One Show presenter, Dominic Littlewood will be hosting the 2008 East Midlands
Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards on 8 October at the East Midlands Conference
Centre in Nottingham.
The BBC TV host, already a confirmed East Midlands enthusiast, after filming
BBC Holiday in the region in autumn 2006, will be presenting 16 awards to the
cream of the region’s tourism businesses.
Now in their fifth year, the 2008 awards, organised by East Midlands Tourism
(EMT),
are set to be the most competitive to date. This year, EMT has received a record
number of entries, with a 25 percent increase on last year.
There has been a rise in the number of entrants across all categories from large
attractions to bed and breakfast providers, with more first time entrants than
ever before, creating a mood of healthy competition within the region’s tourism
businesses.
Judges have reported that those organisations that have entered the awards previously
have significantly raised their game, with a marked improvement on the way businesses
operate and present themselves.
With the difficult task of short listing underway, EMT’s Quality Manager, Frances
Wilson commented:
"We are delighted with the response this year both in terms of numbers and also
in the high calibre of the businesses that are coming forward to enter. The standards
are very high, but we are identifying businesses that have really gone the extra
mile to exceed visitor expectations and have the potential to drive tourism forward
in the East Midlands. These awards are about celebrating the quality and excellence
of the region’s tourism businesses and this year’s entries have really raised
the bar. We look forward to what is set to be a fantastic event in October."
This year’s awards have seen entrants from across the region’s six counties of
Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and
Rutland. Some of the winners from the regional awards will have the opportunity
to go forward to the national final next spring where they will compete against
winners from other English regions to be crowned ‘England’s Best’. This year’s
final saw national awards for The Old Bakery Restaurant with Rooms in Lincoln,
Northamptonshire’s Rockingham Castle and Nottingham Tourism Centre.
More information on this year’s ceremony can be found at www.eastmidlandstourism.com.
