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Tourism 'Oscar' winners unveiled
The best places to stay and visit in The Heart of England The West Midlands Region were announced at a glittering gala dinner and ceremony last night, held at Birmingham's International Convention Centre. Organised by Tourism West Midlands and Advantage West Midlands the 'Excellence in Tourism Awards' are the region's annual tourism 'Oscars' and this year's winners include a sustainable caravan park in Herefordshire, a Staffordshire theme park, a Shropshire-based food centre offering high quality local produce and a newly refurbished hotel in Warwickshire.
Regional personalities Ed James from Heart FM and Jo Malin from ITV Central presented the prestigious gold, silver and highly commended awards to businesses and individuals from across the region. Each gold winner was presented with a handcrafted Wedgwood trophy specially-commissioned for this year's awards.
TWM Chairman, Brian Summers MBE, said, "The Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards recognise the quality and diversity of tourism experiences on offer across the West Midlands region. Competition for this year's awards has been fierce with businesses demonstrating a very high standard of visitor experience and customer service." He added "The awards evening was a wonderful opportunity to recognise and reward the individuals behind our outstanding tourism businesses and an industry that contributes £6 billion a year to the West Midlands' economy."
The gold award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year went to Drayton Manor Theme Park in Staffordshire. Judges praised the attraction for its strong family ethos and excellent management. Colin Bryan of Drayton Manor Theme Park said "We are thrilled to be recognised with a gold award. We always strive to offer a fun day out and pride ourselves on excellent customer service. The team has worked very hard throughout the year, particularly with the opening of our new Thomas Land attraction. Winning the award is a wonderful reward for the staff and a great end to the season."
Tourism West Midlands presented four additional awards in the fields of culture (The Royal Shakespeare Company), business tourism (The NEC Birmingham), festivals & events (Weston Park) and food & drink (Ludlow Food Festival).
There were also three awards voted for by the general public - 'Best Cultural Experience' sponsored by The Birmingham Post, 'My Favourite Day Out' sponsored by Birmingham Mail/Coventry Telegraph/Sunday Mercury and 'My Favourite Place' sponsored by ITV Central which was awarded to the Country of Shropshire.
The winners of the 2008 The Heart of England - The West Midlands Region Excellence in Tourism Awards are:
- Tourism Website - Commercial - Black Country Living Museum, Black Country
- Tourism Website - Destination - Shakespeare Country
- Access for All - RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire
- Outstanding Customer Care - Lynne Barkas National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire
- Sustainable Tourism - Poston Mill, Herefordshire
- Heart of England Business Tourism - Woodside, Warwickshire
- Tourist Information Service - Bewdley TIC, Worcestershire
- Taste of the Heart Outlet/Attraction - Ludlow Food Centre, Shropshire
- Taste of the Heart Restaurant - Opus Restaurant, Birmingham
- Best Tourism Experience - Severn Valley Railway, Worcestershire
- Caravan Holiday Park Poston Mill, Herefordshire
- Self Catering Holiday - The Woodhouse Farm Cottages, Herefordshire
- Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation - Colton House, Staffordshire
- Small Hotel/Townhouse - Goldstone Hall, Shropshire
- Large Hotel/Townhouse - Menzies Welcombe Hotel, Spa and Golf Club, Warwickshire
- Small Visitor Attraction - Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire
- Large Visitor Attraction - Drayton Manor Theme Park, Staffordshire
- Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Individual - Bobbie Heavens, Herefordshire
- Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Organisation - Severn Valley Railway
Gold award winners will now go forward to the national final next April, where they will compete against other regional winners from across England for the highest accolades in English tourism, coordinated by Visit England, the national tourism agency.