Tourism businesses were last night (THURSDAY) congratulated for the exceptional contribution they make to the region’s visitor economy at the North East England Tourism Awards 2013, held at St James’ Park.
Winners included Lindisfarne Gospels Durham which won two Gold awards in the Tourism Event and Tourism Experience categories. National Trust Gibside in Gateshead triumphed in the Large Visitor Attraction category, and Seafield Caravan Park shared the top accolade in the Caravan Holiday Park of the Year category with Leaplish Waterside Park, Kielder.
430 members of the business community were wowed by explosive entertainment from Spark! The street theatre performers delivered a visually spectacular show mixing dynamic drumming with carefully choreographed lighting in a ceremony that celebrated the tourism successes of the past year.
The Awards ceremony was delivered in partnership with Sodexo Prestige and Hi-Lights and was hosted by BBC Look North presenter, Carol Malia.
The full list of Gold winners:
- Access for All
Sage Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
- Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
St Cuthbert’s House (Northumberland)
- Business Tourism Award
Event Durham, Durham University (County Durham)
- Caravan Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year
Seafield Caravan Park (Northumberland)
Leaplish Waterside Park – Northumbrian Water ltd, Kielder (Northumberland)
- Large Hotel of the Year
Rockliffe Hall Hotel Golf & Spa (County Durham) Hotel Indigo Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
- Large Visitor Attraction of the YearNational Trust Gibside, Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
- Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year
Blacksmith’s Cottage (Northumberland)
- Small Hotel of the Year
Seaham Hall (County Durham)
- Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Victoria Tunnel – Ouseburn Trust, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
- Sustainable Tourism Award
Killhope Museum (County Durham)
- Taste of England Award
Colman’s of South Shields (Tyne & Wear)
The Feather’s Inn (Northumberland)
- Tourism Experience of the Year
Lindisfarne Gospels Durham, Durham University (County Durham)
- Tourism Pub of the Year
South Causey Inn (County Durham)
- Visitor Information provider of the Year
NewcastleGateshead Visitor Information Centre (Tyne & Wear)
- Tourism Event of the Year
Lindisfarne Gospels Durham, Durham University (County Durham)
Sarah Stewart, chief executive at destination management and marketing organisation, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “Once again, the North East England Tourism Awards has demonstrated the vibrancy and breadth of what the industry has to offer visitors across the region.
“The judges had a really tough time this year, with an extremely high quality standard of applications. It was difficult in many cases to select one overall winner, meaning three categories saw two Gold winners, and everyone shortlisted for an award received an accolade of ‘Highly Commended’ or better.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the winners, who have again proven that the tourism industry is one of the region’s most innovative economies, and thank everyone who was involved in making the awards such a great success.”
NewcastleGateshead Initiative has worked alongside other Northern Tourism Alliance members and wider partners to deliver the awards in 2013, including Visit County Durham, Northumberland Tourism, Hadrian’s Wall Trust, Northumberland County Council, Sunderland City Council, North Tyneside Council and South Tyneside Council.
Winners at the North East England Tourism Awards will have the chance to compete on a national stage against winners from England’s other regions at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2014. Last year Kielder Water and Forest Park stormed to success as England’s Best Tourism Experience.
The visitor economy is worth £3.61bn and supports more than 54,600 jobs across Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham, representing employment growth of 5% in the decade since 2003.
Ends.
