VISITING the Lake District is great for your mental wellbeing.

That's the message from a major nationwide survey which has revealed that an amazing 94 per cent of visitors said they felt much better mentally after travelling to the area.

The Cumbria Visitor Survey, in which an in depth questionnaire was completed by more than 1,400 people, also found that 96 per cent of those surveyed rated their trip 'good' or 'very good.'

In addition the exercise, which is conducted every three years, found that 18 per cent were first time visitors, and the proportion of first time visitors hailing from the affluent South East of the country had more than doubled since the last survey, rising from eight to 17 per cent of the total.

The survey also found overseas visitors spent significantly more than UK based tourists, spending an average of £810.76 per party per trip compared to UK visitors who spend £659.15 per party per trip

"Now with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites we have a game changer for the county as a whole and our ambition is to sustainably grow the value of tourism with specific focus on converting day visitors to staying visitors and delivering the ‘attract and disperse principle,’ " said Cumbria Tourism managing director Gill Haigh.

"We also want to grow the visitor economy outside of the summer months, and to increase international visitor stay and spend.”