BOSSES at a Lake District tour operator are bidding to attract more Oriental visitors to the national park, with a particular emphasis on China.

Windermere Lake Cruises will be at Wembley Stadium for the March Marketplace exhibition which promotes Britain internationally Organised by the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and VisitBritain, the event - widely known as ‘MaMa’ - takes place on March 17-18.

Directors from Windermere Lake Cruises say they hope to arrange a series of face-to-face meetings with international buyers from more than 25 countries across the globe.

They say China will be among the company’s key targets at the event. The company will also be speaking to representatives from a range of European countries, such as the Netherlands, which has a particularly strong affinity with the Lake District.

Managing director Nigel Wilkinson said: “We can’t underestimate the value of the overseas travel market for generating visitors and helping grow not just our business, but supporting the future prosperity of the Lakes and Cumbria as a whole.

“This is much more than just an event for an events sake. It is about reinforcing our existing partnerships, as well as establishing and developing business in new overseas markets.”