Brecon Beacons Celebrates Winning Tourism Businesses

    BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, October 27, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hot on the heels after being named one of the UK's Favourite Visitor Attractions in the Guardian Observer Travel earlier this week, Brecon Beacons celebrates four top tourism businesses won their categories at the National Tourism Awards gala evening held at the Vale Hotel, near Cardiff.

With over 50 other organisations competing in 16 categories, The Guardian Hay Festival scooped the award for Best Large Event whilst Wern Watkin Bunkhouse, near Llangattock was named winner of the Sustainable Tourism award, Big Pit, Blaenafon was applauded for their Sense of Place and Call of the Wild won the Business Tourism award.

Organised by Visit Wales, in partnership with the Wales Tourism Alliance and in commercial cooperation with corporate communications company Quadrant, the National Tourism Awards Wales once again celebrated the best of Wales' tourism industry, providing a showcase for excellent, sustainable and professional tourism businesses in Wales.

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority is at the forefront in promoting sustainable tourism businesses, particularly now as they have support from the COLLABOR8 project (part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through INTERREG IVB NWE programme). So it was particularly pleasing that Sustainable Tourism prize was given to Andrew Fryer, owner of the 5 star Wern Watkin Bunkhouse, near Llangattock. Recognised for his long term vision and commitment to sustainability, Andrew was recently given a Gold award by the Green Tourism Business Scheme - a scheme supported by the National Park Authority through COLLABOR8. Andrew said of his win: "Most of my business is now repeat business and the sustainability issue definitely plays a part there. People don't buy for the first time based on it, but it is definitely a factor in their decision to repeat buy."

Call of the Wild, Brecon Beacons was nominated for two category awards - Business Tourism and Best Team. They eventually took home the award for Business Tourism having been praised for their innovative ideas and excellent use of customer feedback to improve the business. Mark Soanes from Call of Wild said: "We are dealing with companies who have to justify the money they spend, and they are looking for a high quality, professional service. A lot of it is word of mouth - if you deliver a good service, your name becomes very well known."

Founder of the Guardian Hay Festival Peter Florence said: "We are absolutely delighted and thrilled to have won the award. Thousands come here year after year to hang out with family and friends in a field and the amazing community in Hay supports that."

It was Peter's experiences of festivals overseas as a British Council worker that inspired him to set up Hay with his father Norman in 1988.

As the Guardian Hay Festival has grown Peter says local businesses have "upped their game" to meet the expectations of an international clientele, "Local bank managers would tell you the festival brings up to GBP15 million of business into the area. For some it constitutes up to 35 per cent of annual income and has enabled them to remain afloat."

Winning the Sense of Place award, Big Pit, Blaenafon was applauded for its outstanding ability to provide visitors with a memorable experience that takes great pride in its sense of place.

Over 400 businesses initially applied for the awards, which were then shortlisted down to 53 organisations - seven Brecon Beacons tourism businesses celebrated reaching the finals including The Guardian Hay Festival, Call of the Wild, Wern Watkins, Brecon Beacons Tourism, Abergavenny Food Festival, Big Pit and Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages.

Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, said: "With record entries for this year's awards, the winners of each category can be very proud of their achievement. Being named the best in Wales is no mean feat. The dedication that these businesses show to quality and redeveloping their product to meet with consumers needs in a difficult economic climate is to be applauded.

"The awards evening demonstrates the importance of Wales' GBP4 billion tourism industry to the Welsh economy and the quality of product that we have to offer our visitors. I'd like to offer my congratulations to all of tonight's winners."

The gala evening was hosted by TV Presenter Sarra Elgan, who announced the winners of the 16 categories which included:

- Best Place to Stay (large)
The Grove, Narbeth Pembrokeshire

- Best Place to Stay (small)
Dolgellau Boutique B&B, Ffynnon

- Best Caravan and Camping Park
Yr Helyg - The Willows Touring and Camping Park, Abersoch

- Best Self Catering Place to Stay (large)
Clydey Cottages, near Boncath, Pembrokeshire

- Best Self Catering Place to Stay (small)
Monmouthshire Cottages, Tintern Abbey

- Best Community Event
Cowbridge Food & Drink Festival, Vale of Glamorgan

- Best Large Event
The Guardian Hay Festival, Hay on Wye, Brecon Beacons

- Best Family Day Out
Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire

- Best Digital Marketing
Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire

- Best New Business
Afan Lodge, Afan Argoed Country Park, Port Talbot

- Best Team
The Hilton, Cardiff

- Best Visitor Experience
Cardiff International White Water

- Business Tourism
Call of the Wild, Brecon Beacons

- Sustainable Tourism
Wern Watkin Bunkhouse, Llangattock, Brecon Beacons

- Best Partnership
West Wales Tourism Associations

- Sense of Place
Big Pit, Blaenafon

- Outstanding Contribution to the Tourism Industry in Wales
Julian Burrell, OBE

For more ideas on UK breaks, family holidays in the UK and things to do in Wales, visit http://www.visitwales.co.uk.

Pictures: Credit Nigel Forster

NOTES TO EDITORS

A number of businesses have come on board as sponsors for this year's awards including Visit Britain, Wales the True Taste, Vale Resort, Carbon Trust, Capital Region Tourism, Tourism Partnership Mid Wales, Tourism Partnership North Wales, South West Wales Tourism Partnership, Millennium Stadium, Research and Marketing Group, UWIC, Cadw, Wales Tourism Alliance, Careers Wales, Fine Wines Direct and Gower Cottage Brownies.

Brecon Beacons National Park is a landscape that offers a legacy of unparalleled proportions with spectacular mountain ranges, internationally renowned geology, bountiful wildlife and diverse recreational opportunities. It contains some of the most spectacular and distinctive upland formations in southern Britain and covers an area of 1347 sq km (520 sq miles).

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