Full list of winners
Access for All
GOLD – Sage Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Discovery Museum, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
GOLD – St Cuthbert’s House (Northumberland)
BRONZE – Martineau Guest House, Tynemouth (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Carraw Bed and Breakfast (Northumberland)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Dowfold House Bed and Breakfast (County Durham)
Business Tourism Award
GOLD – Event Durham, Durham University (County Durham)
SILVER – Sodexo Prestige / Newcastle United Football Club (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Northumbria University – Inspirational Spaces (Tyne & Wear)
Caravan Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year
GOLD – Seafield Caravan Park (Northumberland)
GOLD – Northumbrian Water ltd – Leaplish Waterside Park, Kielder (Northumberland)
BRONZE – Bobby Shafto Caravan Park (County Durham)
Large Hotel of the Year
GOLD – Rockliffe Hall Hotel Golf & Spa (County Durham)
GOLD – Hotel Indigo Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
SILVER – Jurys Inn Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Newcastle Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Ramada Encore Newcastle-Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
GOLD – National Trust Gibside, Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
SILVER – Sage Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – International Centre for Life, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year
GOLD – Blacksmith’s Cottage (Northumberland)
SILVER – Beacon Hill Farm (Northumberland)
BRONZE – The Waiting Rooms (Northumberland)
Small Hotel of the Year
GOLD – Seaham Hall (County Durham)
SILVER – Wynyard Hall (Tees Valley)
BRONZE – Doxford Hall Hotel & Spa (Northumberland)
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
GOLD – Ouseburn Trust – Victoria Tunnel, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
SILVER – Oriental Museum, Durham University (County Durham)
BRONZE – Hall Hill Farm (County Durham)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – WWT Washington Wetland Centre (Tyne & Wear)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Auckland Castle (County Durham)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – The Cycle Hub, Newcastle (Tyne & Wear)
Sustainable Tourism Award
GOLD – Killhope Museum (County Durham)
SILVER – North Music Trust, Sage Gateshead (Tyne & Wear)
SILVER – Durham University (County Durham)
Taste of England Award
GOLD – Colman’s of South Shields (Tyne & Wear)
GOLD – The Feather’s Inn (Northumberland)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Northumberland Cheese Company Ltd (Northumberland)
Tourism Experience of the Year
GOLD – Lindisfarne Gospels Durham (Durham University)
SILVER – Hall Hill Farm (County Durham)
Tourism Pub of the Year
GOLD – South Causey Inn, County Durham
HIGHLY COMMENDED – The Feather’s Inn (Northumberland)
Visitor Information provider of the Year
GOLD – NewcastleGateshead Visitor Information Centre (Tyne & Wear)
SILVER – Northumberland National Park Centre, TIC Once Brewed (Northumberland)
BRONZE – Durham Pointers (County Durham)
HIGHLY COMMENDED – North Shields Tourist Information Centre (Tyne & Wear)
Tourism Event of the Year
GOLD – Lindisfarne Gospels Durham (Durham University)
SILVER – The Ashes – Durham County Cricket Club (County Durham)
BRONZE – Sunderland International Airshow – Sunderland Live (Tyne & Wear)
BRONZE – The Late Shows – Tyne & Wear Archive & Museums (Tyne & Wear)
Notes to editors:
- NewcastleGateshead Initiative is a destination management and marketing agency; a public-private partnership supported by Gateshead and Newcastle City Councils, working with around 170 private sector partner organisations across NewcastleGateshead and the wider region
- NewcastleGateshead Initiative is supported by a board offering expertise from a range of sectors and professions. We also work with a wide range of partners, stakeholders and businesses, who share our ambition to inspire people to visit and to live, learn, work and invest in NewcastleGateshead.
- Our marketing & communications team works to promote and position NewcastleGateshead as a vibrant tourism destination, through targeted campaigns nationally and internationally. Our visitor information team helps ensure visitors have the best possible experience when they’re here, providing information and support.
- Our cultural programming team work with partners across the destination to bring together NewcastleGateshead’s cultural offer and deliver some of our most popular festival & events, including EAT! NewcastleGateshead, Juice Festival and the NewcastleGateshead Winter Festival.
- Our Convention Bureau uses local knowledge and expertise to help organise conferences, meetings or events in NewcastleGateshead and the surrounding area. It provides a free service including, venue sourcing and accommodation booking, to arranging transport and entertainment for delegates
- Our inward investment team helps businesses locate, expand and flourish in NewcastleGateshead, providing a range of services to make it easy to realise their ambitions for growth
- United by seven bridges across a spectacular riverscape, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on the south bank) form a single, diverse and extremely vibrant visitor destination. World-class culture, vibrant nightlife, award-winning dining, inspiring heritage, fantastic shopping and acclaimed architecture are combined here like nowhere else, by the famous Geordie spirit which is symbolised by Antony Gormley’s iconic Angel of the North as it welcomes travellers to the area.