A £250,000 project to help attract visitors from all over the world to Cumbria’s World Heritage Sites is being headed up by a travel writer and broadcaster.

Cumbria Tourism is leading the Northern World Heritage Collection, supported by the Government’s £40 million Discover England Fund.

As part of this, Irish travel expert and Lonely Planet writer, Fionn Davenport has been appointed by Cumbria Tourism to head the £250,000 project which will focus on World Heritage Sites in the north, including the Lake District and Hadrian’s Wall.

He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of this hugely exciting project. Helping to raise awareness of Northern England’s rich cultural and natural patrimony is a privilege and something that I’m very proud to be associated with.

“I am very much look forward to getting stuck in and working with all of relevant partners to bring more international visitors to this part of the country – especially those from my native Ireland.”

Fionn’s role at Cumbria Tourism will involve working with northern World Heritage sites over the next six months to help attract and welcome American and Irish visitors.

Activity will include business and itinerary development, training and trade shows, alongside marketing, online content, film and public relations.

It will also involve working alongside tour operators and agents to help visitors book their trips to multiple World Heritage sites across the north quickly and easily.

Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, said: “We are thrilled to welcome a travel expert of Fionn’s calibre to the team, to help both Cumbria and our northern neighbours raise their profile on the global stage.

“For international visitors, World Heritage status has huge resonance and it’s vital that we work collaboratively with other key locations from across the north of England to attract higher-spending overseas tourists who want to tick World Heritage sites like Hadrian’s Wall and the Lake District off their list.”

Fionn has recently worked on two other Discover England Fund projects - one in conjunction with Marketing Manchester and a second targeting American visitors in the South of England.