VisitEngland, the national tourist board has announced the finalists for the Awards for Excellence 2017 with Experience Oxfordshire named as a finalist. The winners of this prestigious accolade will be announced at the Awards ceremony on Monday 24 April at the Hilton Waldorf, London.
Working collaboratively with industry, VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence celebrate the best in English tourism.
Following on from last year’s success in the Beautiful South Awards, Experience Oxfordshire were announced as a finalist last week, and represent one of the three finalists for the Visitor Information Provider of the Year in England. All finalists must wait until the Awards ceremony to discover whether they have won an award.
VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said: “The Awards shine a spotlight on an industry driven by the highest-calibre people and organisations who deliver unforgettable experiences for visitors, raising the profile of England as a world-class destination and driving the economic benefits of tourism across the regions.”
“Awards for Excellence finalists exemplify outstanding tourism talent and distinguished businesses throughout England. We received over 600 truly impressive applications this year and there’s absolutely no doubt that the finalists represent the very best in the industry. I’d like to congratulate all finalists and wish them the very best of luck.”
Speaking on behalf of Experience Oxfordshire Vanessa Allen, Customer Service Development Manager said “All the team at Oxford Visitor Information Centre are thrilled to be finalists for the Visit England Awards for Excellence, recognition on a national level for the services we provide. We aim to meet the high volume, and wide variety of needs of our visitors, and manage to succeed most of the time. We are lucky to have such a great destination to tell people about in Oxford and Oxfordshire: there really is something for everyone, and we love telling people about it!”
ENDS
NOTES TO THE EDITOR:
Experience Oxfordshire is the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Oxfordshire. We are a not-for-profit partnership organisation committed to the promotion, management and development of Oxfordshire as a great destination to live, work, visit and do business. We have a growing partnership network of businesses spanning all parts of the visitor economy, and through effective collaboration we are all working to ensure Oxfordshire becomes a leading destination for tourism, culture and business.
experienceoxfordshire.flywheelstaging.com
For more information about VisitEngland or the Awards please contact: Charlotte Sanders, Senior Press Officer on T: 020 7578 1428 E: charlotte.sanders@visitengland.org
About the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2017
- The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2017 celebrate the best of English tourism. They promote high standards, helping to ensure England’s place as a world-class destination. www.visitenglandawards.org.
- The categories for the 2017 awards include: Afternoon Tea of the Year, Bed and Breakfast of the Year, Boutique / Guest Accommodation of the Year, Business Tourism Award, GREAT China Welcome of the Year, Dog Friendly Business of the Year, Family Friendly Accommodation of the Year, Family Friendly Attraction of the Year, Family Friendly Food & Drink Business of the Year, Glamping Provider of the Year, Guided Tour of the Year, Holiday Park / Holiday Village of the Year, Hotel of the Year, Inclusive Tourism Award, Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, Self-Catering Holiday Provider of the Year, Self-Catering Property of the Year, Small Visitor Attraction of the Year, Sustainable Tourism Award, Taste of England Award, Tourism Pub of the Year and Visitor Information Provider of the Year..
- In addition to the 22 categories are the additional Awards for Tourism Superstar and Outstanding Contribution to Tourism. The Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award will be announced at the award ceremony. Previous winners of this award have included The Great English Pub, Michael Eavis CBE, HM The Queen, the Harry Potter films, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Sir Paul McCartney, Liverpool, The National Trust, the English Garden, 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Makers, The Travel Agent, Chefs of England and last year BBC’s Countryfile.
Tourism Superstar provides destination management organisations with the opportunity to participate for free in a national campaign. The campaign champions careers in tourism for people of all ages and promotes quality, customer service and excellence within England’s tourism industry. It importantly acknowledges that the industry is a people-facing, people-focused industry. For more information and to cast a vote, visit https://www.visitengland.com/biz/about-us/campaigns-and-opportunities/english-tourism-week/visitengland-tourism-superstar
For more information contact:
Kathryn Manning
Phone: 01865 686434
Email: kathryn.manning@experienceoxfordshire.org / press@experienceoxfordshire.org