The West Midlands has crowned 15 venues from across its visitor attraction, leisure and hospitality sectors with prizes at its inaugural Tourism Awards. Held at the University of Birmingham’s Great Hall on 26 February, the awards ceremony recognised the region’s finest tourist organisations, who helped to bring a record 131 million visitors to the West Midlands in 2018.
Categories included Experience of the Year; Large Hotel of the Year; and the Taste of England award. The 15 regional winners (gold) and runners-up (silver) will automatically feed up to the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, which takes place in June.
The ceremony was hosted by Martin Roberts, presenter of ITV travel show Wish You Were Here and current star of BBC’s property auction programme Homes under the Hammer. The evening featured performances by the Black Voices music ensemble and a performance of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s hit musical The Boy in the Dress.
The West Midlands Growth Company – which aims to attract visitors and events to the region – organised the Tourism Awards in collaboration with VisitEngland and delivery partners Reach Events.
Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company said, “The West Midlands Tourism Awards provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the very best of our region’s visitor economy offer, which is enjoying a real renaissance. We are entering a defining period where the West Midlands will be in the global spotlight like never before. This ceremony recognised the people who make this region such a great place to visit and the valuable contribution that tourism makes to the local economy.
“Huge congratulations to all of our nominees and the gold and silver winners who will now go on to represent the West Midlands at VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence. I’m sure many of them will make their mark on this national stage.”
The West Midlands Tourism Awards 2020 winners included:
Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award
Gold – Birmingham Hippodrome (Birmingham)
Silver – Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-upon-Avon)
B&B and Guesthouse of the Year
Gold – Broome Park Farm (Shropshire)
Silver – Avonlea (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Bronze – Victoria Spa Lodge (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Business Events Venue of the Year
Gold – Warwick Conferences (Coventry)
Silver – ICC Birmingham (Birmingham)
Bronze – Coombe Abbey (Coventry)
Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year
Gold – Ettie’s Field (Atherstone)
Silver – Hencote (Shropshire)
Bronze – Hopley’s Family Camping (Bewdley)
Fourth – Hill Farm Glamping (Southam)
Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award
Gold – The Hive Café and Bakery (Birmingham)
Experience of the Year
Gold – Land Rover Experience Solihull (Solihull)
Silver – Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Bronze – Positively Birmingham Walking Tours (Birmingham)
Fourth – Bobby Britnell Textile Artist (Shropshire)
Large Hotel of the Year
Gold – Coombe Abbey (Coventry)
Silver – Malmaison Birmingham (Birmingham)
Bronze – Mallory Court Country House Hotel and Spa (Leamington Spa)
Small Hotel of the Year
Gold – Brockencote Hall (Kidderminster)
Silver – Baraset Barn, Lovely Pubs (Stratford-upon-Avon)
International Tourism Award
Gold – Shakespeare’s Birthplace (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Silver – Go Cotswolds (Stratford-upon-Avon)
New Tourism Business Award
Gold – Shakespeare Distillery (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Silver – Hotel Indigo Stratford-upon-Avon (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Bronze – Positively Birmingham Walking Tours (Birmingham)
Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year
Gold – Burlton Cottages (Burlton, Shropshire)
Silver – Penny Black Cottage (Ironbridge)
Bronze – Ironbridge View Townhouse (Ironbridge)
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Gold – Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Silver – Black Country Living Museum (Dudley)
Bronze – National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham (Birmingham)
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Gold – FarGo Village (Coventry)
Silver – Shakespeare Schoolroom & Guildhall (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Bronze – Land Rover Experience Solihull (Solihull)
Fourth – Aston Hall (Birmingham)
Pub of the Year
Gold – The Howard Arms (Ilmington, Stratford-upon-Avon)
Silver – The Millstone Hare (Southam)
Bronze – The Coracle Micropub (Ironbridge)
Taste of England Award
Gold – The Butchers Social (Coventry)
Silver – Turmeric Gold (Coventry)
Bronze – Esquires Coffee (Coventry)
For more information, please visit the website.
