The South West’s leading tourism businesses were celebrating last night (Feb 2nd) at the annual South West Tourism Excellence Awards finale held in the brand new Lansdown Suite of Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol.
This year’s awards event was hosted by ITV news presenter Kylie Pentelow. With 469 people booked, it was the biggest ever regional gathering of South West tourism businesses, with 135 different awards presented following a rigorous judging process in which a record 605 entries were considered.
Seaton Tramway was presented with a Silver Award for ‘Artistic, Cultural & Learning Experience’ at the prestigious Awards Ceremony. In addition, the Tramway was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Large Attraction of the Year category. With over 130 Finalists nominated and only five Highly Commended, this marks a very significant achievement for the Tramway that reflects a massive whole team effort throughout the year.
This year saw a record of 605 entries across the South West and judges undertook a staggering 380 visits. The finalists include winners from the Dorset, Bristol, Bath & Somerset, Cornwall and Devon Tourism Awards, all of which have been celebrated at county events during this autumn. They also include direct entries from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Chief Executive of Seaton Tramway, Jenny Nunn, said: “This is definitive testament to the hard work, passion, dogged determination and attention to detail from all who strive to make Seaton Tramway an excellent visitor attraction, and now, we can now proudly say, one of the BEST visitor attractions in the South West. Achieving excellence, both in the Devon and South West Tourism Awards, is indeed a great accolade which reflects a consistently focused team effort throughout the year and sets the Tramway in great stead to thrive even further in the season ahead.”
The full list of Finalists and Highly Commended can be seen on the awards website at http://www.southwesttourismawards.org.uk