England's scenic lake district expects tourism boost

The picture shows Lake Windermere in the Lake District. [Photo/VCG]

LONDON - England's largest national park, the Lake District, said Wednesday it expects a boost in visitor numbers after it was declared this week as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The accolade is to be celebrated this weekend on July 15 and 16 with local people and visitors across the Lake District being invited to a massive Picnic in the Park, marking its first weekend as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Already a leading tourism attraction in Britain, the mountainous region and its famous lakes, are a magnet for tourists from every continent.

Landscapes shaped by glaciers from the Ice Age and modern agricultural systems have provided a combination of nature and manmade scenery.

A dramatic view of Ullswater was included in the Lake District's bid for World Heritage Status, citing it as an example of a cultural landscape blending an ancient farmed landscape with a picturesque landscape. Daffodils in the woodlands around Ullswater inspired the famous poem by William Wordsworth, "I wandered lonely as a cloud".

UNESCO's decision at its World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow follows the efforts of 25 organizations in the Lake District National Park Partnership who had put the bid together for the prestigious cultural badge.

Three key themes underpinned the bid for World Heritage Site status, recognizing the Lake District National Park as a cultural landscape of international significance.

These include world ranking examples of identity, the dramatic farmed landscape; inspiration, art, literature and love of the place.

This in turn sparked the birth of conservation as people fought and invested to look after this special corner of England.