Cumbria Tourism is part of a special trade mission heading to India this week to ensure it remains firmly on the international tourism map for 2024 and beyond.

Already this autumn, staff from the county’s official Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) have been working closely with a range of key tourism businesses to ensure the Lake District is considered as a destination of choice by a range of global visitors.

Cumbria Tourism joined a strong Cumbria contingent at the World Travel Market earlier this month, providing an opportunity to build relationships with travel trade, answer questions from overseas travel operators and media, and influence travel itineraries for next year.

This week’s Indian trade mission also follows a similar visit to the United States and sees Cumbria Tourism showcasing the county alongside four leading tourism operators in Delhi: Armathwaite Hall Hotel & Spa, Mountain Goat, Windermere Lake Cruises and Wordsworth Grasmere.

In 2022, the Indian market accounted for £764million in visitor spend, which was an all-time record high.

Destination Britain India offers an opportunity for Cumbrian delegates to meet hand-picked buyers from this lucrative market, as well as attending expert-led seminars, workshops and networking sessions to drive new business. 

The activity doesn’t stop there. In the New Year, the Cumbria Tourism team will be heading out to meet potential visitors at Holiday World Dublin. It’s the biggest event of its kind in Ireland and is all about showcasing top holiday destinations to both tour operators and potential visitors.

Cumbria Tourism will be representing the county’s tourism-related businesses, as well as sharing key publications including its 2024 Holiday Guide.

Another key event will be Britain and Ireland Marketplace, also in January. 

Cumbria Tourism marketing executive, Francine Bult, said: “Taking part in these types of oversea missions and travel trade events is essential not only for talking to visitors directly but also to help convince operators that the Lake District is a ‘must see’ destination.

"Strengthening relationships with influential contacts both in the UK and overseas is vital for stimulating our tourism industry’s future growth and prosperity.

"In particular, the Indian trade mission is an exciting opportunity to forge the county’s reputation with key decision-makers with significant influence over future new routes and itineraries within the UK.

"It will also complement separate overseas missions to China and Japan, which some of the individual businesses are attending this week too."

Meanwhile, the Cumbria Tourism team continues to work with a range of overseas journalists and social media influencers.

They also recently took part in a series of virtual sessions with VisitBritain’s PR representatives around the world.

Businesses can find out more at: www.cumbriatourism.org/campaigns/international-travel-trade.