Two major Plymouth events and the Tourist Information Centre have won awards at this year’s Devon Tourism Awards.
SailGP’s adrenaline-fuelled Great Britain Sail Grand Prix came top, winning the gold award in the ‘Tourism Event/Festival of the Year’ category.
The Hatchling, a key event in the Mayflower 400 commemorations which saw a huge puppet dragon come to life through the streets of Plymouth before flying off across the Sound, won the silver award in the same category.
Plymouth’s Tourist Information Centre, which is managed by Plymouth City Council and located on the Barbican, also won silver in the ‘Visitor Information Service of the Year’ category.
Council Leader Nick Kelly said: “This is absolutely fantastic news! SailGP and The Hatchling were two of the absolute highlights of 2021, and I’m so pleased to see these epic events receive the recognition they deserve. We worked closely with SailGP and Trigger, producers of The Hatchling, to bring these events to Plymouth and maximise the opportunities they brought, which included attracting thousands of visitors and giving our local economy a much needed boost during the pandemic.
“Huge congratulations must also go to the hard-working team at the Tourist Information Centre, who also run the Mayflower Museum. They play a vital role, giving a warm welcome to tens of thousands of visitors every year and providing invaluable advice.”
SailGP came to Plymouth for the first time last summer and will return on 30 to 31 July 2022. The action packed event sees international teams – including Sir Ben Ainslie’s Great Britain team – comprised of some of sailing’s top athletes, compete in short, intense races in high-speed, hydro foiling catamarans.
SailGP Chief Operating Officer Julien di Biase said: “It is a credit to everyone involved to win the gold award. Plymouth provided an amazing natural amphitheatre to showcase not only SailGP for the first time, but also the amazing waterfront, waters of Plymouth Sound and highlight the amazing work being done around the UK’s first National Marine Park. We can’t wait to come back in July – to put on another great show for the fans on and off-water and continue to work with the city to ensure everyone benefits from SailGP in the local community.”
Amanda Lumley, Chief Executive of Destination Plymouth, said: “This is testament to the quality of the tourism, hospitality and events offer we have here in the city and our world-class events and welcome team who run an exciting year round programme for visitors and locals in the city. After the Covid restrictions of the past two years, it is brilliant to be able to celebrate their success. Awards such as the Devon Awards are vital to not just celebrate success but also to really highlight the quality, experience and hard work of all involved”
The Devon Tourism Awards are now in their 12th year, celebrating excellence in the tourism industry across the entire county. The winners were announced yesterday in a virtual ceremony, with a face-to-face awards celebration set to take place in May.
The winners will now be considered for the regional South West Tourism Awards and for nominations into the national VisitEngland awards.