VISIT Worcestershire is again holding its annual Tourism Awards for Excellence, this year for the first time in partnership with Visit Herefordshire.

The awards celebrate tourism businesses across the two counties from family run hotels to fine dining restaurants, local food producers to colourful festivals and unique visitor attractions. Two local businesses, Eckington Manor, near Pershore and the Fleece Inn at Bretforton recently received the highest accolade in the 2016 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence by becoming Gold winners in the tastes of England and tourism pub of the year categories.

In 2015, Brockencote Hall represented Worcestershire in the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence after winning the Visit Worcestershire hotel of the year award the previous year. Brockencote beat the other national finalists in the competitive category to win gold for best small hotel of the year 2015.

Dean Gunston, senior general manager at Brockencote Hall, said: It’s a real team effort at Brockencote Hall. Everyone works incredibly hard to deliver first class service to our guests, so it is extremely rewarding to have been acknowledged as hotel of the year by Visit Worcestershire. Winning the award has helped boost our profile and has improved staff morale. I encourage all tourism businesses to think about applying”

Visit Worcestershire is keen to encourage as many tourism businesses as possible to apply for the Visit Worcestershire Awards, for which there are ten categories. These range from best visitor attraction to best hotel, best conference venue and best eating out. Any venue, whether a holiday park, a family run hotel, a spectacular eating venue or a producer of local food, can enter

To apply for the Visit Worcestershire Awards for Excellence before the deadline of Friday, July 22, visit www.visitworcestershire.org/awards. Finalists will be invited to a ceremony held in the Great Hall of Eastnor Castle, near Ledbury on Tuesday 20 September, when the winners, highly commended and commended from each county will be announced.