Victoria NichollsIt is one of the most famous aspects of Norfolk life which brings holidaymakers back year after year thanks to its rare combination of tranquillity, beauty and wildlife.Victoria Nicholls

It is one of the most famous aspects of Norfolk life which brings holidaymakers back year after year thanks to its rare combination of tranquillity, beauty and wildlife.

Now a bid could be made to try to elevate the status of the Norfolk Broads to a global scale that would put it on a par with the Pyramids, Machu Picchu and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Broads Authority announced yesterday that it was considering bidding for World Heritage status for the Broads. This, the ultimate cultural accolade, carries enormous prestige and helps promote the site to visitors internationally. It also encourages the highest standards for tourism and for managing and protecting the site.

John Packman, chief executive of the Broads Authority, said: "The Broads is a very special area and, we believe, merits this international recognition. Our preliminary view suggests that the Broads would meet the UK criteria in three of the 10 categories under which sites can be nominated. As a member of the UK's family of National Parks we are some distance there already."

The World Heritage Convention was established in 1972 by Unesco. Earlier this year, the government decided to scrap its current tentative list and draw up a shorter list from which one would be selected each year for World Heritage Site nomination.

The decision to bid for recognition of the Broads as a cultural landscape under the World Heritage Convention was first mooted in 2005-06, but was put on hold to await government guidance.

On May 14, Broads Authority members will discuss whether to go ahead with the bid. The Broads is already a member of the UK's family of National Parks and a wetland of international importance.

Ian Russell, director of Wroxham Barns and chairman of the Broads Tourism Forum, said that in principle he welcomed any move that would raise the perception of the Broads with people living in the area and visitors from across the world.

He said: "It's an environment shaped by man over 1,000 years and sits in between the historic city of Norwich and our amazing Norfolk coast, so it's an extraordinary place located among extraordinary places."

The Broads already supports a huge tourism economy across Norfolk and Suffolk, which would look set to be boosted to a higher level if the bid by the Broads Authority goes ahead and is successful.

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