Beatrix Potter country - for Japanese visitors

There has been a great deal of misinformation and therefore misunderstanding of the recent reporting of a 'surcharge' demanded of Japanese visitors to the Lake District.

As I live in Cumbria, the Lake District is my 'back yard' in a manner of speaking. I have therefore decided to try to clarify the situation for the benefit of my Japanese friends.

Here is the article which appeared in our local newspaper explaining the situation:-

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/japanese-visitors-asked-to-give-5-each-towards-lake-district-upkeep-1.702955?referrerPath=news

If you can't get the page to load, don't worry, I have typed out the article below.

JAPANESE TOURISTS TO BE ASKED FOR FUNDS

(There is a photo below this headline with the byline:-

Fans: One in four visitors to Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm is Japanese - and they spend on average £700 per head during their stay)

(main article continues)

£5 donation bid for Lakes conservation

They love the Lake District thanks to Beatrix Potter - now they being asked to cough up to help with its conservation.

Under new plans, to be launched next week, Japanese visitors to the county are to be asked for a £5 donation to support conservation work. It follows fears that the annual stream of tourists isn't putting enough money into the upkeep of the picturesque region.

In return, they will be given a pin badge of Peter Rabbit, Potter's most famous creation.

It is hoped the scheme, by the Nuture Lakeland charity, could raise £25,000 - a - year towards the upkeep of footpaths and supporting wildlife projects.

However some local businesses fear that seeking to extract more money out of Japanese tourists - who already spend nearly £700 - per - head on average while in Britain - could risk alienating a key market.

Potter's books became popular in Japan during her lifetime, with tourism to the Lake District boosted further by the release of the 2007 film Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger and partially filmed in Cumbria.

Today, one in four visitors to her Hill Top farm near Sawrey is Japanese, and they make up around 10,000 visitors a year to the Lake District, forming a key source of revenue for scores of local businesses.

But amid fears that they are not contributing towards the conservation of the Lake District as a whole, the 'visitor payback' scheme is being launched to get them to help out. Before they leave Japan, visitors on tours which will follow the Beatrix Potter tourist trail will be asked to make a £5 donation in return for a badge and a certificate.

The money will be shared between local conservation projects.

Junko Ishiwata, a Japanese tour guide now based in the Lake District, backed the idea.

"I think people would like to donate money after they see the scenery on offer here because we love nature." she said. "It obviously depends on what people want to do but I don't think £5 is very much to give when you think about how beautiful it is here."

Visitor payback shcemes are already used to raise money for several scenic parts of the country, including Loch Lomond and the Cotswolds, often run by local hoteliers.

Supporters say they are a good alternative to charging visitors to national parks, as happens in many countries, and the Beatrix Potter scheme could be extended to other nationalities.