Visit Nottinghamshire gears up to new and improved Nottinghamshire Hospitality STARS Awards

Following a record-breaking year of nominations and a highly successful awards ceremony last year, Visit Nottinghamshire, the official tourism body for the city and county, is gearing up for an even bigger and better Nottinghamshire Hospitality STARS Awards ceremony in 2019. The new online application platform is now open for Nottinghamshire’s finest tourism and hospitality businesses to battle it out for coveted titles such as B&B and Guest House of the Year or Pub of the Year, and to celebrate the achievements of the thriving tourism and hospitality sector, which employs over 22,000 people and is worth more than £1.8bn.

The spotlight is on England’s tourism economy as 2020 will see the return of the VisitEngand Awards for Excellence. The Awards have been reviewed and modernised, and will champion innovation in tourism, inspire business excellence and provide enhanced benefits for everyone involved.  

The refreshed format embraces the impact of digital technology, the growing demand for experienced-based travel and tailoring tourism products and services that cater for international visitors. 2019 will see the introduction of simplified application forms and a new application management platform, making the process even easier for applicants.

New categories introduced for 2019 include Experience of the Year and the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award alongside traditional titles such as the Taste of Nottinghamshire Award (won by Castle Gate Gin in 2018). Two awards (Hotel of the Year and Visitor Attraction of the Year) have also been split into Large and Small to create a more level playing field and in recognition of the high number of nominations in these categories in previous years.

All nominees will be invited to attend the ceremony, a glamorous black-tie event at the Nottingham Crowne Plaza Hotel on the 24^th October 2019, which will offer an excellent opportunity for networking, publicity and inspiration. Winners of each category will receive a trophy and can expect invaluable press and promotional opportunities for their business. They may also be automatically put forward for national judging by VisitEngland for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

Stephen Jackson, interim Chief Executive at Marketing NG, said:

“The 2018 Nottinghamshire Hospitality STARS Awards were a resounding success, with a record-breaking amount of high-quality nominations, guest speakers from VisitEngland and Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, and the official hashtag, #NottinghamSTARS18, trending on social media. Nottinghamshire’s thriving tourism economy is on an upward trajectory and the spotlight is on the tourism industry with the return of VisitEngand Awards for Excellence in 2020 - making it a fantastic time to celebrate the achievements of our tourism and hospitality businesses.”

For more information and to enter the awards, please visit  https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/nottinghamshire-hospitality-stars-awards

To find out about sponsoring these awards, please contact Annette Thornley at Annette.thornley@nottinghampartners.co.uk