Tourism Awards break all records as nominations sought for outstanding contribution
Entries to this year’s Tourism Awards across the South West have broken all records, with 460 entries already received, including 70 into the Dorset Tourism Awards, 164 into the Devon awards, 167 into the Cornwall Tourism Awards and 59 from Somerset, Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire & Gloucestershire.
Numbers are expected to grow further, as three categories remain open until 28th August:
- The ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism’ award doesn’t come with any fixed criteria, and is intended to recognise individuals, organisations or groups that have contributed significantly to the region’s tourism industry. Recent regional winners are Michael Eavis (founder of the Glastonbury Festival), Carol Wager (outstanding trainer with Welcome to Excellence), the South West Coast Path, and Malcolm Bell (former Chief Executive of South West Tourism and current Head of Visit Cornwall).
- The ‘Unsung Hero Award for Customer Service’ is for an individual or small team within a tourism business that has stood out for ‘going the extra mile’ in delivering outstanding customer service.
- The ‘Tourism Event & Festival of the Year’ award is for events & festivals that contribute to the tourism sector by attracting 5000 or more visitors.
Awards spokesperson Robin Barker is delighted to see the success of the awards: “The Awards have hit new heights this year, breaking previous records again following the region’s success in May’s national awards, when the South West was England’s top region. It is especially good to see businesses showing year-on-year improvements and numerous first time entrants. “In parallel, we look forward to further entries in those categories that will be judged later in the year, including the ‘Tourism Event’, ‘Unsung Hero’ and ‘Outstanding Contribution’ categories. “I must also thank our many sponsors who fund the year-round programme, including headline sponsors South West Water, Hoseasons and Saffery Champness. They and other sponsors will be benefiting from record visits to the awards websites, totaling 24,600 page views since the start of April.”
The awards celebrate excellence in tourism across the South West with linked schemes in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, aiming to promote and reward businesses and individuals in the tourism industry, whatever their sector and size. They are free to enter and all entrants receive feedback.
Full details of the tourism awards, along with details of how to enter, top tips and entry forms can be found at the four awards websites:
Dorset Tourism Awards – www.dorsettourismawards.org.uk
Cornwall Tourism Awards – www.cornwalltourismawards.org.uk
Devon Tourism Awards – www.devontourismawards.org.uk
The South West Tourism Excellence Awards – www.southwesttourismawards.org.uk