ONE of the UK’s top 100 Asian business people will be among the judges at this year’s Visit Chester & Cheshire Awards.
Entrepreneur and star of hit TV show Secret Millionaire, Mo Chaudry has agreed to take on the role of choosing the winners in two major categories of this year’s Awards – the Large and Small Visitor Attractions.
He’s eminently qualified for the role, being Chairman of Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent, now the UK’s leading water-based leisure attraction.
Mo, who holds honorary degrees from Keele and Staffordshire universities, is a leading figure in the development of the Staffordshire visitor economy, and sits on the main Executive Board of the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NRSP).
Mo explained: “I know from personal experience that tourism attractions need to deliver quality, service and innovation, and all at the right price.
“I’m aware of Chester-Cheshire’s growing reputation as a visitor destination at home and abroad and I’m looking forward to seeing how local attractions have risen to the challenges of meeting and exceeding visitor expectations.
“Participation is in itself a process that can deliver significant benefits including team building and improving morale. Winning is the icing on the cake.”
Mo joins UKTV Food’s Roopa Gulati and Helen Hokin, Editor of Food and Travel Magazine, on the judging panel.
They now face the difficult task of identifying which hotels, B&Bs, visitor attractions, tourism websites, retailers, and other tourism-related businesses are the cream of Cheshire.
Organised by local tourism board, Visit Chester & Cheshire in association with the Chester Chronicle, and supported by the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), the awards were first launched in 2004.
Winners from a number of categories will qualify for this year’s England’s Northwest Tourism Awards, organised by the NWDA. If successful, they may go on to take part in the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence.
Nominations close on Friday, April 11.
For further information contact Nicola Said at Visit Chester & Cheshire. Tel: 01244 405 600 or e-mail n.said@visitchesterandcheshire.co.uk
Criteria and nomination forms are available online at www.visitchesterandcheshire.co.uk
