A BID to strengthen ties with China and lure more visitors to the Lake District has received a £15,000 funding boost.

The Lake District China Forum has secured the funding from Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, the county’s strategic economic body, with support from Cumbria Tourism.

The funding has enabled the forum to team up with Marketing Manchester and become a key destination partner in a new marketing campaign which aims to bring more Chinese visitors to the North West.

Work on the campaign will start ahead of the first direct flights between Beijing and Manchester in June. The direct flights to Manchester will be four times a week and it is estimated that the number of Chinese visitors to the UK will rise by about 92,000 a year adding £230m to the economy.

The Lake District China Forum was formed a year ago. Its 10 members include Windermere Lake Cruises and English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues.

The members all contribute to a promotional budget and work together to market themselves and the Lake District to Chinese visitors.

Jennifer Cormack from Windermere Lake Cruises said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Lake District China Forum to be part of a large integrated marketing campaign.

“It means the Lake District has the highly visible opportunity to be represented as a key visitor destination for those travelling between Beijing and Manchester.”

Marketing activities will include digital and print advertising, content on a Chinese tourism website, engagement on WeChat which has 670 million daily users, editorial articles syndicated to up to 80 Chinese media outlets, a destination guidebook to help Chinese visitors to the North West, content for distribution at travel trade events and a tailored programme of travel trade engagement.

Colin Fox from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues said: “The forum works to a very tight budget, so we have to be very creative with our marketing strategy. It’s crucial that we continually seek out new ways of partnering, tapping into joint initiatives and maximising resources.

“Working alongside Marketing Manchester is an imaginative approach, and thanks to the investment from Cumbria LEP, we can be at the forefront of a promotional initiative which will fast track our profile in China.”

Visit Manchester’s integrated marketing campaign with the Lake District China Forum will run until March 2017 in conjunction with other destinations to raise awareness of Manchester as gateway from Beijing into North West England.