Nominate your own business for tourism award
A new Tourism Awards scheme for Somerset, Bristol and Bath has been launched to help raise the profile of the region and recognise its top operators.
The awards include 20 different categories, reflecting the diversity of the region’s tourism industry. There are accommodation awards for Glamping, Large Hotels, Boutique Hotels, Self Catering, Holiday Parks and B&Bs/Guest Accommodation. The food and drink categories include Restaurants, Cafes & Tearooms, and Pubs. There are categories covering Attractions, Activity providers, Business Tourism, Events and Festivals and Tourist Information Providers. There are also awards for Sustainable Tourism, Dog Friendly Businesses, Accessibility, International Visitor Experience and Outstanding Customer Service.
Following a busy half-term week for many tourism businesses, an extension is being offered for businesses in Somerset, Bath and Bristol until Monday 27 June. For the Unsung Hero & Tourism Event and Festival categories there is a later deadline of Friday 26 August.
The regions awards have seen record entries and successes over the past few years, with 490 entries in 2015 and 26 national winners. Entry into the new Bristol, Bath & Somerset awards not only leads to the chance of becoming a regional winner at the South West Tourism Awards, but can also lead to success in the national Visit England awards.
Awards organiser Nell Barrington says: “We are delighted to introduce this new scheme for businesses in Bristol, Bath and Somerset and it’s great to see such a high level of interest via the website www.somersettourismawards.org.uk. The awards are free to enter, and great for generating PR. There are 20 categories to choose from, ranging from pub, restaurant, cafe and tearoom, attraction, B&B, event, activity, boutique accommodation, holiday park and self catering holiday to awards for international tourism, customer service, access, sustainable tourism, dog friendly and business and venues.”
Nell goes on to say “The Unsung Hero award is unlike other categories, being an opportunity for visitors, businesses and other third parties to nominate individuals who have excelled in delivering outstanding service. The Tourism Event award is open to those events that are so significant in attracting visitors to the area such as literary festivals, balloon fiestas, maritime events, etc. The International Visitor Experience category is designed to recognize those businesses that bring in significant numbers of visitors from overseas, and offer a product to match.”
Full details of the tourism awards, along with details of how to enter, top tips and entry forms can be found here www.somersettourismawards.org.uk.
For more information contact organisers Nell Barrington (07968807022) or Robin Barker (07870397438), awards@somersettourismawards.org.uk.
