24 Apr 2018 Cream of tourism crop revealed with VisitEngland's latest Awards for Excellence BY Tom Anstey |
VisitEngland has named the best Britain's tourism industry has to offer, announcing the winners of its annual Awards for Excellence. The awards, which enter their 29th year, recognise businesses and individuals who raise the bar of England’s tourism offer. The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire is among the winners this year, with the attraction picking up the Gold Award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, beating Blenheim Place and the Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, which picked up Silver and Bronze Awards respectively. In the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year, the Charterhouse in London was the Gold Award winner, with County Durham's Hall Hill Farm winning Silver and the Screech Owl Sanctuary & Wildlife Park in Cornwall with Bronze. Brighton's i360 also picked up a Gold Award, winning the category for Innovation in Tourism. The visitor attraction beat the Tyne & Wear area's Go North East transport service, which won Silver, and the English Lake District China Forum, which was the Bronze winner. "These awards shine a spotlight on our fantastic tourism industry with the winners showcasing the quality, innovation and excellence on offer throughout the country," said VisitEngland chief executive, Sally Balcombe. "From an outstanding boutique hotel in the Dales to a tour of York’s chocolate-making history, from pine holiday lodges on the sandy beaches of Cornwall to a quintessentially English country-pub in Hertfordshire, these winners provide outstanding and truly memorable visitor experiences." Latest VisitEngland statistics show that in 2017 Britons took more than 47 million holidays in England, an increase of 6 per cent on the previous year. Staycationers also spent more than £11bn (US$15.3bn, €12.6bn) in 2017 – also a 6 per cent rise on 2016. Overall tourism contributes an estimated £106bn (US$148bn, €121.1bn) to the English economy. Below are the winners in each category for this year’s awards: Bed & Breakfast of the Year GOLD - Alkham Court Farmhouse, Kent SILVER - The 25 Boutique B&B, Devon BRONZE - South Lodge Boutique B&B, Buckinghamshire Boutique Guest Accommodation of the Year GOLD - Yorebridge House, Yorkshire SILVER - Hever Castle & Gardens, Kent BRONZE - Cary Arms & Spa “Inn on the Beach”, Devon Business Tourism Award GOLD - Sage Gateshead, Tyne & Wear SILVER - Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa, Cheshire BRONZE - Tewkesbury Park, Gloucestershire Dog Friendly Business of the Year GOLD - Wallops Wood Cottages, Hampshire SILVER - Bulleigh Barton Manor, Devon BRONZE - Salad Days Beach Hut, Somerset Guided Tour of the Year GOLD - York’s Chocolate Story, Yorkshire SILVER - World of Wedgwood, Staffordshire BRONZE - Cotswolds Distillery, Warwickshire Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year GOLD - Landal Gwel an Mor, Cornwall SILVER - Seafield Caravan Park, Northumberland BRONZE - Polmanter Touring Park, Cornwall Hotel of the Year GOLD - Rudding Park, Yorkshire SILVER - Lucknam Park, Wiltshire BRONZE - Seaham Hall, County Durham Inbound Tourism Award GOLD - Beiwei 55°, London and Tyne & Wear SILVER - The Roman Baths & Pump Room, Bath & North East Somerset BRONZE - The Grand Hotel & Spa, Yorkshire Inclusive Tourism Award GOLD - The Roman Baths & Pump Room, Bath & North East Somerset SILVER - Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School, Cornwall BRONZE - Cottage in the Dales, Yorkshire Innovation in Tourism Award GOLD - British Airways i360, East Sussex SILVER - Go North East, Tyne & Wear BRONZE - English Lake District China Forum, Cumbria Large Visitor Attraction of the Year GOLD - National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire SILVER - Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire BRONZE - Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, Dorset New Tourism Business Award GOLD – Stasher, London SILVER - Ascent Trampoline Park, Lancashire BRONZE - Loose Reins, Dorset Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year GOLD - Sheepyard Barn at The Suffolk Escape, Suffolk SILVER - The Milkshed, Devon BRONZE - The Treehouse Hotel at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve, Kent Small Visitor Attraction of the Year GOLD - the Charterhouse, London SILVER - Hall Hill Farm, County Durham BRONZE - Screech Owl Sanctuary & Wildlife Park, Cornwall Sustainable Tourism Award GOLD - Laverock Law Cottages, Northumberland SILVER - Browsholme Hall, Lancashire BRONZE - Colton House, Staffordshire Taste of England Award GOLD - Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park, Wiltshire SILVER - Miller’s Fish and Chips, Yorkshire BRONZE - Askham Hall, Cumbria Tourism Pub of the Year GOLD - The Riverside at Aymestrey, Herefordshire SILVER - The Cartford Inn, Lancashire BRONZE - The Bruce Arms West Tanfield, Yorkshire Visitor Information Provider of the Year GOLD - York Visitor Information Centre, Yorkshire SILVER - Oxford Visitor Information Centre, Oxfordshire BRONZE - Liverpool Tourist Information Centre, Merseyside Tourism Superstar Jim O’Reilly, Red Funnel Ferries, Isle of Wight Travel Article of the Year Richard Mellor, The Guardian Party in the Sea - Between the Isles of Scilly Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Historic Royal Palaces Close Window |