A LEADING Cumbria hotel group is predicting more visitors to the county than ever with the rise of 'staycations' seen as the key factor.

Recent figures show the Lake District could see as many as 18m people visit this year, contributing close to £1.3bn to the local economy.

In spite of recent adverse weather Squire Hotels have seen no drop off in the number of people opting for a stay in the Lakes.

Jodi Masterson, managing director at Squire Hotels, said: “Bookings at The Hydro hotel (in Windermere) have been on the rise for the last year, with a 13 per cent increase in bookings in 2017/2018 compared to the previous year.

"In the last four months despite issues such as the ‘Beast from the East’ we have seen strong levels of bookings, and looking ahead our advance bookings are almost double those of last year."

The positivity surrounding the hotel group comes during English Tourism Week, which runs from March 17-25. A national event, it seeks to promote and celebrate the huge range of tourist attractions across the country.