Blog

The stars of the region’s tourism industry have been recognized at an annual awards ceremony and will now compete against their peers from across the country.

The third edition of the West Midlands Tourism Awards took place in Wolverhampton last night and crowned winners working in a number of different sectors in places including Birmingham, Coventry, Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.

Among those celebrated in 14 different categories at Grand Station were the team behind Coventry’s City of Culture, the famous Belfry Hotel and Golf Course and a holiday home in historic Ironbridge.

The event was hosted by Birmingham-based comedian and writer Shazia Mirza, with entertainment from West Midlands-based music collective The Peaky Blinders. The awards are organized by the destination promotion agency West Midlands Growth Company.

Andrew Lovett, Chairman of the West Midlands Tourism and Hospitality advisory board, said: “The West Midlands Tourism Awards provided us with the perfect opportunity to look back on a momentous year for our region and to recognize the contribution our fantastic sector has made to improve the overall profile of the West Midlands.

“Together, we congratulate the staff and owners of visitor attractions, lodging and hospitality venues who have helped highlight to record numbers of people from around the world the breadth, depth and uniqueness of our tourism offering.

“This provides an excellent platform on which to build as tourist volumes continue to recover to their pre-pandemic levels. We recognize that challenges remain for the industry to address, but we saw at this year’s awards ceremony year that we have the talent and ambition to surpass them”. these and continue to make the West Midlands an exciting and popular tourist destination.”

The winners and runners-up in each category automatically qualify for the VisitEngland Awards of Excellence, taking place later this year, where venues will have the chance to be crowned national champions.

The full list of West Midlands Tourism Awards 2023 winners can be found below and click here for this year’s shortlist:

Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award

Gold – St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry

Silver – Burlton Cottages, Shrewsbury

Business Event Venue of the Year

Gold – The Belfry Hotel & Resort, Sutton Coldfield

Joint Silver – ICC Birmingham and Coventry Building Society Arena

Camping, glamping, holiday park and small accommodation with services of the year

Gold – Achill House & Spa, Solihull

Silver – Riverside Cottages, Shrewsbury

Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award

Gold – Riverside Cottages, Shrewsbury

Splinter – NEC Group, Solihull

Bronze – Keeping Cool at Rotunda, Birmingham

Tourist Event/Festival of the Year

Gold – Coventry City of Culture

Silver – Shrewsbury Food Festival

Bronze – Birmingham Cocktail Weekend

experience of the year

Gold – Go Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon

Silver – The Adventure of Bear Grylls, Solihull

Grand Hotel of the Year

Gold – Clayton Hotel, Birmingham

Silver – The Grand Hotel, Birmingham

Bronze – Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Solihull

Big Tourist Attraction of the Year

Gold – Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham

Silver – The NEC, Solihull

Bronze – Coventry Cathedral

New Tourism Company Award

Gold – Roundhouse, Birmingham

Silver – Telegraph Hotel, Coventry

Bronze – The Reel Store, Coventry

bar of the year

Gold – Howard Arms, Shipston-on-Stour

Splinter – Dhillon’s Brewery, Coventry

Resilience and Innovation Award

Gold – Terraced house overlooking Ironbridge, Shropshire

Silver – The Albany Theatre, Coventry

Bronze – Clayton Hotel, Birmingham

Self-catering of the year

Gold – Eaton Manor Country Estate, Church Stretton

Silver – Burlton Cottages, Shrewsbury

Bronze – Riverside Cottages, Shrewsbury

Small Tourist Attraction of the Year

Gold – HMV Empire, Coventry

Silver – back to back, Birmingham

Bronze – Escape Live, Birmingham

Taste of the West Midlands

Gold – The Barn at Berryfields, Coventry

Silver – Hooray Ice Cream Kitchen, Stratford-upon-Avon

Bronze – Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill, Birmingham