The 2023/24 Tourism Awards are open and tourism and hospitality businesses from the South West and South East are invited to enter. Businesses in Bristol, Bath and Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly must enter in their county schemes and those in the South East into the Beautiful South Awards.
The awards offer businesses the chance to win not only regionally but – for matching categories – to progress to the national VisitEngland awards.
The categories include pubs, cafes and restaurants as well as hotels, B and Bs, spa, wedding and business venues, attractions, tourist information centre, events and experiences. There are also awards for unsung heroes, new businesses, dog friendly, accessibility and sustainability and in the South West only water efficiency.
Feedback from last year’s entrants listed the benefits of entering as increasing bookings, generating PR, free feedback, making great contacts, boosting staff morale and helping with recruitment.
Awards organiser Robin Barker says “We’re delighted to be opening this year’s Tourism Awards with yet more tweaks and refinements to ensure they keep at the cutting edge of excellence in tourism, offering businesses the chance to shine as well as receive invaluable feedback”.
Entries must be submitted online no later than the deadline of midnight on Sunday 18 June; more details about all the schemes can be found here:
BRISTOL, BATH AND SOMERSET somersettourismawards.org.uk
CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY cornwalltourismawards.org.uk
DEVON devontourismawards.org.uk
DORSET dorsettourismawards.org.uk
SOUTH WEST southwesttourismawards.org.uk
Businesses in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire (except South Gloucestershire) should enter direct into the South West awards, unless they are members of Bristol or Bath or Somerset DMOs in which case they should enter the Bristol, Bath and Somerset awards.
SOUTH EAST www.beautifulsouthawards.co.uk – the area covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Surrey, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent.
