14th March 2024, York Racecourse
Visit York Tourism Awards
Visit York Tourism Awards 2024
14th March 2024, York Racecourse
Sponsored by LNER, the awards recognise and celebrate outstanding businesses and individuals that deliver world class experiences within the city of York.
Returning on the 14th March 2024 at York Racecourse for a black-tie ceremony and an evening of entertainment, there will be 16 Visit York Tourism Awards up for grabs. Eligible winners across a number of categories will be automatically put forward to the national Visit England Awards for Excellence 2024 to compete for the crown of the country’s best.
Visit York Tourism Awards Finalists 2024
Returning on the 14th March 2024 at York Racecourse for a black-tie ceremony and an evening of entertainment, there will be 16 Visit York Tourism Awards up for grabs.
There are two new categories introduced for the 2024 awards – ‘The Best of York Award’, and ‘Independent Business of the Year’.
Congratulations to all finalists! Download finalists logos from the Visit York Tourism Awards finalists toolkit.
Business Event Venue of the Year
Finalists:
The Guildhall York
City Cruises
Sponsored by Business Enterprise Fund
B&B and Guest House of the Year
Finalists:
MonkBridge House
The Bar Convent Guest House
The Fat Badger, York
Sponsor this award category, contact sales@makeityork.com
Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year
Finalists:
Flaxton Meadows
Wigwam Holidays Ball Hall Farm
High Oaks Grange
Sponsored by Morrell Middleton
Event, Festival or Cultural Experience of the Year
Finalists:
Christmas at Castle Howard
Hallow Scream at York Maze
York Pride
York Mansion House
Sponsored by North York Moors National Park
Experience of the Year
Finalists:
Sharmini's Inspirational Indian Cuisine
The Bloody Tour of York
The Deathly Dark Tours
The Wizard Walk of York
Sponsored by LNER
Independent Business of the Year
The Deathly Dark Tours
The Wizard Walk of York
Breezy Knees Gardens
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Finalists:
The York Dungeon
National Railway Museum
The Web Adventure Park
Yorkshire Air Museum
Sponsored by Ward Hadaway
New Tourism Business Award
Finalists:
Hart Lake Escapes
The Wizard Walk of York
Hocus Pocus Tiny Hotel
Sponsored by PPS Essentials
Pub of The Year
Finalists:
The Lime Tree Inn
The Fat Badger, York
Social 8 Lounge
The Drovers Arms Restaurant and Country Pub
Sponsored by Hunter Gee Holroyd
Self Catering Accommodation of the Year
Finalists:
101 House At The End
Roomzzz Aparthotel York
Sponsor this award category, contact sales@makeityork.com
Small Hotel of the Year
The Pheasant Hotel
Clementine’s Town House
Hocus Pocus Tiny Hotel
Sponsored by Booking.com
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Finalists:
The Bar Convent Heritage Centre
World of James Herriot
The Hole in Wand
York Army Museum
Sponsor this award category, contact sales@makeityork.com
Taste of England Award
Finalists:
Legacy at The Grand
Fish & Forest
Ate O’Clock
Sponsored by Fowlers of York
The Best of York Award
Finalists:
The Wizard Walk of York
Millers Fish & Chips
The Bloody Tour of York
Sponsored by York St John University
Hospitality Hero Award
The ‘Hospitality Hero’ award recognises the contributions of an individual who plays an integral role within a hospitality business, and the vital part they play within their team and in welcoming guests. Nominations are welcome from Visit York and Hospitality Association York (HAY) members. The deadline for applications is 5pm, 21 December 2023.
Download application form
Judging
The Visit York Tourism Awards are judged by an independent panel of judges.
View our 2024 judging line up ▸
For all awards the first stage is ‘desk judging’ – which is an evaluation of the online applications using a centralised scoring matrix. A shortlist of entrants is then selected from the application who will be our ‘Finalists for 2024’
Our judges look for evidence of excellence and best practice in all areas of the business operation. A strict word limit is set for each section/question and the online system will cut off at the maximum word count.
The finalists are then taken through a second round of judging which will be conducted through a ‘Mystery Shop’* and subsequent report. The judging panel will then meet to make a final decision utilising all the submitted and gathered evidence for the winners.
Mystery Shopping
This year we will continue to work with our Visit York member and local Regional Director, Ian Sadler from Insight6 to carry out the valuable mystery shopping for the awards. Insight6 is one of the UK's leading Customer Intelligence organisations in the UK who work within the tourism sector and carry out thousands of high quality mystery shops every month.
As part of the process applicants of all categories will have the opportunity to meet with Ian and after the awards ceremony will be offered a review meeting to go through the completed report on your business.
*Only two categories this year will not be mystery shopped – Event, Festival or Cultural Experience of the Year and The Best of York Award. The second round of judging for this category will comprise of a face to face interview.
Please note: Shortlisted businesses must agree to waive all costs associated with the mystery shopper process.
All applicants for the 2024 Awards, including those who do not reach the shortlist stage, will receive feedback on their application via the Openwater system.