In BristolBathNews

Visit England has revealed the winners of its VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025, highlighting the very best of England’s outstanding tourism industry. 

Gold, Silver and Bronze winners have been announced across 17 categories ranging from ‘New Tourism Business of the Year’ and ‘Pub of the Year’ to ‘Business Events Venue of the Year’ and ‘Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year’. The awards were presented at an evening ceremony on 4 June hosted by VisitEngland Advisory Board Chairman Lady Victoria Borwick at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange

The prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence have been running for more than 30 years. This year’s winners were selected from hundreds of tourism businesses across England including hotels, self-catering accommodation, B&Bs, glamping operators, attractions, restaurants, pubs and museums, forwarded to the national competition via local and regional competitions across England. 

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: 

“These annual Awards are an opportunity to applaud and showcase the businesses and individuals who provide outstanding customer service and continuously improve their products and offer for visitors. 

“From a captivating science museum in Merseyside to a fully accessible hotel in Bournemouth, from cow cuddling on a farm in Yorkshire to fine dining in Lancashire, this year’s winners show just how varied and diverse our industry is and what makes it great.

“Competition this year was fierce, reflecting the excellence evident across each category and I congratulate all the 2025 winners, and especially those who won Gold, an achievement cementing their place as the standard bearers of our world-class tourism industry.” 

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

The Tourism Superstar Award 2025 went to port volunteers the Southampton Saints, a team of 13 welcome ambassadors who greet visitors at the city’s port. 

The Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award went to ‘Railway 200’, the 200th anniversary celebration of the first passenger railway, in recognition of its valuable role in highlighting the importance of our railway heritage and rail travel to domestic and inbound tourism in England.  

The Travel Content Award, which recognises the media’s important contribution in championing domestic tourism, was won by Jane Anderson with her Isle of Wight wellness story for The i Paper entitled ‘The UK’s sunniest island vying to become a sauna isle’

Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, generating about £76 billion annually for the economy in domestic visitor spending. 

Image - VisitEngland Excellence Award Winners

See below full list of VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2025 winners:   

Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award : 

GOLD - Eureka! Science + Discovery, Merseyside  

Silver - Marsham Court Hotel, Dorset  

Bronze - The Courtyard, Herefordshire  
  
B&B and Guest House of the Year: 

GOLD - Sunnyside Guest House Southport, Merseyside  
Silver - Abbots Grange Manor House, Worcestershire  

Bronze - Boscastle House, Cornwall  

Business Events Venue of the Year:  

GOLD - Keele University Events and Conferencing, Staffordshire  

Silver - Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, Cheshire  

Bronze - The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Tyne & Wear  

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year: 

GOLD - Polmanter Touring Park, Cornwall  

Silver - Mendip Basecamp, Somerset  

Bronze - Hippersons Boatyard, Suffolk  

Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award sponsored by Sykes Holiday Cottages

GOLD - Sunnyside Guest House Southport, Merseyside  

Silver - The Quiet Site, Cumbria  
Bronze - Battlesteads, Northumberland  

Experience of the Year: 

GOLD - Cow Cuddling, Dumble Farm, East Riding of Yorkshire  

Silver - The Wizard Walk of York, North Yorkshire  

Bronze - Introduction to Sailing, Mylor Sailing School, Cornwall  

International Tourism Award: 

GOLD - The Beatles Story, Merseyside  

Silver - World of Wedgwood, Staffordshire  

Bronze - St Mary's Guildhall, West Midlands  

Large Hotel of the Year sponsored by Ecclesiastical

GOLD - Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa, Warwickshire  

Silver - Sandburn Hall, North Yorkshire  

Bronze - Titanic Hotel Liverpool, Merseyside  

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year sponsored by Raw Charging Network Ltd

GOLD - Black Country Living Museum, West Midlands  

Silver - National Space Centre, Leicestershire  

Bronze - Liverpool Football Club Tours & Experiences, Merseyside  

New Tourism Business of the Year:  

GOLD - Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum & Whisky Distillery, Northumberland  

Silver - Eureka! Science + Discovery, Merseyside  

Bronze - Eight at Gazegill by Doug Crampton, Lancashire  

Pub of the Year: 

GOLD - The Farmers Arms, Devon  

Silver - The Blind Bull, Derbyshire  

Bronze - The Griffin Inn, Leicestershire  

Self Catering Accommodation of the Year sponsored by Sykes Holiday Cottages:  

GOLD - Treworgey Cottages, Cornwall  

Silver - Trevase Cottages, Herefordshire  

Bronze - Wolf Wood Treehouses, Devon  

Small Hotel of the Year: 

GOLD - Summer Lodge Country House Hotel, Dorset  

Silver - Seaham Hall, County Durham  

Bronze - The Montagu Arms Hotel, Hampshire  

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year:  

GOLD - No.1 Royal Crescent, Bath  

Silver - King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicestershire  

Bronze - Sculpture by the Lakes, Dorset  

Taste of England Award: 

GOLD - The Cavendish Hotel, Derbyshire  

Silver - Searcys at The Pump Room, Bath  

Bronze - The Riverside at Aymestrey, Herefordshire  

Unsung Hero Award: 

GOLD - Hannah Clapp, Muncaster Castle, Cumbria  

Silver - Caitlin Brown, The Escape Key, Tyne & Wear  

Bronze - Andrew Hurley, Avoncroft Museum, Worcestershire  

Travel Content Award:  

GOLD - Jane Anderson, The i Paper – ‘The UK’s sunniest island vying to become a ‘sauna isle'

Silver - Phoebe Smith, The Guardian – ‘Saving the seas one dive at a time in Northumberland'

Bronze - Hannah Summers, The Times – ‘The British seaside town at its best (and cheapest) in winter’  

Tourism Superstar 2025 Award: 

Southampton Saints 

Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award: 

Railway 200 


Notes to Editors: 

  • Accompanying images can be downloaded from the VisitBritain Asset Library collection  – VEAE Business Images. Alternatively, search for the name of the business that you are seeking images of within the album using the quick search bar 
  • Registration to the VisitBritain Asset Library is required to access the album and download images. Register here: VisitBritain Asset Library | Home -  then login and click on the link above 
  • Required credits are included within the image information 

For more information please contact charlotte.sanders@visitengland.org or call on 0207 5781428 or on 07583 682901

Related

0 Comments

Comments

Nobody has commented on this post yet, why not send us your thoughts and be the first?

Leave a Reply