Top Tourism Stars Awarded Prized Trophies
White Rose Awards Winners Announced
Rudding Park, Harrogate, has been named the best Large Hotel in Yorkshire, The Black Swan at Oldstead has been judged the Yorkshire Restaurant of the Year and Faweather Grange near Ilkley the best Caravan Holiday Park / Holiday Village. They are just three of the prestigious awards handed out by the official tourism agency, Welcome to Yorkshire at the White Rose Awards, the biggest tourism awards in the UK.
Nearly a thousand people from the tourism industry gathered at Doncaster Racecourse for the glittering award ceremony.
Of the 16 categories other winners include: Larkin with Toads, Hull; Kilham Hall, Driffield; The Sands Seafront Apartments and Crown Spa Hotel, Scarborough; Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield; East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley; The Crown Inn, Great Ouseburn and Robin Hood Caravan & Camping Park both near York; Swinton Park, Masham; Harrogate Tourist Information Centre and Fodder, Harrogate; Newby Hall and Gardens near Ripon and Cannon Hall Farm near Barnsley. (*Full list below).
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said:
"The awards evening is a spectacularly glittering affair and a real celebration of all that's amazing about Yorkshire tourism. The judges struggled to draw up a finalists list and choosing the winners from such a wonderful selection of quality entries was a tough task.
"Those who took home a prized White Rose Award should be incredibly proud. Congratulations to everyone who took part and made this the tourism night of the year."
The awards recognise an industry which is bucking UK trends in terms of visits and spend - holiday visits to Yorkshire were up by 16% January - May 2011 (compared to a 3% decrease nationally). The Independent Passenger Survey also revealed overseas visitor spend has soared during the peak summer months, doubling from £33m to £59m in just two years.
Barbara Woroncow OBE, Chair of the independent judging panel, added:
"Yet again, we have had a record number of entries for the White Rose Awards. However, it is not the quantity that has impressed us but the quality. Congratulations to the 16 winners who are a perfect example of how standards have gone up significantly across all sectors of Yorkshire's strong and diverse tourism industry."
Winners from this year's awards will go through to the national Visit England Awards for Excellence in 2012.
CLICK HERE for the full list of White Rose Awards winners.
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For information and to download award images www.whiteroseawards.com
Editors' Notes:
About Welcome to Yorkshire:
• Welcome to Yorkshire is the official destination management organisation for Yorkshire, working to grow the county's visitor economy.
• Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy, and Welcome to Yorkshire members.
• Key facts include:
• Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £7 billion annually
• The county's industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
• There are 216 million visits to Yorkshire each year
For more news and a free image bank www.yorkshire.com/mediacentre
For further information contact:
Beverley Richmond - Press Officer
Email: brichmond@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3507
Mobile: 07769 257380
Dee Marshall - Head of Communications
Email: dmarshall@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 3223505
Mobile: 07950 325 901
Jo Francisco - Press Officer
Email: jfrancisco@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3563
Mobile: 07769257327