South West tops England for the 8th year in national tourism awards.
The finalists for the national VisitEngland awards have been announced and the South West’s position as England’s top region for quality has been further reinforced with 13 of the 53 finalists coming from the region.
Nominations for the national awards were put forward following the South West Tourism Excellence awards in Exeter Cathedral in February, following a record year for the awards with 773 entries into the Dorset, Cornwall, Bristol, Bath and Somerset, Devon and South West awards. Since then the nominees have been through a further round of national judging, leading to the announcement of national finalists.
Robin Barker from South West awards organisers Services for Tourism, commented: “In what is an extraordinarily difficult year for tourism and South West England it’s great to have this positive news to share. The success of these businesses – and the region as a whole – pays real testament to the innovation, passion and commitment of tourism across the South West and I pay tribute to every one of them. This year’s regional awards are also currently open for entry and I hope this news will encourage many more businesses to get involved.”
The finalists are all invited to attend an online virtual event on Monday 17 August when they will be awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold award.
The South West finalists are:
ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE TOURISM AWARD
• Durlston Country Park National Nature Reserve, Dorset – durlston.co.uk @DurlstonCP
• Mylor Sailing and Powerboat School, Cornwall – mylorsailingschool.co.uk, @mylorsailing
B&B AND GUESTHOUSE OF THE YEAR
• The 25 Boutique B&B, Devon – the25.uk @The25Torquay
EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR
• Wild Wookey, Somerset – wildwookey.co.uk, @wildwookey
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AWARD
• The Roman Baths & Pump Room, Bath – romanbaths.co.uk @RomanBathsBath
LARGE HOTEL OF THE YEAR
• Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire – lucknampark.co.uk @LucknamPark
LARGE VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
• The Roman Baths & Pump Room, Bath – romanbaths.co.uk @RomanBathsBath
PUB OF THE YEAR
• Three Horseshoes Pub & Kitchen, Dorset – threehorseshoesburtonbradstock.co.uk @the_horseshoes
SELF CATERING ACCOMMODATION OF THE YEAR
• North Hayne Farm Cottages, Devon – northhaynefarmcottages.co.uk @NorthHayne
SMALL HOTEL OF THE YEAR
• Cary Arms & Spa, Devon – caryarms.co.uk, @caryarms
SMALL VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
• Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum, Dorset – shirehalldorset.org @ShireHallDorset
• The Herschel Museum of Astronomy, Bath – herschelmuseum.org.uk @HerschelMuseum
TASTE OF ENGLAND AWARD
• The Dining Room – Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa – Wiltshire whatleymanor.com/eat-drink @Whatley_Manor
In addition to the above, finalists in four special award categories will be presented on the night, with further South West interest from the following:
TRAVEL CONTENT AWARD
• Helen Coffey, Independent.co.uk: Don’t let the Russian Poisonings put you off visiting Salisbury, the UK’s loveliest medieval city.
• Rachel Dixon, The Guardian: Uncrowded Cornwall: fine food and walking on the Lizard.
INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION AWARD
• Destination Bristol
