Lantern Magic at Chester Zoo last Christmas was named Tourism Experience or Event of the Year at the 10th Marketing Cheshire Annual Awards evening on Thursday evening (November 27).

The 2014 event, which opens on December 4, invites families to journey through the zoo’s magical gardens with breath taking life-sized animal lanterns and visiting the elephant house and Fruit Bat Forest during the festive period.

More than 350 guests enjoyed the glamorous awards evening at Chester Racecourse, hosted by Andy Bailey, which celebrated excellence and outstanding achievement among local businesses. More than 50 individuals, initiatives and businesses competed across 14 categories and the winners of several categories will go on to represent Cheshire at the national Visit England Awards for Excellence in 2015.

Marketing Cheshire chief executive Katrina Michel, said: “The awards are about celebrating all that is wonderful about the tourism industry in Cheshire.

“The quality of award submissions were so high our judges had a really tough job on their hands selecting the winners. We are privileged to be able to list so many stand-out venues, brands and experiences on offer in the sub-region.”

There were three new awards with Best Newcomer to the Tourism Industry going to Dodleston Manor and Restaurant of the Year awarded to Piste Wine Bar in Tarporley.

This year’s winners included The Mere Resort and Spa who picked up Best Tourism Marketing Project for their Summer at Mere - Served to Perfection campaign and Jodrell Bank who walked away with the Team of the Year award.

Head of Business Performance at Jodrell Bank Lorna Harper said: ‘‘The recognition is a fantastic endorsement of the entire teams motivation and their commitment to the success of the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre.”

Main sponsor of the event was WebTicketManager, with category sponsors including; Virgin Trains, University of Chester, Callula Glass, Hipswing Events, Success Factory and Hanley’s Premium Confectionery.

Winners:

Best Newcomer to the Tourism Industry

Dodleston Manor

Small Hotel of the Year

Inglewood Manor

Self-Catering Holiday Provider

Kerridge End Holiday Cottages

Excellence in Business Tourism

BEST WESTERN PREMIER Queen Hotel

Best Tourism Marketing Project

The Mere Golf Resort & Spa Summer at The Mere – Served with Perfection

Outstanding Customer Service

Jessica Barnett, Assistant Restaurant Manager, The Park Royal Hotel

Small Visitor Attraction

Robinsons Visitors Centre

Tourism Pub

The Fishpool Inn

Tourism Experience or Event of the Year

Chester Zoo, Lantern Magic

Restaurant of the Year

Piste Wine Bar/Restaurant

Large Visitor Attraction

Tatton Park

Taste of Cheshire

The Hollies Farm Shop

Large Hotel of the Year

Peckforton Castle Hotel

Team of the Year

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre