The Beijing Olympics could provide an unlikely springboard to help bring more tourists flocking to Haworth.

A VisitBritain delegation is in the Chinese capital to encourage holidaymakers to travel to this region and the group is promoting Yorkshire attractions including Brontë Country.

Spokesman Elliott Frisby said many people living in the Far East had their first experiences of Britain through novels such as Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre or Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.

He said: "It is not just about the Chinese. The big thing about our presence in Beijing is that the world media is there. It will give us an opportunity to paint areas like Haworth in a positive light to all nationalities.

"Often their familiarity with the country comes from the books they have read and the films they have seen. To be able to say come to Brontë Country' is an absolutely key way to promote this country."

Officials from Yorkshire have also travelled to the Games to promote potential business and the region's facilities as a training base for 2012.

David Andrews, chief executive of Yorkshire Tourist Board, said: "There are a lot of links already through Yorkshire's universities, and the plan is to develop the relationship over the next three years."