Press release -
Crowne-ing glory!
The Crowne Plaza has been named as the venue for the glittering final ceremony of the Scottish Thistles Awards, to be held 5 March 2015 in Glasgow.
With the deadline less than a week away, nominated businesses are being reminded to put themselves forward to be crowned Scotland’s tourism champions by entering via the official Scottish Thistle Awards website.
Entries can be made using the simple online form across 14 different categories including Most Hospitable Hotel, Friendliest Pub and Our Warmest Welcome, entrants can put themselves forward in more than one category. Friday 13 June is the entry deadline.
Organised and delivered by VisitScotland, the awards recognise success, excellence and quality in the Scottish tourism industry. For the first time in its 22-year history the Scottish Thistle Awards will now be led by several organisations including VisitScotland, the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards and the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.
The Crowne Plaza boasts impressive views over the River Clyde and has previously hosted The Scottish Variety Awards and the Scottish Wedding Awards. The panel will work together to recognise and honour the successes of individuals and businesses in their industry.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “These awards are the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate and reward the hard work, dedication and innovation taking place within the Scottish tourism sector.
“The public have had their say but now it is up to each business to get online and formally enter the Scottish Thistle Awards. This is a fantastic opportunity to be recognised as a champion in their industry at a time when the global spotlight is on Scotland. So I urge all of our fantastic Scottish tourism businesses to get online, find out what category or categories they think best represents them and enter. It really couldn’t be simpler!”
Shortlisted entries will then compete in 13 regional categories. Each of which has been aligned with the Scottish Tourism Strategy 2020, re-enforcing links between the industry and the prestigious awards programme.
Regionals ceremonies will be held in November in North East and Tayside, Central South East, Central South West and the Highlands and Islands, the latter will be managed by the Highland and Islands Tourism Awards.
Winners in each category will then go on to represent their respective regions at the glittering final ceremony. The gala event will celebrate the best of the best in the Scottish tourism industry and mark a fitting end to Scottish Tourism Week 2015.
To enter or for further information on the Scottish Thistle Awards visit www.scottishthistleawards.co.uk.
ENDS
The leadership panel includes: Stephen Carter, VisitScotland; Paddy Crerar, Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland; Marc Crothall, Scottish Tourism Alliance; Marina Hugget, Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards; Paul Waterson, Scottish Licensed Trade Association
Categories for the Scottish Thistle Awards include:
Regional Categories: 1. Most Hospitable Hotel; 2. Most Hospitable B&B/Guest House; 3. Best Holiday Accommodation; 4. Best Informal Eating Experience; 5. Best Restaurant Experience; 6. Friendliest Pub/Bar; 7. Best Event or Festival; 8. Best Outdoor/Adventure Experience; 9. Our Warmest Welcome; 10. Best Visitor Attraction; 11. Discovering Scotland Award; 12. Young Ambassador Award (30yrs and below – nominations only); 13. Ambassador Award (over 30s – nominations only).
National Category: 14. Creative Ambition Award (business tourism).
Silver Thistle: 15. Silver Thistle – will not be a nominated award and will be nominated by judging panel or industry panel
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- scottish thistle awards
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors:
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
