Originally formed as 'Visit Peak District' in response to the crisis felt by local tourism businesses during Foot & Mouth, the partnership was rolled out to become Visit Peak District & Derbyshire in 2006.

Acting as a mini-tourist board, their remit is to create more overnight stays and increase tourism spend in the area.

Research shows the work of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire's marketing campaigns in 2007/8 has contributed an additional £19 million to Derbyshire's visitor economy, as Chief Executive David James comments:

"Our strategy is to lead with the iconic brand of the Peak District and disperse visitors around the whole area once they're here. We are naturally delighted with the results, proving that our 'attract and disperse' strategy has really worked."

Flagship publication, the Visit Peak District & Derbyshire Visitor Guide, out-performed all its regional counterparts.

Head of Marketing David Bourque explains its success:

"Return on investment measures the value of money spent in the area compared with how much the campaign costs. In the case of the Visitor Guide, for every £1 we spent, it brought in £44 to the area, which is a huge achievement, in fact a 175 percent increase on last year."

The research by University of Nottingham was commissioned by East Midlands Tourism.

It also measured return on investment results for the rest of the East Midlands.

"Looking forward, we will continue to build on our achievements, marketing to visitors to encourage overnight stays and supporting our tourism industry to develop a sustainable, quality offer", said David James.

More information about Visit Peak District & Derbyshire can be found on their website www.visitpeakdistrict.com/industry