THE owner of Cumbria's Waternook Lakeside Estate has joined Harrods and British Airways and joined a scheme to boost Chinese tourism.

Dominic Gordon - whose estate is in Howtown, Ullswater - has signed up for the GREAT China Welcome, run by Visit England.

This aims to make the UK the most welcoming country in Europe for Chinese tourists.

Mr Gordon has worked to make his business "Chinese ready"and thinks others should do the same in a bid to improve Cumbria's tourism sector.

This has included translating the estate's website into Chinese and setting up accounts the country's own social media networks Weibo and We Chat. The estate also has its own Chinese name, which is written in western characters as 'Hu Zhi Si Yu'.

Mr Gordon - who lets Waternook via let with Windermere and Keswick -based Lakelovers - pointed out that tourists from mainland China spend £400m on trips to the UK each year.

He said: "With the number of people travelling to the UK from China expecting to treble by 2020 this is a key opportunity for the UK and for The Lake District as the jewel in the crown.

“With this in mind I thought it was crucial for Waternook to be ‘China-ready’ and show we are committed to providing exceptional service to Chinese travellers; just as we are to guests of any nationality. “

He added: “As China is one of the main emerging markets it is crucial for businesses in the Lake District to understand what motivates these travellers so they can adapt their offer and put together an attractive package,” adds Dominic.

Paul Liddell, managing director of Lakelovers, said: “There is a huge economic benefit to the Lake District in attracting more Chinese visitors, not only from the point of view from holiday let owners, but also in that these visitors will then spend in the local shops, restaurants, bars and cafes and attractions,” he says.

“So, if properties such as Waternook can attract visitors from countries, such as China, then the Lake District as a whole completely benefits. It is great news for the area.”