Carlisle is to cash-in on a share of £1m to lure more American tourists.

The city council is part of a consortium that has secured the money from a fund to lure more US visitors to regional England.

Details of boost have been revealed in a week where it emerged that foreign tourism spending in Cumbria is on the up - and as interest in Carlisle's history increases on the back of a fascinating Roman bath-house find at the city's cricket club.

Some of the money will be used to create an app that will guide tourists through the destinations which are part of the English Historic Cities Consortium, highlighting travel options, places, to stay, eat and other attractions.

Councillor Anne Quilter, who holds the city council's culture portfolio, said: "Heritage is a huge draw for American visitors to England.

"The historic cities app will enable Carlisle to share our amazing stories through cutting-edge technology and bring the city wider exposure to this important international market."

The successful funding bid to VisitEngland's £40m Discover England Fund is the first time that the alliance has worked together on such a project.

Others destinations involved include Durham, Lancaster, Chester and Oxford.

The project is being managed by Ruth Connor, chief executive of Marketing Lancashire.

She said: "England’s Historic Cities represent some of the best experiences that England has to offer to international visitors and we can’t wait to bring them to the attention of the US market.

"The consortium has a strong track record of working together but this is the most ambitious project we have tackled.

"We look forward to showing the results of our work."

VisitEngland chief executive Sally Balcombe added: "The successful projects will boost international and domestic visitor growth creating a step-change in the industry and spreading the economic benefits of tourism across England.”

It was confirmed this week that international visitor numbers to Cumbria grew by about a quarter last year.

Meanwhile, a the Roman dig at Carlisle Cricket Club - which finished at the weekend - has produced interesting results which archaeologists are now pouring over.