Yorkshire Awards its Tourism Stars
White Rose Awards Winners Announced
Story Published: 4 October 2010
Applause greeted 16 proud tourism winners who stole the show at this year's White Rose Awards. The glittering celebration saw 90 finalists battle it out for the coveted awards which are organised by tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire.
1,000 people celebrated their White Rose Awards at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate as they each took their place in the spotlight. Guest presenters included TV news presenter Christa Ackroyd and one of the UK's favourite impressionists, Kevin Connelly, who awarded each category winner in turn and entertained the sea of guests.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said:
"Well done to everyone shortlisted for the awards; the judges had a particularly tough time choosing this year due to the high calibre of entries. Congratulations to all of our winners; this is a fantastic achievement and a proud day for them all."
The 16 winners included RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, who had a double celebration after winning Large Visitor Attraction and the Sustainable Tourism Award; the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year Award was presented to The Walled Garden at Scampston, Malton; Large Hotel of the Year was presented to The Leopold Hotel, Sheffield; Small Hotel / Townhouse of the Year went to The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa, Helmsley; Silversmith's Restaurant, Sheffield, won the Taste of Yorkshire Award; The Deep in Hull, won the Access for All Tourism Award, and the Conference Team at The Met, Leeds, took home the award for Outstanding Customer Service.
The awards are the perfect finale to a spectacular summer season for the Yorkshire tourism industry with over half of the county's attractions having reported increases to their footfall during this period. Yorkshire also had an increase in the proportion of first time visitors this year, which consisted of 24% of all visits made throughout May, June and July. New national figures released this week also show a 22% rise, over the past 15 months, in the number of domestic holidays taken in the county; this compares to only a 12% rise in visits in the UK over the same period.
"Yorkshire's tourism industry has had an exceptional couple of years and the White Rose Awards are an excellent example of why. The industry, which is worth £6.5billion to our local economy, is a serious business and when you see the hard work that our partners put into making the visitor experience exceptional you recognise this is a sector that is well worth investing in."
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The *full list of White Rose Awards winners can be seen below.
For further information and award photos www.whiteroseawards.com
*FULL LIST OF WHITE ROSE AWARDS WINNERS 2010
Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
17 Burgate Pickering www.17burgate.co.uk
Small Hotel / Townhouse of the Year
The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa Helmsley, North Yorkshire www.fevershamarmshotel.com
Large Hotel of the Year
The Leopold Hotel, Sheffield www.leopoldhotel.co.uk
Taste of Yorkshire Award
Silversmiths Restaurant Sheffield www.silversmiths-restaurant.com
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
The Walled Garden at Scampston Malton www.scampston.co.uk
Large Visitor Attraction
RHS Garden Harlow Carr Harrogate www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr
Yorkshire Pub of the Year
The Milestone Sheffield www.the-milestone.co.uk
Access for All Tourism Award
The Deep Hull www.thedeep.co.uk
Sustainable Tourism Award
RHS Garden Harlow Carr Harrogate www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr
Self Catering, Cruisers and Serviced Apartments Award
The Dovecote Barns Kelfield, York www.dovecotebarnsyork.co.uk
Business Tourism Award
National Railway Museum York www.nrm.org.uk
Caravan Holiday Park and Holiday Village Award
Faweather Grange High Eldwick, Ilkley Moor www.faweathergrange.com
Outstanding Customer Service
The Conference Team, The Met Leeds www.principal-hayley.com
Tourism Event of the Year
"Sports Personality of the Year"
Sheffield International Venues Sheffield www.sivltd.com
Visitor Information Award
Malton Tourist Information Centre Malton www.yorkshiremoorsandcoast.com
Best Tourism Experience of the Year
York Maze York www.yorkmaze.co.uk
Editors' Notes:
- Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism agency 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.
- Key facts include:
- Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £6.5 billion annually
- The county's industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
• There are 209 million visits to Yorkshire each year
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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