NORTHUMBERLAND has been announced as the winner of the Silver award in the Best UK Holiday Destination/County at the prestigious 2016 British Travel Awards.The announcement was made on 23 November at a glamorous Gala Awards ceremony, held in London and attended by close to a thousand travel industry people.
For a team with just six full-time members of staff, it is a great achievement for Northumberland Tourism. Still seen as a relatively ‘hidden gem’ within the tourism industry, this is the third consecutive time Northumberland has claimed a Silver at the awards, surpassed only by long-standing tourism giant Cornwall.
Just a day after a successful night for Northumbrian businesses at the North East England Tourism Awards, Northumberland Tourism director Jude Leitch is thrilled with the result:
“Once again, this is a great result for Northumberland, showing the county is consistently within an elite handful of counties much-loved by tourists around the UK.
“Whilst we didn’t achieve the top spot, we placed higher than Yorkshire and Devon – two very popular destinations. This is something of which we can be extremely proud.
“This year’s social media voting campaign “Share the Northumberland Spirit” highlighted the locations and landmarks around the county which make Northumberland so special and unique, encouraging visitors and residents alike to vote for Northumberland. In a time where staycations are becoming increasingly popular, we hope our Silver award recognition will encourage an even bigger portion of the general public to come and see our beautiful county for themselves.
“We want to thank voters, supporters and everyone involved for their overwhelming support throughout the campaign.”
British Travel Awards’ chief executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said:
“Northumberland is to be congratulated on winning Silver for Best UK Holiday Destination/County. Competition was fierce this year with more companies entering the competition than ever before - but ultimately it is the travelling public who decide the winners by voting for the travel companies they consider the best in the business. The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK and to win is truly an accolade and testament to the great products and services travel companies offer to their customers.”