An organisation dedicated to introducing Chinese visitors to the Lake District has won an international award.

The English Lake District China Forum won the Silver Award for Service Quality for the service its member businesses provide to visitors from China and their tour operators.

It was presented to Jennifer Cormack, the forum's chair and sales and marketing director of Windermere Lake Cruises at the Chinese Tourist Welcome Awards, part of the ITB China event, where Jennifer met with tour operators and members of the Chinese press over two days.

Prior to the event, Jennifer also joined a delegation of some of Europe’s most successful tourism businesses in Shanghai at last week’s European Tour Operators Association event China European Marketplace.

The delegation included six businesses from across the North, who also visited the offices of the Xuhui District Department of Culture and Tourism to explain how they are working collaboratively to promote the entire North of England using Manchester as the region’s gateway.

Earlier this year, Windermere Lake Cruises reported its Chinese visitor figures had reached an all-time high, with both independent travellers and those visiting as part of larger groups having increased by 286 per cent since June 2016.

Jennifer said: “It’s the second time in seven months that Windermere Lake Cruises has flown out to China; and the eighth time since 2015.

"This proved to be another fantastic opportunity to enhance the cultural understanding between China and the UK and we remain extremely confident that efforts from businesses like ours, and others from across the North, will help to continue our combined success and take our appeal to overseas markets from strength to strength.”