigious awards ceremony.

Lake District China Forum was acknowledged at the Visit England’s Awards for Excellence for their creative promotional work in the Chinese tourism market.

The group were shortlisted for the ‘Great China Welcome of the Year’ accolade in recognition of their performance helping Chinese visitors find hotels, attractions, retailers and tour operators.

Chairwoman of the Lake District China Forum Jennifer Cormack explains: “We were absolutely thrilled to attend the awards and to have received this national recognition for the work that we do within this market.

"Our aim is to continually build on our knowledge and awareness of how to provide the best possible service and experience to our Chinese visitors.

"To be shortlisted as a finalist from hundreds of contenders was great news for the area. Blenheim Palace is a worthy winner, but we hope that our nomination alongside household names like this will help give the local tourism economy a healthy boost as we move into the busy summer months.”

Visits to major Chinese cities to meet tour operators and media were undertaken and two further promotional visits are planned for later on in the year.

The forum focused on a marketing strategy to keep the Lake District ahead of competitors during a two year promotional campaign.

Marketing director Colin Fox said: “China is the fastest growing international market for us, so to have been in contention for this award is a real feather in the cap for the group and reflects all our hard work over the last two years.

It’s been another chance to show how we are extending our reach even further into the Chinese market.”

Plans for the Lake District China Forum were first created in 2015 by Windermere Lake Cruises and English Lakes Hotels Resorts and Venues.

The group is currently made up of 10 members including: the Lake District National Park Authority, National Trust, World of Beatrix Potter, Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, Lakeland Arts Trust, Mountain Goat Tours, Forestry Commission, Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum.

The group created partnerships with Marketing Manchester to support its China marketing campaign.

They supported roadshow work with Hainan Airlines which included the airline’s inaugural flight into Manchester Airport to help the Lake District has become known as one of the best areas to visit for inbound travellers flying directly into the northern city.

China Ready arranged training for all business members while the forum employed a Chinese speaking marketing and social media expert.

The overall winner of the award was Blenheim Place who accepted the accolade at the Hilton Waldorf in London.