AFTER ten weeks of voting in China, VisitBritain has revealed the new Mandarin names for 101 points of interest across Britain, including Dartmoor, suggested by the Chinese public for the 'Great Names for Great Britain' campaign.

The campaign was designed to encourage Chinese people to learn more about Britain by giving places and experiences they might not be familiar with a new Chinese name.

In China it is popular to give Chinese names to favourite celebrities, places and foods.

There were three naming suggestions chosen by the Chinese public for Dartmoor: Ta Mao Guang Yuan, translated in English as 'Grazing on fertile grasslands', Duo Te Mei Qi Jing, meaning 'Multiple Beauty' and Qi Qu Yuan Ye, translated as 'Quirky Wilderness'.

Now that the winning names have been revealed, VisitBritain has been working together with all the attractions to decide how they might use the results and the publicity that the campaign has generated.

China is now the world's largest outbound market, with visitors to Britain already spending £500-million. VisitBritain has ambitious plans to double the value of that market by 2020 and to ensure that growth is spread across the nations and regions.

Joss Croft, marketing director at VisitBritain, said: 'The campaign has given Dartmoor huge exposure across China and the opportunity to create a unique affinity with potential Chinese tourists.

'We hope Dartmoor's new Mandarin names raise its profile and enables it to compete effectively for the world's biggest outbound market, which will deliver local growth and jobs across the South West.'

Jenny How of VisitDartmoor said: 'We are delighted to have been involved in the VisitBritain campaign and to be promoting Dartmoor in China with The Great Naming campaign.

'To think that people over in China have been considering the natural beauty and wonder of Dartmoor in their own language is a unique and special opportunity for Dartmoor awareness across the world.

'The reaction by locals on social media has been very positive and people particularly like the translation of Qi Qu Yuan Ye as Quirky Wilderness — we all know and love Dartmoor for its captivating beauty and magical atmosphere.'

VisitDartmoor has chosen to embrace its new Mandarin names and has plans to run a competition to choose the most popular name out of the three and will be adding the new Chinese name to websites and social media.