Businesses have been invited to an ‘extraordinary general meeting’ (EGM) by Cumbria Tourism.

The county's official tourism organisation is inviting members to have a say and vote on proposed changes to the structure of its board on Thursday, November 10.

The EGM is being hosted at Kendal’s Castle Green Hotel and will introduce plans to merge the board and commercial members’ committee. The plan aims to create a more streamlined and efficient leadership.

The changes will include agreeing a new board structure with individual specialisms in areas such as finance, HR, communications and digital marketing.

A joint statement from the chairman of Cumbria Tourism, Eric Robson and the chairman of the 2,500-strong Commercial Members Group, says: "Cumbria Tourism has changed enormously in the last few years, moving away completely from public funding streams to the dynamic, self-sustaining organisation that it is today.

"To reflect this, we believe our board structure also needs to evolve so the team can continue to offer real value to the county's £2.6 billion tourism industry into 2017 and beyond.

"The EGM is an opportunity for Cumbria Tourism members to have their say and work with us to continue building this vital cornerstone of the county's economy."

Once the decision is reached, Cumbria Tourism will be able to establish an executive board in time for the annual general meeting in June.

The EGM will also celebrate recent tourism successes, including an update on Cumbria Tourism’s winter marketing campaign and the new Love Cumbria rewards card.

David Seymour, the owner of the Lingholm Estate near Keswick, will speak about the £1m project to develop a new cafe and walled garden on the shore of Derwentwater.

Chief executive of the Lake District National Park, Richard Leafe, will also give an update on the World Heritage Site nomination, flood recovery and visitor giving.