“In this ever more competitive environment that the awards sector is, it is great to assess and accredit an awards programme that actively supports and encourages tourism in the South West. The feedback from judges and entrants was outstanding! Congratulations to the team running these awards.”

These are the words from Karen Sutton, Awards Trust Mark’s assessor, having confirmed the Outstanding accreditation to Services for Tourism for their management of the Dorset, Bristol, Bath and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall Tourism Awards.

The accreditation requires 18 different criteria to be met, including giving feedback to entrants, independent judges, confidentiality and a clear scoring system that removes bias and inconsistency.

Evidence submitted by awards entrants and judges included comments such as:

“It’s a very slick and professional process which I feel proud to be part of.”

“The rigorous nature of the judging with full feedback and a section for Judges to complete with feedback on how the application could be improved, are crucial to the experience of the businesses that apply.”

“Feedback was insightful and genuinely useful in helping us reflect on our guest experience, presentation and storytelling as a hospitality business.”

Awards organiser Robin Barker said: “Like the businesses we work with we are always keen to monitor our own performance and we’re delighted to achieve the top Outstanding level again. It gives Sponsors and Entrants the confidence that they are involved in a scheme that has credibility and is professionally run.”

The 2026/27 Tourism Awards will open for entry in April 2026 leading to awards events in autumn 2026 and the potential for progression to the national VisitEngland awards in 2027.