Member Article

Awards for North East tourism businesses make return

The North East England Tourism Awards are to make a come back to the region, following demand from regional businesses.

The awards have taken place since 2003, however since decline of the RDA, there has been speculation that the awards might not take place this year. Sarah Stewart, chief executive at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, explains: “After speaking with local businesses, it quickly became apparent to us that the enthusiasm from the tourism industry locally for the North East England Tourism Awards meant that they simply must go ahead.They are a valuable way of recognising the achievements and quality of the tourism offer in the North East and we have worked with colleagues across the region to ensure that the North East wouldn’t miss out on the awards that feed into the national VisitEngland awards annually.”

NewcastleGateshead Initiative will now deliver the awards in partnership with Northumberland County Council, and help from event management company Evention. Northern Tourism Alliance will also support the awards as a collaborative. Jeff Reid, Leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “The North East England Tourism Awards aim to promote and reward excellence in all areas of the industry. Tourism is a major contributor to the Northumberland economy and I am delighted that NCC is able to support the 2012 awards.”

Previous winners have included, Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle, Sunderland Football Club, Beamish Museum, Hartlepool Maritime Experience, and St Cuthberts House in Seahouses, who in 2010 won gold in the Guest Accommodation of the Year category, taking silver nationally. Jeff Sutheran, owner of St Cuthbert’s House, commented: “The North East Tourism Awards are a fantastic opportunity for businesses to showcase their quality offerings, and to celebrate the great results of the hard work they put into giving visitors a very special experience. Winning in 2010 was a fantastic achievement for us, and meant we could go on to the Enjoy England National Awards, where we won Silver in the same category. It was a great opportunity to showcase our business - and Northumberland - to a national audience, and it was certainly good for our business.”

Businesses who are interested in entering the awards should visit the awards website, here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .