It has been a bumper month for Northumberland's trophy cabinet, with the county scooping major awards in both the 2014 North East England Tourism Awards and British Travel Awards.

It was a golden night at the North East England Tourism Awards held on 11th November at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.  Northumbrian businesses were nominated in ten out of the fifteen categories and in two categories the shortlisted businesses were all from Northumberland.  The county went on to scoop five Gold, five Silver, and six Bronze awards, as well as two Highly Commended honours. 

Better yet, winners from the North East Tourism Awards 2014 will then go on to compete against winners from other counties at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2015. Northumberland have past form at the national awards, with Seafield Caravan Park and St Cuthbert's House – both in Seahouses - winning Gold in their respective categories in 2014.

On top of this success, the county achieved Silver in the 'Best UK Holiday Destination' category in their debut at the British Travel awards, narrowly missing out to six-time winners Cornwall. It was a record-breaking year for the British Travel Awards held on 26th November 2014 at Battersea Evolution in London. With more than 1.25 million public votes cast, it is the UK's biggest consumer-voted programme, showing that the winners of each category really are the consumer choice.

The full Northumberland businesses results of the North East England Tourism Awards:

Caravan Holiday Park/Holiday Village of the Year

Gold                                      Seafield Caravan Park

Silver                                     Northumbrian Water – Leaplish Waterside Park

Bronze                                  Ord House Country Park

Highly Commended        Golden Sands Holiday Park

Visitor Information Provided of the Year

Bronze                                  Northumberland National Park Centre, Once Brewed

Access for All Tourism

Bronze                                  Calvert Trust Kielder

Sustainable Tourism

Silver                                     St Cuthbert's House, Seahouses

Highly Commended        Northumberland National Park Centre, Once Brewed

Taste of England

Bronze                                  Northumberland Cheese Company

Self Catering Holiday Provider of the Year

Gold                                      Springhill Farm

Silver                                     Calvert Trust Kielder

Herding Hill Farm

Bronze                                  Rennington Holiday Cottages

Small Hotel of the Year

Gold                                      Langley Castle Hotel

Bronze                                  Doxford Hall Hotel & Spa

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

Silver                                     Kielder Observatory

Large Hotel of the Year

Gold                                      Matfen Hall Hotel Golf & Spa

Tourism Event of the Year

 Gold                                     Kielder Winter Wonderland, Northumbrian Water

-ends-

Notes to Editors:

Northumberland Tourism is the official destination-marketing organisation for Northumberland. Northumberland Tourism is the voice of tourism in Northumberland working with businesses and public agencies to achieve the vision for Northumberland, to promote the area and ensure visitors have the best possible experience.

More information can be found at: www.visitnorthumberland.com 

Free images are available for download from www.marketingnorthumberland.com 

Contact Natalie Wood for enquiries:

Natalie.wood@northumberlandtourism.co.uk 

Tel: 01670 794520

Northumberland Tourism

Wansbeck Business Centre

Rotary Parkway

Ashington

Northumberland

NE63 8QZ

The North East England Tourism Awards are a vital showcase for visitor experiences and businesses in the North East, regardless of budget. The Awards have a major impact on tourism, encouraging all businesses to aspire to award-winning standards. By taking part the performance of businesses improves in terms of turnover, profitability, quality, sustainability, staff morale, and customer satisfaction.