WIREDGOV

The deadline for the National Tourism Awards for Wales has been extended as tourism businesses request more time to deal with an unexpected prolonged peak season.

The good weather has seen continued demand throughout September with people making the most of the Indian Summer. The deadline for entries for the National Tourism Awards for Wales is now Friday 10 October at 5pm.

The new Deputy Minister for Tourism, Ken Skates, has encouraged all tourism businesses in Wales to make the most of the extended deadline in order to get the recognition they deserve for their hard work - and to give their marketing efforts a boost.

The Deputy Minister, said:

“It seems that 2014 is proving to be a very successful year for tourism in Wales and I encourage tourism businesses to celebrate this success by entering the National Tourism Awards for Wales. We want to give businesses the time to make the most of this good weather without missing out on the opportunity to enter the National Tourism Awards for Wales.

“It’ll be a great opportunity to congratulate the industry on their achievements; the awards are also a huge boost to a business’ marketing efforts. Being named as the best in Wales provides excellent opportunities to attract even more visitors. It’s important for businesses to get their applications in - there’s still not long to go until the closing date and this is an opportunity not to be missed.”

The Deputy Minister recently visited Plassey Holiday Park, Wrexham who won the award for Best Place to Stay- Holiday, Touring or Camping Park in the last awards. They have also received investment support form the Tourism Investment Support Scheme to develop their business.

John and Sarah Brookshaw from Plassey Holiday Park said:

“Since winning, we have seen a huge boost to our business with both holidays being taken, and day visitors too. This has encouraged us to invest in new facilities including the recently opened Welsh castle-themed adventure play park, which is totally unique to our area. Also we have the confidence to further invest into the park - with plans for glamping pods and additional all-service touring pitches. The awards highlight the very best in Welsh tourism and that Wales has so many fantastic tourism attractions and places to stay. We were delighted to win the National Tourism Award for Wales, it was a real honour and a seal of approval that our potential customers will often look out for."

Latest Welsh Government figures indicate that tourism in Wales has had a successful summer with 82% of tourism businesses in Wales reporting increased or similar levels of guests compared with August 2013. Official figures also reveal that the success of the tourism industry in early 2014 has been carried through to Easter and May with figures revealing a bumper Easter and Wales outperforming the rest of the UK.

The Wales results of the Great Britain Tourism Survey for the first 5 months of 2014 are very positive. The total volume of overnight trips made by GB residents to Wales is up by 14·6% compared with the first 5 months of 2013 and well ahead of the results for GB as a whole (2·9% down). The amount which visitors spent while in Wales is also up by 9·9% while GB is down by 2·9%.

The next National Tourism Awards for Wales will be held on Wednesday 25 March 2015 at The Vale Resort in Hensol, South Wales. Entries for the awards opened online on Monday 8 September and include categories such as Best Place to Stay, Best Event, Best Place to Eat, Best Visitor Welcome, Best Day Out, Tourism Skills Development and Best Business Tourism. There is also a category to celebrate up and coming young people in the industry - the Rising Tourism Star Award. The last awards, held in Venue Cymru in Llandudno, saw over 500 businesses enter and attend on the night.

The awards, which are run by Visit Wales in commercial partnership with Quadrant Media & Communications Ltd, are regarded as the most prestigious in the industry in Wales.

The awards are free to enter by visiting the National Tourism Awards for Wales website.