DORSET is turning to the Japanese in a bid to boost its tourist industry.

It is hoped a new scheme will result in a surge of visitors from the Far East to the area.

A group of UK-based Japanese Blue Badge tourist guides are set to travel to Dorchester to put together an itinerary for visitors from the country.

While thousands of Japanese tourists flock to the Lake District, the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath every year, it is hoped that Dorset can become an emerging market for the country’s tourist industry.

Japanese-born Kayoko Hardwick, a Blue Badge guide, will be leading the party of UK-based Japanese Blue Badge Guides when they arrive on April 10.

The Sherborne resident, who recently moved to Dorset from Edinburgh, said the county will be ‘a revelation’ to tourists from her homeland.

She said: “I am eager to show Dorset to tourists who would otherwise pass the area by without realising what a lovely part of the country it is.

“Few of the guides know the area very well as most of their work covers London, The Cotswolds, Bath, Stonehenge etc and they miss this part of the country completely.

“I am sure it will be a revelation to them.

“Many Japanese people know who Lawrence of Arabia was and quite a lot of Japanese university professors know who Thomas Hardy is but most people don’t know who he is – he is not as well known as Shakespeare in Japan.

“So we will look at Hardy’s birthplace.

“There’s also a good chance for tourists to enjoy a traditional cream tea and to try Dorset apple cake with clotted cream and to show them some traditional cottages in villages.

“There is a wealth of opportunity in Dorset and the region’s food and drink products are particularly wonderful.

“I hope eventually that if this is a success, I can promote different parts of Dorset on an annual basis as the tourist season gets under way.”

Mrs Hardwick, who has been a Blue Badge Guide for 18 years, said more effort should be made to capitalise on Weymouth and Portland as an Olympic venue.

She said: “Some of the London Blue Badge Guides did bring visitors to Weymouth during the Olympics but I doubt if the area around the Olympic venue was expanded upon, for no other reason than they were probably too busy going back and forth between London and Weymouth itself.”

The Japanese delegation will be driven to some of the area’s tourist hotspots by Weymouth firm Extra Mile Chauffeur Travel & Pennyfarthing Cars.

Owner Micky Coles said: “We have been lucky to attract a lot of international visitors over the past few years, from the Olympics and World Shooting Championships, plus sailing events at the Sailing Academy.

“I think that 2013 will be a challenging year for Dorset in terms of encouraging international visitors back to the town. However we have had some encouraging enquiries for the coming season.”