The Plymouth Tourist Information Centre team has won gold at the Devon Tourism Awards in the ‘Visitor Information Service of the Year’ category. Winners were announced during a glittering ceremony held on Thursday 2 February at Plymouth Argyle Football Club.
The team, led by Visitor Services Manager Clare Phillips, won the award for their exceptional standard of service and appropriate information. The Plymouth Tourist Information Centre is a key part of the Association of Barbican Business, has an excellent rapport with visitors and are an integral to the success of local tourist events. The team has also been busy with the refurbished Mayflower Museum, which showcases a journey through time with four floors and four centuries to explore.
Plymouth’s Ocean View at The Dome also won gold in the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ and bronze in the ‘New Tourism Business’ categories. The Cottages at Blackadon Farm in Ivybridge won the gold in ‘Resilience and Innovation Award’ and ‘Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism’ and silver in ‘Self Catering Accommodation of the Year’ and ‘Dog Friendly Business of the Year’ categories. The gold award for ‘Unsung Hero’ went to Doug Kerr, Plymouth Volunteer Cruise Ambassador.
Winners in all categories will automatically be 'fast-tracked' into corresponding categories of the South West Tourism Excellence Awards on at the Eden Project on 23 March. From these, winners in categories marked may be selected to represent the area in the national VisitEngland Awards.
Clare Philips, Visitor Services Manager at the Plymouth Tourism Information Centre says: “It’s amazing to be recognised again for our exceptional standard of service at the Devon Tourism Awards. Its been a busy and exciting year in Plymouth, which the team have embraced with their usual enthusiasm.”
Amanda Lumley, Chief Executive at Destination Plymouth says: “We are so proud of the team at our TIC here in the Barbican and the great service they provide. Not only do they provide a warm welcome to the city but they are incredibly knowledgeable and give expert advice to the millions of visitors we receive annually. This award is truly well deserved and Clare and her team are to be congratulated”.