FOUR Huddersfield area businesses are bidding to be the best.
All have made the finals of the Yorkshire Tourist Board White Rose Awards – known as Yorkshire’s “Tourism Oscars” – in a year which attracted record entries.
The four finalists are:
Ackroyd House, Holmfirth, (bed and breakfast accommodation) in the Best Newcomer to Tourism class
Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre, Marsden, in the Visitor Attraction of the Year (under 50,000 visitors) category
Summer Wine Classic Car Hire, Holmfirth, in the Best Tourism Experience of the Year class.
Holmfirth Tourist Information Centre in the Tourist Information Service of the Year category.
Holmfirth TIC won the award last year and hopes to be successful again.
There are 17 categories and judges will spend the next three months reviewing the short-listed businesses. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Bridlington Spa on Thursday, September 25.
They will go on to represent Yorkshire in the national Enjoy England Awards for Excellence in 2009.
Jess Newbould, Kirklees Council’s senior tourism officer, said: “Tourism is a key part of our local economy, worth an estimated £385.6m each year in Kirklees.
“Local businesses recognise the value of providing visitors with great customer service and a high-quality, memorable experience.
“It is a pleasure to see their hard work rewarded through these nominations.”
Clr Ken Sims, Kirklees Cabinet’s member for regeneration, said: “We are very pleased and proud to have four local tourism businesses nominated for these awards.
“They have worked hard to be nominated and we wish them every success in the final.”
The Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre is at the site of the highest, longest and deepest canal tunnel in Britain.
Janet Baverstock, business development manager for British Waterways in Yorkshire, said: “We’re delighted to be on the shortlist for these prestigious awards.
“It is especially pleasing for the team who are responsible for keeping our customers happy and making the Standedge experience such a fan-tastic one.
“Our visitor numbers are increasing year on year and we’ve all been working hard to ensure that our visitors have a great time when they come to Standedge.
“The waterways around Yorkshire have so much to offer people in terms of recreation, relaxation and enjoyment and Standedge gives us a chance to showcase all these things.”
David Andrews, chief executive of the Yorkshire Tourist Board, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of entries this year.
“It has been very difficult to shortlist the finalists.
“The value of winning a White Rose Award is recognised by the region’s tourism businesses and we thank everyone who entered.”
