The Broads Tourism Forum and the Broads Authority have combined to create a new image for the Norfolk Broads under the tagline 'Britain's Magical Waterland'.

The area is one of Norfolk's biggest tourism draws as well as being one of the UK's most popular destinations for boating and angling holidays. It is also a haven for some of Britain's rarest birds and wildlife.

The campaign describes the Broads - a member of the National Parks group - as "a magical place where land and water, people and nature meet."

At its launch in Norwich on 1 July, Ian Russell, chair of the Broads Tourism Forum, said: "We need to create a new awareness and perception of the Broads, ensuring that it is understood by all as a unique destination.

"It is vital that we promote the Broads in a way that is consistent, contemporary and recognises the needs of tomorrow's visitor, playing to our strengths and working towards the recognition of the Broads as a destination for all seasons."

The event saw the launch of East of England Tourism's new customer service training course, Welcome Host Gold, a new strand of the Welcome to Excellence programme which is recognised as the national industry standard for customer service training. The Broads is the first destination in the East of England to sign up to the course.

The Broads Authority also relaunched the Broads Quality Charter - a guide to good service and eating - to ensure Broads hostelries are among the best. The scheme, which was pioneered in the area, now forms the basis of the national accreditation scheme backed by Visit England.

Funding for the new branding and the creation of a new www.enjoythebroads.com website came from the European Regional Development Fund's Interreg Two Seas programme as part of a project called STEP (Sustainable Tourism in Estuary Parks), which promotes green tourism.