Tourism businesses from across the region were last night (THURSDAY) congratulated for the exceptional contribution they make to the regional visitor economy, currently worth £4.2bn annually, at the North East England Tourism Awards 2012, held at The Sage Gateshead.
Winners included Tyneside Cinema and BALTIC, who took joint gold in the Large Visitor Attraction category, Rockliffe Hall who won the Business Tourism Award, and Black Smith’s Cottage in Alnwick who went home with the Self Catering Provider Award.
Organised by NewcastleGateshead Initiative and delivered in partnership with Northumberland County Council, the awards saw almost 400 members of the local business community come together to celebrate the tourism successes of the past year.
The full list of Gold winners are:
• Access for all Tourism Award:
The Sage Gateshead
• Business Tourism Award:
Rockliffe Hall – Hurworth, Darlington
• Large Hotel of the Year:
Sandman Signature Hotel – Newcastle
• Large Visitor Attraction of the Year:
Tyneside Cinema – Newcastle
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art – Gateshead
• Small Visitor Attraction of the Year:
Washington Wetlands Centre
• Visitor Information Provider of the Year:
National Park Centre / TIC Once Brewed – Hadrian’s Wall
• Taste of England Award:
Blackfriars Restaurant – Newcastle
• Tourism Experience of the Year – Incorporating ‘Best Event’:
Kielder Water and Forest Park – Northumberland
• Caravan Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year:
Seafield Caravan Park – Seahouses, Northumberland
• Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year:
Low Urpeth Farm Bed & Breakfast – Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
• Small Hotel of the Year:
Jesmond Dene House – Newcastle
• Tourism Pub of the Year:
The Feathers Inn – Stocksfield, Northumberland
• Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year:
Blacksmiths Cottage – Alnwick, Northumberland
• Sustainable Tourism Award:
Woodhorn, Museum and Northumberland Archives – Ashington, Northumberland
Sarah Stewart, chief executive at destination management and marketing organisation, NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “The enthusiasm we’ve seen from businesses for this year’s North East England Tourism Awards has been fantastic. The results demonstrate the quality and innovation within the visitor economy from across the whole region and I’d like to congratulate all of the winners on their success. The judges were highly impressed with the quality of entrants and all of the shortlisted businesses should be proud of their achievements.
“The awards have presented an opportunity for the industry to come together and demonstrate the importance and scale of tourism in the North East. I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone who volunteered to judge and deliver what has been a truly spectacular event.”
Also supporting the awards was the Northern Tourism Alliance, a collaboration of the region’s tourism bodies who work together on projects that will benefit the tourism industry across the North East. The Alliance is made up of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Northumberland Tourism, Visit County Durham, The North East Hotels Association and Hadrian’s Wall Trust.
Northumberland County Council delivered the judging of six of the 14 categories, Stacey Burlet, head of customer and cultural services at Northumberland County Council said: “The North East Tourism Awards showcase and celebrate the very best businesses in the local tourism industry and the talented individuals behind them.
“Their hard work and dedication contribute to a multi million pound tourism economy that is so vital for Northumberland. It is essential that the importance of the tourism industry is recognised and we are delighted to be a partner in the awards.”
Winners at the North East England Tourism Awards will have the chance to compete on a national stage against those winners from England’s other regions at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2013. Regional businesses who were successful in the national awards in 2012 were Beamish Museum (Large Visitor Attraction), Rockliffe Hall (Large Hotel) and Great North Museum (Access for All).
The visitor economy supports more than 65,000 jobs across the North East. It is the fourth largest economy in the region and contributes an estimated £4.2bn annually.
Ends.
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Full list of winners
Access for all Tourism Award
GOLD – The Sage Gateshead
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Namco Funscape
Business Tourism Award:
GOLD – Rockliffe Hall – Hurworth, Darlington
SILVER – Event Durham (Durham University)
Large Hotel of the Year:
GOLD – Sandman Signature Hotel – Newcastle
SILVER – Hilton Newcastle Gateshead
BRONZE – Jurys Inn Newcastle
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year:
GOLD – Tyneside Cinema – Newcastle
GOLD – BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art – Gateshead
SILVER – Wallington Hall – Cambo nr Morpeth, Northumberland
BRONZE – The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year:
GOLD – Washington Wetlands Centre
SILVER – Killhope Lead Mine – Weardale, Co. Durham
SILVER – Monkwearmouth Station Museum – Sunderland
Visitor Information Provider of the Year:
GOLD – National Park Centre / TIC Once Brewed – Hadrian’s Wall
SILVER – North Shields TIC
BRONZE – Corbridge TIC
Taste of England Award:
GOLD – Blackfriars Restaurant – Newcastle
SILVER – The Feathers Inn – Stocksfield, Northumberland
BRONZE – Low Urpeth Farm Bed & Breakfast – Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
Tourism Experience of the Year – Incorporating ‘Best Event’:
GOLD – Kielder Water & Forest Park – Northumberland
SILVER – The Late Shows – venues across Newcastle
BRONZE – Sunderland AFC
Caravan Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year:
GOLD – Seafield Caravan Park – Seahouses, Northumberland
SILVER – Ord House Country Park – East Ord, Northumberland
Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year:
GOLD – Low Urpeth Farm Bed & Breakfast – Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
SILVER – St Cuthbert’s House – Seahouses, Northumberland
BRONZE – Martineau Guest House – Tynemouth
Small Hotel of the Year:
GOLD – Jesmond Dene House – Newcastle
SILVER – Langley Castle – Hexham, Northumberland
BRONZE – Close House Hotel & Golf – Heddon on the Wall
Tourism Pub of the Year:
GOLD – The Feathers Inn – Stocksfield, Northumberland
SILVER – The Broad Chare – Newcastle
Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year:
GOLD – Blacksmith’s Cottage – Alnwick, Northumberland
SILVER – The Gate Lodge – Northumberland
SILVER – Mill Granary Cottages – Teesdale, Co. Durham
BRONZE – The Waiting Room – Hexham, Northumberland
Sustainable Tourism Award:
GOLD – Woodhorn, Museum and Northumberland Archives – Ashington, Northumberland
SILVER – Durham University
SILVER – The Sage Gateshead
BRONZE – Washington Wetlands Centre
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.
o 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.
o 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.
o 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
o 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.