ONE year on from the Lake District being granted World Heritage Site status, key figures in the area, along with the organisations behind the bid, have praised the positive impact that the inscription has made.

On July 9 last year the Lake District joined some of the world’s most iconic locations, including Hadrian’s Wall and the Taj Mahal, receiving international acclaim as a world-class cultural landscape.

Although criticised by some at the time of the decision, the establishment of the status has been said to have improved the area's economy, and significantly benefitted the reputation of the national park in the eyes of international visitors.

Stephen Henwood, Chair of the Lake District National Park Partnership said: "We’re celebrating a fantastic first year of WHS status. It’s been encouraging to see businesses, farmers and residents starting to embrace the opportunities this inscription brings and seeing the influence it has already had on government funding and regional schemes. It’s just what we hoped for.”

"However, while we’ve set in place some strong foundations for the future, we must not be complacent about the action needed to grasp the potential benefits that World Heritage could bring.

"We need to continue to work collectively to ensure the Lake District retains a greater relevance in the thinking of the UK government, using WHS to argue for support, both financial and policy, ranging from post-Brexit farming to support to the tourism sector.

"I’d also like to see more local businesses and organisations use the new World Heritage brand in their marketing to raise their profile and drive new business. The inscription is not an automatic cash prize; it is an opportunity for us all."

Statistics researched by Cumbria Tourism revealed that by March this year a fifth of tourism businesses said that the Lake District achieving World Heritage Site Status has already had a positive effect on business.

It also said that going forward, 68 per cent think that World Heritage Site status will have a positive impact on their business – 59 per cent a slight impact and eight per cent a significant impact – up from 55 per cent six months ago.

Jennifer Cormack, sales and marketing director at Windermere Lakes Cruises, has been working on raising the profile of the Lake District as a tourist destination in countries overseas.

She said: "I think that World Heritage Site status has had a huge impact on the Lake District. The biggest change has been in the international market.

"I do a lot of work with China, Korea and Japan, and people over there have been really excited to hear about the inscription.

"I think World Heritage Site status means a lot more to international visitors than it does to domestic tourists at the moment.

"It is down to the people here to educate people on what this means for us.

"It is seen as a stamp of approval overseas, and has led to a huge increase of visitors in the past year, which has had a positive effect on the whole economy.

"It has also led to more independent travellers, rather than people passing through on coach tours. These people stay for a few days and want to immerse themselves in Lake District experiences.

"The status makes the whole of the Lake District a destination to explore. People have not been sticking to traditional honeypot locations."

A key talking point in the run up to the bid for the inscription was its impact on the environment.

In an article he penned on the subject, controversial conservationist George Monbiot described the national park as 'sheep wrecked'.

Monbiot heavily criticised the thinking behind the bid and the "overgrazing" of the land due to the sheep farming that the bid celebrated, which he argued has caused the demise of the Lake District as a healthy habitat.

He claimed that only the farming community will benefit from the national park gaining the status, as it would simply preserve their right to continue farming in the way they do.

However, NFU Cumbrian Council Delegate Alistair Mackintosh, who farms at Muncaster House Farm in Ravenglass, said: “Personally I farm in the Lake District National Park on the outer edges and I haven’t gained any benefit from World Heritage Site Status to date.

"There are always opportunities though and with Brexit just around the corner there’s every opportunity that World Heritage Site Status could help agriculture to pull down much needed government support in the future."

Jeremy Barlow, National Trust Assistant Director of Operations, highlighted a range of positive impacts the inscription has had on various aspects of the National Park. He said: "We think the impact of the status has been to remind us all that we live in and look after one of the best places on earth.

"This has influenced our recruitment of the next generation of farmers and highlighted the vital role of our farmers in looking after special places in the Lake District.

"It’s also impacted our long term plans for 13 valleys across the Lake District - where we have digitally mapped the potential to improve nature, soils, flooding and carbon capture – and how we help people experience a world heritage site of which our 120 year conservation story is a part."