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June 2023

VisitBritain/Daniela Luquini

Group shot of Gold Award winners at VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023.

VisitEngland has announced the winners of its annual Awards for Excellence 2023, celebrating the tourism industry’s brightest stars. 

The 20 Gold Award winners were announced at an evening ceremony on 7 June hosted by Alex Polizzi at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, in categories ranging from ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ and ‘B&B and Guest House of the Year’ to ‘Business Events Venue of the Year’ and ‘Experience of the Year.’  The Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were selected from hundreds of tourism businesses across England including hotels, self-catering accommodation, B&Bs, glamping operators, attractions, restaurants, pubs and museums. The full awards ceremony is available to watch on youtube.

The prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, running for more than 30 years and in 2023 sponsored by the Caravan and Motorhome Club, celebrate and champion innovation, quality and best practice across the industry recognising businesses and individuals who raise the bar of England’s tourism offer.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:

“It is fantastic to come together as an industry to celebrate our world-class tourism businesses. Competition this year was fierce with customer service excellence evident across every category, thanks to the passion and dedication of individuals.

“From an outdoor theatre in Suffolk to a boutique B&B in Essex, from an arboretum museum in Staffordshire, a zoo farm in Bristol, to island boat tours in Northumberland, this year’s awards also showcase the wonderful range of quality tourism products on offer across England.

“I congratulate all the winners and especially those who won Gold, an achievement cementing their place as the country’s crème de la crème, standard-bearers for England’s tourism industry.”

In addition to the 16 core categories award winners, four special awards were also presented this year including an ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award,’ a ‘Travel Content Award’, a ‘Tourism Superstar Award’ and a ‘TXGB Trailblazer Award’.

The Tourism Superstar Award went to Geoff Colvin. Geoff, a volunteer stationmaster at the Kent and East Sussex Railway, was the winner of the VisitEngland Tourism Superstar 2023 run in partnership with the Mirror, following a public vote and competition earlier this year.

The Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award went to ‘England’s Coast’ in recognition of its valuable role in boosting domestic and inbound tourism to England.

The Travel Content Award, which recognises the media’s important contribution in championing domestic tourism, was won by Alicia Miller of The Independent with her story ‘How to do a classic Cotswolds weekend, car-free.’

The TXGB Trailblazer Award went to Red Funnel, Isle of Wight, in recognition of its efforts in driving inbound bookings through the business-to-business platform, also benefitting the domestic market.

Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses, employing about 2.6 million people and, in 2019, generating £76 billion in domestic visitor spending.

See below for the full list of VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023 winners:


Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award:

GOLD Noah’s Ark Zoo FarmBristol

SILVER Brickhouse Farm Holiday Cottages & Lakeside HubLancashire

BRONZE WWT Slimbridge Wetland CentreGloucestershire


B&B and Guest House of the Year:

GOLD Piglets Boutique B&BEssex

SILVER Cedar ManorCumbria

BRONZE Sunnyside Guest HouseMerseyside


Business Events Venue of the Year:

GOLD National Memorial ArboretumStaffordshire

SILVER Imago VenuesLeicestershire

BRONZE The ICC BirminghamWest Midlands


Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year:

GOLD The Quiet SiteCumbria

SILVER Brook MeadowLeicestershire

BRONZE Hendra Holiday ParkCornwall


Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award:

GOLD Pure OutdoorDerbyshire

SILVER National Forest EBike HolidaysLeicestershire

BRONZE The Cottages at Blackadon FarmDevon


Experience of the Year:

GOLD Grey Seal and Seabird Cruise, Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours, Northumberland

SILVER Make Your Own Gin Experience, Shed 1 Gin Distillery, Cumbria

BRONZE Peak District Walking Experience, myGuidedWalks, Derbyshire


Large Hotel of the Year:

GOLD Titanic Hotel LiverpoolMerseyside

SILVER Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf ResortWiltshire

BRONZE Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa ResortCounty Durham


Large Visitor Attraction of the Year:

GOLD Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry PotterHertfordshire

SILVER Blenheim PalaceOxfordshire

BRONZE International Bomber Command CentreLincolnshire


New Tourism Business of the Year:

GOLD Thorington TheatreSuffolk

SILVER Bassenthwaite Lake StationCumbria

BRONZE Great British Car JourneyDerbyshire


Pub of the Year:

GOLD The Blind BullDerbyshire

SILVER The ShoeHampshire

BRONZE The Duncombe ArmsStaffordshire


Resilience and Innovation Award:

GOLD St Luke’s Bombed Out Church C.I.C.Merseyside

SILVER Langley Castle HotelNorthumberland

BRONZE Healing Manor HotelLincolnshire


Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year:

GOLD Kidlandlee Holiday CottagesNorthumberland

SILVER The Dovecote BarnsNorth Yorkshire

BRONZE Eaton Manor Country EstateShropshire


Small Hotel of the Year:

GOLD Askham HallCumbria

SILVER THE PIG-at CombeDevon

BRONZE Wildhive Callow HallDerbyshire


Small Visitor Attraction of the Year:

GOLD Watatunga Wildlife ReserveNorfolk

SILVER Muncaster Castle, Gardens and Hawk & Owl CentreCumbria

BRONZE PK PorthcurnoCornwall


Taste of England Award:

GOLD Pensons Restaurant at the Netherwood EstateWorcestershire

SILVER The Unruly PigSuffolk

BRONZE The Glasshouse RestaurantHampshire


Unsung Hero Award:

GOLD Michael Wilson, Official Guide to the Kent Estuary, Guide Over Sands Trust, Cumbria

SILVER Marie Colgrave, Welcome Building Supervisor, Whitchurch Silk Mill, Hampshire

BRONZE Carol Adams, Head of Horticulture & Biodiversity, Trentham, Staffordshire


The TXGB Trailblazer Award:

GOLD Red Funnel, Isle of Wight

SILVER New Adventures, Tyne & Wear & Northumberland

BRONZE Cotswolds Tourism, Cotswolds


Travel Content Award:

GOLD Alicia Miller, The Independent - How to do a classic Cotswolds weekend, car-free

SILVER Ben Lerwill, National Geographic Traveller - How art and ancient history collide on a hike through Deal, Dover and Folkestone

BRONZE Paul Healy, Anywhere We Roam - A wild getaway in Swaledale – the unspoilt valley in the Yorkshire Dales


Tourism Superstar:

Geoff Colvin, Chief Stationmaster, Kent & East Sussex Railway


Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award:

England’s Coast

Notes for editors

Press contact

Charlotte Sanders

Senior Press Officer, London, UK