THE John Rylands Library on Deansgate was named the ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ at the city’s annual tourism awards last night.
Barbara Frost, one of the city’s longest-serving Blue Badge Guides, was awarded the ‘Tourism Star of the Year’ award and was hailed a true advocate of Manchester and praised for her enthusiasm and passion for the city.
The judges felt that the landmark building was progressive, exciting and offered something that could not be replicated elsewhere, whilst Ordsall Hall in Salford was praised for its interactive elements and took home the ‘Small Visitor Attraction’ award.
The Lowry Hotel gained the coveted ‘Hotel of the Year’ title after scoring an enviable 99% during a mystery shop assessment. Premier Apartments in the city’s Northern Quarter was declared the ‘Serviced Apartments of the Year’.
Ordsall Hall
The award for ‘Business Tourism’ went to Manchester Central, the city’s flagship conference venue. Judges praised it for anticipating its customer’s needs and for engaging in a comprehensive taxi driver education programme to allow them to welcome all conference delegates to the city.
Manchester International Festival and the Ramsbottom Chocolate Festival were victorious in the large and small ‘Event of the Year’ categories. ‘Tourism Restaurant of the Year’ went to Zouk Tea Bar & Grill and ‘Best Entertainment Venue’ to Band on the Wall.
The retail awards went to Afflecks and The Trafford Centre, which were named ‘Independent Retailer’ and ‘Large Tourism Retailer’ respectively.
Barbara Frost, one of the city’s longest-serving Blue Badge Guides, was awarded the ‘Tourism Star of the Year’ award and was hailed a true advocate of Manchester and praised for her enthusiasm and passion for the city.
The Key 103 ‘People’s Choice Award for Best Bar or Pub’ went to Simple on Tib Street.
The awards ceremony at The Lowry, Salford Quays was attended by over 300 representatives of the industry and included a sneak preview of Disney’s The Lion King, which opens at The Palace Theatre on 1 December.
Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, said: “The awards celebrate tourism excellence across Greater Manchester – recognising the year-round contribution that organisations, venues and individuals make to the city’s tourism product. Many of our winners will now have the chance to progress through to the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence to represent Greater Manchester at national level and we wish them the very best of luck.”
With over one million international visitors a year, Manchester is the third most popular destination in the UK for overseas visitors to Britain. The city’s tourism industry generates £5.8bn a year for the local economy and supports 77,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Winners: The Manchester Tourism Awards 2012
Small Event of the Year:
The Ramsbottom Chocolate Festival
Independent Retailer of the Year:
Afflecks
Affleck's
Serviced Apartments of the Year:
Premier Apartments Manchester
Large Tourism Retailer of the Year:
The Trafford Centre
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year:
Ordsall Hall
Tourism Star of the Year:
Barbara Frost, Manchester Guided Tours
Highly Commended: Deepak Soman, The Lowry Hotel
Best Entertainment Venue:
Band on the Wall
Tourism Restaurant of the Year:
Zouk Tea Bar & Grill
Large Event of the Year:
Manchester International Festival
Highly Commended: The Manchester Day Parade
Key 103 Peoples Choice Award for Best Bar or Pub:
TBC
Business Tourism Award:
Manchester Central
Hotel of the Year:
The Lowry Hotel
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year:
The John Rylands Library
