Industry News
Four of North East England’s Tourism Trailblazers Announced as Finalists at National Awards
A tranquil boat tour business, a luxury hotel, a fine-dining restaurant housed in a 13th century friary and a national park unsung-hero are among the finalists at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence which recognises exceptional visitor economy businesses and individuals from around the UK.
County Durham’s Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours, Newcastle’s Blackfriars Restaurant, and Northumberland National Park Authority’s Duncan Wise join 44 other finalists from all corners of Britian hoping to take home the national accolades at the finals in Liverpool this June.
The finalists, announced following a rigorous judging process by handpicked tourism industry experts, now go on to compete in 15 core categories at the national awards, with the Caravan and Motorhome Club announced as headline sponsor. The North East finalists are made up of winners from this year’s North East England Tourism Awards which celebrated the region’s visitor economy superstars at a glitzy ceremony in February.
In addition to the 15 core categories, four special awards are also being presented including an ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award’, a ‘Travel Content Award’, the ‘Tourism Superstar Award’ and a ‘TXGB Trailblazer Award’.
All finalists are invited to attend the national awards ceremony, this year being held at Rum Warehouse at The Titanic Hotel Liverpool on 5 June, where Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced at the black tie event. The Family Holiday Charity is the chosen charity for this year’s event.
This year’s Awards aligned with 15 local competitions from across England with winners automatically put forward for the national awards.
Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of small-to-medium sized businesses, employing 2.6 million people and, in 2022, generating £66 billion for the economy in domestic visitor spending.
John Marshall, Chair of Destination North East England, the UK’s first-ever Destination Development Partnership said:
“On behalf of everyone at Destination North East England, I am absolutely delighted that the region has gained four finalists in the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence - recognising the exceptional, diverse, world-class experiences, businesses and talent we have here in the region's visitor economy. I know each and every nominee works incredibly hard to provide visitors from around the world with an unforgettable taste of North East England's unique geography, culture, dining and heritage - against a challenging economic backdrop.
Our finalists are true North East champions and are rightfully taking their place on the national stage, showcasing exactly what our unique part of the world is all about. I'd like to wish our finalists the best of luck in Liverpool and congratulate them again on being true North Eastern trailblazers,”
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:
“I am always impressed by the tourism businesses who make it onto our list of finalists with their innovative approaches to ensuring people have the most amazing experiences whilst delivering outstanding customer service across England. I congratulate all the finalists and wish them the very best of luck.”
Destination North East England is led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative on behalf of the region, working with delivery partners Visit Northumberland and Visit County Durham and in in partnership with all seven local authorities to unlock the growth potential of the visitor economy.