Back in March, more than 300 people gathered to celebrate the South West Tourism Excellence Awards. It was the culmination of a detailed 12 month period of entry, judging and feedback that finally saw over 90 awards being presented at a ceremony at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Some of those at the ceremony were winners going forward from the Devon Tourism Awards and entry for Devon’s 2023/24 awards is now open.
With a closing date of June 18, organisers are encouraging all top tourism businesses across Devon and the wider region to make sure they’ve applied.
A total of 482 entries were submitted for the South West awards last year, from Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bath, Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and many had won in their county schemes before being selected for the South West.
All forms of hospitality business were amongst the overall South West winners, with cafes, pubs, watersports schools and falconries all celebrating alongside attractions, camping and glamping sites, holiday parks, B&Bs, cottages and hotels.
Devon’s gold award winners were Bolberry Farm Cottages near Salcombe for Dog Friendly Business of the Year; The Cricket Inn at Beesands for Pub of the Year; Millbrook Cottages and Estate at High Bickington for Self Catering Accommodation of the Year and The Pig at Combe for Small Hotel of the Year.
Mazzard Farm Holiday Cottages at Ottery St Mary and The Cottages at Blackadon Farm at Moorhaven near Ivybridge shared the gold Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award.
There was an Unsung Hero Award too, which was won by Doug Kerr, a Plymouth Volunteer Cruise Ambassador.
Robin Barker, director of Services for Tourism Ltd, which manages both the county and South West awards, said it was ‘a delight to be in the company of the region’s best’.
‘The conversations and celebrations were a real joy – I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,’ he says.
Co-Director Nell Barrington adds: ‘It was fantastic to see so much happiness and celebration among the best business in South West England after another difficult year for hospitality and tourism, congratulations to them all.’
Many winners from the South West progress on to the national VisitEngland awards where it has been the top-performing region for over five years.
In last year’s nationals Devon celebrated three winners, with The 25 Boutique B&B taking Gold and Brightham House Boutique Bed and Breakfast Bronze in the B&B and Guesthouse of the Year category, while Pitt Farm Holiday Cottages won Bronze for Self Catering Accommodation of the year. The awards are free to enter and give the opportunity for tourism businesses across the county to raise their profile and stand out from the crowd. They are also great for PR, staff morale, networking, can help attract more customers and offer reassurance to visitors that they are going to one of the best businesses in the county.
The Devon Awards scheme has its own accolade as has been accredited as Outstanding by the Awards Trust Mark scheme after going through a rigorous assessment. This gives entrants the confidence that the judging follows a comprehensive scoring matrix, all judges are independent, sign non-disclosure agreements and they are trained and retrained annually.
Those who enter say the independent assessment and feedback from industry professionals is invaluable, and free, regardless of if they win. The awards ceremonies also give an opportunity to meet and network with others and winning an award is a mark of quality for potential visitors.
Entry for the Devon Tourism Awards is online at devontourismawards.org.uk
