A huge panda park aimed at boosting numbers of the animal and driving tourism in remote parts of China has moved a step closer to becoming a reality after it secured more than £1 billion worth of funding.

The Giant Panda National Park will be developed across a vast mountainous area covering 10,000 square miles - about twice the size of Yorkshire and three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.

Details of a 10 billion yuan (£1.1 billion) five-year funding package from a state-owned bank was announced this week.

Plans for the park were first revealed last year, along with a reported 'tourism route', which also includes panda-themed hotels and a new highway.

A report in the state-run China Daily on Tuesday said the park would help pandas who are "isolated" on six mountains breed with each other.