The Black Country Living Museum

The family attraction was the winner of the Tourism Website of the Year and the ‘My Favourite Day Out’ award.

Emma Middleton, Marketing Manager said: “The Excellence in Tourism Awards are as important to industry professionals as the Oscars are to Hollywood!

“The ‘My Favourite Day Out’ category is particularly special to us as it is voted for by the public and therefore a barometer of how well we are performing.

“The museum is a key player within tourism in the Heart of England region and with the exciting new developments launched in 2009 we believe we have even more to offer visitors looking for an exceptional day out.” 

Drayton Manor Theme Park

The Staffordshire theme park won the award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year.

Colin Bryan, Managing Director of Drayton Manor Theme Park, commented; “It was a great honour to win the Large Visitor Attraction award in 2008 and I think we’ve a good chance of retaining the title this year.

“I congratulate Tourism West Midlands on its hard work in promoting the West Midlands region to tourists through these awards. I think it’s important that people are aware of how much there is to see and do in the area as this is sure to make more people visit the region.

“Here at Drayton Manor Theme Park, we offer something for the whole family, including thrill rides like Apocalypse and Shockwave, as well as Thomas Land™ for the young and young at heart. This year, part of our investment has been in a 4D Cinema, which is fun for the whole family.”

Ludlow Food Centre

The shop and cafe was the winner of the Taste of the Heart Outlet/Attraction award.

Food Centre managing director Sandy Boyd said the award was recognition of the hard work everyone at the centre had put into creating a focal point for the region.

“The food centre is more than just a shop – it has become part of the local community where local suppliers can showcase their fantastic produce and our customers can actually see their food being made.  When they stay for a coffee they know that it is made from coffee beans roasted on site and that the milk is from the local dairy,” he said.

“We are passionate about the quality of produce we supply and we were delighted to win an award which reflects that passion and which helped us build our profile locally and nationally.

“We will be entering again this year and would encourage all businesses that care about what they do to enter too. You sometimes don’t realise how good you are until you see it written down on paper, it helps you understand your own business which is brilliant, even if you don’t get through.”

Menzies Welcombe Hotel, Spa and Golf Club

The Stratford hotel was the winner of the Large Hotel of the Year award.

Hotel general manager Greg Fehler said the award had come at a great time for the business, as winning the award and the coverage it generated resulted in a boost in leisure bookings.

“The win came at just the right time as we had started to see business bookings drop off due to the economic downturn,” he said.

“It generated such great publicity and public awareness of our leisure offer that we saw a rise in bookings almost immediately.

“We will be entering again this year and are looking forward to defending our title.”

Opus

The restaurant, located in the Colmore Business District area of Birmingham, was the winner of the Taste of the Heart Restaurant award.

Opus director Ann Tonks said the award had highlighted the restaurant’s focus on sourcing high quality, seasonal  produce.

“Winning the Excellence Award was important to us because it recognised the issues we feel passionate about, like delicious, seasonal produce sourced from the best possible suppliers,” she said.

“The quality restaurant offer in the West Midlands is one of the best elements of the region and having an award which emphasises its contribution is very important.

“We are already preparing to enter this year’s awards to defend our crown.”

Poston Mill

The Herefordshire caravan park won the Sustainable Tourism Award for its commitment to green holiday living, including recycling, an onsite shop selling locally sourced produce and composting bins, as well as picking up the Best Caravan Park award.

Wayne Jones, who runs the Golden Valley park with wife Sarah, said the award had given them a great profile locally and nationally for being at the forefront of green tourism.

“We are passionate about sustainable tourism and our caravan park reflects that – with everything from a wormery and eco friendly boilers to biodegradable products on sale in the shop,” he said.

“Thanks to the award and the publicity it generated we have seen our profile rise with potential customers and bookings increase as a result.” 

RAF Museum Cosford

The national aircraft museum won the Access for All award for its overall accessibility including low-level barriers, loan of wheelchairs and tactile diagram books for the visually impaired.

Marketing Manager Karen Crick said: “We were very pleased to win the award, which is recognition of the hard work of our dedicated staff and the services we offer.  We continually strive to build upon and improve the facilities available to all our visitors.”

Severn Valley Railway

The steam railway was the winner of both the Best Tourism Experience and the Outstanding Contribution for Tourism categories.

Marketing manager John Leach said the awards had delivered real business benefits for the railway and highlighted the place heritage railways hold in the hearts of visitors to the region.

“Winning awards like the Excellence Awards is industry recognition of the value of heritage railways and the authentic experience we offer to visitors,” he said.

“We provide a unique opportunity for people to step back in time and I am delighted that so many more people have had the chance to hear about us through the awards.”

Woodhouse Farm Cottages

The self catering cottages were the winner of the Self Catering Holiday of the Year and went on to win a gold award at the EnjoyEngland 2009 Awards, alongside Goodrich Castle, which won a silver.

Sue Furnival, who owns the three cottages in Ledbury with husband David, said the awards had helped the business grow beyond expectations.

“The profile the regional and national awards have given us has been fantastic and combined with our new website have been a great source of bookings,” she said.

“We will be entering the awards again this year to defend our crown, but also because it has delivered such an array of benefits for our business and we would urge anyone else in the tourism business to do the same.”