VisitEngland has announced the winners of its annual Awards for Excellence 2022, celebrating the best of the country’s tourism industry.
The 19 Gold Award winners were announced at an evening ceremony on 8 June hosted by broadcaster and author Clare Balding at the Library of Birmingham, in categories ranging from New Tourism Business of the Year to the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award from the Resilience and Innovation Award to the Unsung Hero Award.
Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were selected from hundreds of tourism businesses across England including hotels, self-catering accommodation, B&Bs, glamping operators, attractions, restaurants, pubs and museums.
The prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, running for more than 30 years, celebrate and champion innovation, quality and best practice across the industry recognising businesses and individuals who raise the bar of England’s tourism offer.
Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said:
“Our superb tourism businesses offer something for everyone and the sector is one we can be proud of. It is fantastic to see so many hardworking businesses of all sizes recognised for their gold-standard contribution to English tourism and I congratulate all the winners.”
VisitEngland Advisory Board Chair Nick de Bois said:
“It is wonderful to see the Awards event back in-person, giving us the opportunity to come together, celebrate and congratulate the best-of-the-best across England’s world-class tourism industry.
“From an accessible and inclusive sailing school to a family run rural glamping site and an immersive living museum, these awards highlight the outstanding quality, the innovation and the customer service excellence across our industry. All these businesses are winners in every sense.
“Millions of jobs and local economies depend on tourism and this year’s awards also highlight the dedication of tourism businesses as they rebuild, championing best practice and providing visitors with first-class experiences.”
Winners were announced in the Awards’ 15 ‘core’ categories as well as for four special awards, including ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award’, ‘Travel Content Award’, ‘TXGB Trailblazer Award’ and the ‘Tourism Superstar Award’.
The Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award went to ‘The English Period Drama’ and the film locations used in these shows, in recognition of its valuable role in boosting domestic and inbound tourism to England.
The Tourism Superstar Award, run with the Daily Mirror, was awarded to George Finlay of Matlock Farm Park following a public vote and competition earlier this year.
The Travel Content Award, recognising the media’s important contribution in championing domestic tourism, was won by Ben Lerwill of National Geographic Traveller with his story ‘Pirates and prehistory on Devon’s southeast coast’.
The TXGB Trail Blazer Award went to the Rugby League World Cup 2021, in recognition of the event’s success in driving inbound bookings through the business-to-business platform, also benefitting the domestic market.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club was the headline sponsor of this year’s Awards, also sponsoring the ‘Experience of the Year’ category. Barclays sponsored the ‘Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award’ and Sykes Holiday Cottages the ‘Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year’ category. The Family Holiday Charity was the chosen charity for this year’s Awards event.
Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses, employing about 2.6 million people and, in 2019, generating £76 billion in domestic visitor spending.
VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2022 Winners:
Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award – sponsored by Barclays
- Gold – Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School, Cornwall
- Silver – Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire
- Bronze – Fleetwood Beach Wheelchairs, Lancashire
B&B and Guest House of the Year
- Gold – The 25 Boutique B&B, Devon
- Silver – Horseshoe Cottage Farm, Leicestershire
- Bronze – Brightham House Boutique Bed and Breakfast, Devon
Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year
- Gold – Secret Meadows, Suffolk
- Silver – Brook Meadow, Leicestershire
- Bronze – Landal Sandybrook, Derbyshire
Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award
- Gold – Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex
- Silver – Pure Outdoor, Derbyshire
- Bronze – West Bay Discovery Centre, Dorset
Experience of the Year – sponsored by the Caravan and Motorhome Club
- Gold – Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School, Cornwall
- Silver – Pure Outdoor, Derbyshire
- Bronze – All Hallows’ Farmhouse Cookery School, Dorset
Large Hotel of the Year
- Gold – The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath
- Silver – Hotel Indigo Durham, County Durham
- Bronze – The Langham, London
Small Hotel of the Year
- Gold – Seaham Hall, County Durham
- Joint Silver – No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath
- Joint Silver – The Idle Rocks, Cornwall
New Tourism Business of the Year
- Gold – Three Mile Beach, Cornwall
- Silver – Triple A Food Tours, Tyne & Wear
- Bronze – Rowley Farm Holidays, Worcestershire
Pub of the Year
- Gold – The Cotley Inn, Somerset
- Silver – The Acorn Inn, Dorset
- Bronze – The Devonshire Arms at Pilsley, Derbyshire
Resilience and Innovation Award
- Gold – Black Country Living Museum, West Midlands
- Silver – Chester Zoo, Cheshire
- Bronze – Severn Valley Railway, Worcestershire
Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year – sponsored by Sykes Holiday Cottages
- Gold – Treeopia, Worcestershire
- Silver – Glynn Barton, Cornwall
- Bronze – Pitt Farm Holiday Cottages, Devon
Taste of England Award
- Gold – Lu Ban Restaurant, Merseyside
- Silver – Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, Lancashire
- Bronze – Fischer’s Baslow Hall, Derbyshire
Unsung Hero Award
- Gold – Adam Wardale, Middletons Hotel, North Yorkshire
- Silver – Neeshal Jeewon, Hilton London Metropole, London
- Bronze – Clive Goodwin, Ouseburn Trust, Tyne & Wear
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
- Gold – Chester Zoo, Cheshire
- Silver – Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
- Bronze – Pensthorpe, Norfolk
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
- Gold – Nothe Fort, Dorset
- Silver – Royal Liver Building 360, Merseyside
- Bronze – British Music Experience, Merseyside
Travel Content Award
- Gold – Ben Lerwill, National Geographic Traveller: ‘Pirates and prehistory on Devon’s southeast coast’
- Silver – Cathy Toogood, The Telegraph: ‘Forget the countryside – this Northern powerhouse is the perfect place for summer staycations’
- Bronze – Lauren Jarvis, LoveExploring: ‘Explore the New Forest’
TXGB Trailblazer Award
- Gold – Rugby League World Cup 2021
- Silver – Visit Gloucester
- Bronze – Mike James, Savouring Bath
Tourism Superstar 2022
- Winner – George Finlay, Matlock Farm Park
Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award
- Winner – The English Period Drama
