Firms toast shortlist success

May 9 2008 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

TOURIST attractions throughout Cheshire are celebrating after being short-listed for this year’s Visit Chester & Cheshire Awards.

Hotels, B&Bs, visitor attractions, retailers and other tourism-related businesses from across the area will now wait to discover who will claim the top accolade in each of the 15 award categories, which include Best Large Visitor Attraction and Excellence in Business Tourism.

A panel of judges, including entrepreneur and star of TV show Secret Millionaire Mo Chaudry, UKTV Food’s Roopa Gulati and Helen Hokin, Editor of Food and Travel Magazine, are now faced with difficult task of whittling down the shortlist. The winners will be unveiled at a ceremony, hosted by Wish You Were Here? presenter Mark Durden-Smith, on June 6 at Chester Racecourse.

The awards have been organised by local tourism board Visit Chester & Cheshire, in association with Trinity Mirror Cheshire, and are supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Launched in 2004, the awards celebrate excellence, achievement and innovation within the visitor economy.

Shortlisting panel member Simon Landi, of sponsor Access Advertising, explained: “The quality of the entrants has been outstanding this year and Access Advertising is delighted to support and be associated with so many of Cheshire’s leading businesses. It’s fantastic to be able to encourage such excellence.

“More and more of the area’s tourism providers are recognising the businesses boosting benefits that entering the awards can bring.”

Barrie Kelly, Director of Operations at Visit Chester and Cheshire added: “We have a great mix of candidates who have never entered before and those who are no stranger to the awards process. The challenge is now with our specialist judges to visit the businesses and select the winners.”

For more information or to book tickets, contact l.morris@visitchesterandcheshire. co.uk or telephone 01244 405616.