A pioneering Lake District hotel chain is testing the waters in a new overseas market which offers massive future potential.

English Lakes Hotels is dipping its toe in mainland China, following a flag-flying visit to the country by group marketing manager Colin Fox.

He also visited Japan, where he made presentations to tourism chiefs alongside Lake District Japan Forum chairman Richard Foster of the World of Beatrix Potter attraction at Bowness, and Jim Walker of Ullswater Steamers and Ravenglass Railways.

Mr Fox stopped off in Shanghai on his way to Japan to talk to tourism operators about the hotel group and the Lake District as a holiday destination.

"China has the potential to become an excellent source of tourism to the Lake District in the coming years in the same way as Japan proved to be in the early 90s," said Mr Fox.

At present, Chinese can only travel to another country for leisure purposes if it has approved destination status by the Chinese authorities. Britain and the rest of the European Union are expected to secure this status in three years.

Mr Fox said his pioneering mission aimed to put down some foundations and build up the same relationships with China that ELH now enjoys with Japanese operators.

The group, which owns several hotels including the flagship Low Wood, near Ambleside, has seen the number of Japanese visitors grow from the hundreds in the early 1990s to more than 10,000 sleeper nights last year.

Meanwhile ELH has confirmed that Storrs Hall Hotel, at Storrs Park, Windermere, has joined the hotel group.

Under a joint venture agreement, Storrs Hall will be managed and marketed by the ELH group, with Nigel Lawrence, formerly of the Sharrow Bay, continuing as general manager.

Hotel owner Les Hindle said: "Having achieved a remarkable transformation of Storrs Hall, I am looking forward to having a little more time to pursue my leisure interests.

"I am delighted to be handing the operations at Storrs Hall over to English Lakes Hotels.

"Not only are they a professional company who will bring Storrs a lot of strength, but they are passionately committed to the Lake District hospitality industry."

Simon Berry, managing director of English Lakes Hotels, commented: "We are very excited to be given the opportunity to take Storrs forward and create one of the country's truly great country house hotels."

Voted Lancashire Life Hotel of the Year in 2002, Storrs Hall is an AA three red star, two rosette hotel.

Meanwhile, ELH is to carry out major improvements to one of its hotels later this year.

The company's Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside is due to close in November for redevelopment, reopening as what the group describes as "the Lakes' first luxury four star town house hotel" in March 2004.

April 17, 2003 10:31