Applications open for prestigious North East England Tourism Awards

And Northumberland will be hoping for a repeat of this year when it claimed two-thirds of the titles on offer – including a hat-trick of golds for The Alnwick Garden.

The awards celebrate quality, innovation and best practice throughout the region, showcasing the fantastic range of high quality experiences on offer for visitors.

They will see businesses compete in 16 categories with applications judged by a panel of industry experts, with a focus on experiencing the North East tourism industry first-hand.

The launch of the awards follows on from the impressive performance for the region at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence earlier this month, where Seaham Hall Hotel picked up Gold in the Small Hotel of the Year, Hotel Indigo, Silver in the Large Hotel of the Year, Triple A Food Tours, Silver in the New Tourism Business category and Clive Goodwin, of The Ouseburn Trust, bronze in the Unsung Hero award.

Sarah Green, chief executive of destination and investment organisation NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: "We're really excited to be launching The North East England Tourism Awards, especially on the back of a fantastic night for the region at the national VisitEngland Awards earlier this month.

"Businesses will once again be able to showcase their skills, innovation and visitor offer in a range of categories that we hope will attract entries from across the region.

"We strongly encourage all tourism businesses in the North East - accommodation providers, pubs, restaurants and attractions - to submit their free entry for the awards and help us to showcase the best of the North East."

Richard Ord, director of Colman's Seafood Temple, which won Gold for Taste of North East England at the 2022 Awards, said: "Winning an award has been a real boost for business.

"The awards are really important for the region as it showcases all of the businesses we have here as well as showing our visitors some of the best hospitality and tourism attractions they need to visit.”

Applications will close at 5pm on Thursday, September 22 with the award winners being announced in March 2023.

More information and to apply can be found at https://tickets.northeasttourismawards.co.uk/apply-now/