News
Record Entries for Regional Tourism "Oscars"
A record number of entries have been received for this year's Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards. The awards are given on an annual basis to celebrate the best tourism experiences in the West Midlands region.
B&Bs, hotels, attractions, restaurants and tourist information centres are amongst the 100 plus businesses and providers entering the awards and the difficult task of judging is now underway. Finalists will be announced at the end of this month and the winners will be presented with their awards at a gala dinner and ceremony on 11 November at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham.
This year's awards are set to be the most competitive to date, with high calibre entries across all of the 15 award categories. Categories range from 'Bed & Breakfast of the Year' and 'Small Visitor Attraction of the Year' to the new 'Access for All Tourism Award', which has been introduced to recognise those businesses that pay extra attention to help visitors with specific needs. Gold, Silver and Commended awards will be presented at the gala dinner and ceremony and each 'Gold Award' winner will be entered automatically for the national Enjoy England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2009 - the highest accolade in English tourism.
In addition to the main Excellence awards, where the winners go through to the National Excellence Finals in 2009, Advantage West Midlands will be presenting four awards which recognise the contribution of the region's tourism industry in the fields of culture, business tourism, festivals & events and food & drink.
There will also be three awards voted for by the general public - 'Best Cultural Experience' sponsored by The Birmingham Post, 'My Favourite Day Out' sponsored by Trinity Mirror West Midlands and 'My Favourite County' sponsored by Central ITV.
The awards are supported by Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands, through Tourism West Midlands (TWM) - the strategic tourism board. TWM Chairman, Brian Summers, said, "We are delighted to receive so many outstanding entries from tourism businesses right across the region. The standard has been set at a very high level and judges are now tasked with identifying those businesses that go the extra mile, exceed visitor expectations and help make the West Midlands region so attractive to visitors."
He added, "This year's gala dinner and awards ceremony will be the highlight of the region's tourism calendar and an opportunity to celebrate the very best in tourism and an industry that contributes £6 billion a year to the West Midland's economy."
For more information on the 2008 awards go to www.tourismawards.visittheheart.co.uk