Hull will host the 2020 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence – the highest accolade in English tourism.
The awards will be held on Tuesday 16 June at the DoubleTree by Hilton, with a tourism Learning Expo also taking place at the Bonus Arena.
Councillor Dave Craker, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and tourism, said: “These awards are the highest accolades in English tourism. To host them is an incredible honour for Hull and recognition that the city is developing into a first-class tourist destination.
“The awards will take place in the DoubleTree by Hilton and there will also be an event at the Bonus Arena – two fantastic venues and examples of the significant investment in tourism, culture and leisure that we have seen in the city over the past few years.”
The Bonus Arena will host a Learning Expo.
National finalists will be invited to the awards where Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced in all 15 core categories. 400 local winners will also be invited to attend the Learning Expo at the Bonus Arena.
The new trade event-style Learning Expo will provide English tourism businesses with tools and expertise to help them promote and enhance their products for the modern consumer.
Matt Jukes, chief executive at Hull City Council, said: “Hull is on an exciting journey as we continue to develop on our ambitions to become a world-class visitor destination, and to have Visit England hosting these awards in Hull this year is tremendous recognition of how far the city has come.
“This has been a collaborative effort and wouldn’t have been possible without the support and investment of organisations such as The Deep, Hull Culture and Leisure, the Bonus Arena and all the hoteliers, restaurateurs, café owners, theatres, pubs, clubs and visitor economy businesses and organisations who share Hull’s ambition and have recognised our potential.
“Our 2017 year was a fantastic year for the city, but what’s been most rewarding of all is how we’ve managed to continue to promote Hull as a great tourist destination after our year as UK City of Culture and all of the investments and exciting things that have happened in our city since then and we are planning for the future.
“Year on year we are seeing more tourists and visitors coming to Hull and, as a council, and as a place, we are committed to continuing this growth and welcoming more and more people to our wonderful city.”
The three national finalists for each category will be announced in May, following a rigorous judging process by tourism industry experts.
The awards will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton.
Tourism in England contributes £106 billion annually to the British economy.
Sally Balcombe, VisitEngland chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be taking VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence to Hull, the UK’s City of Culture. England’s tourism landscape is dynamic, competitive and innovative and the new Awards for Excellence reflect developments in products and services.”
Find out more about the awards here.
