Gold for NE Businesses at National Awards

Thursday, 24th April 2008

Categories: What's New, Quality

North East England's Best Scoop Gold at National Tourism Awards

Two North East England tourism businesses are celebrating after picking up a Gold award each at the English tourism "Oscars" - the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, held at St George's Hall Liverpool on, fittingly, St George's day, April 23rd.

Sunderland Airshow won the Best Tourism Experience Award - which honours both one-off and repeat events - and The Mill Granary Cottage in Lower Teesdale, County Durham was winner of Self-catering Holiday of the Year award. Both beat off stiff competition from the shortlisted finalists of the other nine English regions.

The Enjoy England Excellence Awards are the highest profile tourism awards in this country. Any tourism business, of all types, from all ten english regions, can enter the regional heats. Winners of these are then shortlisted for the national awards. Winning any one of the fifteen categories means a business offers the cream of English tourism, and inevitably attracts a huge amount of PR interest from national journalists and travel guides.

Sunderland Airshow, the largest free airshow in Europe, now in its 20th year, was applauded by the judges for achieving over one million visitors in 2007, including a very high number of repeat visitors.

Sue Henderson, Airshow Deputy Director said: "The people of Sunderland and thousands of visitors to the city already know that the Sunderland International Airshow is one of the best and most spectacular events of its kind, so its even more pleasing to get this national award.

"This accolade is a real tribute not only to its popularity as a visitor attraction for Sunderland but to the hardwork of organisers, participants, exhibitors and entertainers.

"The airshow has grown over the years from a one day event to a whole weekend of attractions and has become a key date in not only the city's events calendar but for the whole of the North East."

The Mill Granary Cottage in County Durham, open for just four years, is a converted stone built granary cottage situated in the beautiful countryside of Teesdale.

Kate Hodgson, of The Mill Granary Cottages said: "I am extremely proud of this award which is fantastic recognition not only for us but also for North East England.

"This award proves all our hardwork has paid off.

"We have already seen a lot of media interest on the back of the North East England Tourism Award, so this can only help us promote our business further."

Margaret Fay, chairman of One NorthEast said: "Congratulations to Sunderland Airshow and The Mill Granary Cottages. This is fantastic recognition for the quality of the tourism businesses in the region, and demonstrates that here in North East England we are among the best in the country.

"For the winners it is a great accolade and will help them to further develop their business. Previous winners at these prestigious awards have been able to enjoy the benefits which come with national recognition.

"Now we hope that these successful businesses will inspire others to enter this year's North East England Tourism Awards, the winners of which will represent us at next year's national awards."

Anyone interested in entering the North East England Tourism Awards 2008 can read about the awards and download entry forms from the Tourism Business Toolkit from the 28th April. Alternatively you can pre-register your interest by emailing janet.smith@onenortheast.co.uk.

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