Quality in Tourism

Quality in Tourism has been relaunched as an independent accreditation service, offering grading, mystery shopping and specialist tourism and hospitality expertise.

Our experienced team have worked in various tourism and hospitality roles, giving them a true empathy and understanding of the issues within the industry. From mystery customer visits and website reviews to RevPAR and marketing analysis, we work with our members to offer practical help and assistance, with the aim of driving additional sales and increasing profit.

Our assessor team can star rate your property without the prescriptive standards of other schemes, recognising your quality and its appeal to customers, without insisting on outdated physical measures irrelevant to your customers. Our entry level scheme gives assurances to your customers, it is appropriately named Safe Clean & Legal TM. We offer special accolades to help you promote your properties to customers looking for your particular offerings.

Our experience, expertise and insight into the industry allows us to respond to current trends and assist members to deliver what the customer actually wants.

Visit Exmoor

Visit Exmoor works on behalf of businesses and partners to promote the Greater Exmoor area to visitors. It is the guardian of the Exmoor brand and works to promote an area including the Quantock Hills, West Somerset and Exmoor National Park. As the largest tourism industry body in the area, Visit Exmoor believes passionately in the delivery of high quality visitor experiences, and so is thrilled to be a sponsor. Visit Exmoor is a key player in helping to shape the work of the Hinkley Tourism Action Partnership and ensuring that the area benefits from the development of Hinkley Point C.

Age UK Somerset

Age UK Somerset is the largest charity working with and for older people in Somerset and North Somerset.  We are an independent local charity responsible for raising all our own funds which are only spent in the area.   With our local population increasing in age (in our area - Somerset and North Somerset -  1 in 4 of the population will be 65+ within 3 years. Nationally this doesn’t happen for another 20 years), our role to promote the wellbeing and independence of older people and add value to later life, is more important now than ever.

With the wide variety of services we offer (including information & advice, 100s of exercise sessions, a befriending service to reduce loneliness, toe nail cutting, benefit claims assistance, projects to get and keep people out of hospital), we put the needs of older people at the heart of what we do.  We are delighted to sponsor this award to find tourism businesses that are taking the same approach.

Visit Somerset

Visit Somerset is the official destination management organisation for the county. We work on behalf of members and partners to support the development of tourism and promote the traditional county of Somerset to domestic and international visitors. We are delighted to be a sponsor for these awards which reward and focus on quality since this is crucial in attracting and retaining customers. As sponsors we are representing the Hinkley Tourism Action Partnership; a public/private partnership working to ensure that the tourism industry is in the best shape to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the development of Hinkley Point C.

Clarks Village

Located in the heart of Somerset, Clarks Village opened in 1993 and was the first shopping outlet centre in the UK. Set within beautiful, award-winning landscaped gardens, this unique shopping experience offers discounts of up to 60% off RRP at over 90 high street and designer brands, including Wonderbra, Hobbs, Joules, Ben Sherman, Osprey London, Molton Brown, Hamleys, Lindt and the largest Clarks Factory Outlet store in Europe.

With impressive green credentials itself, Clarks Village won the Green Apple award for environment and waste management, for its commitment to a programme of consistent environmental improvement. The Village also has more than 100 solar panels installed and a dedicated recycling programme in place, making it one of the greenest shopping centres in the UK.

What's On Somerset

Somerset. We love it. We live in it. We write about it. We entreat people to savour this remarkable county, the land of the summer people.

In our fifteenth year, What’s on Somerset is delighted to be associated with the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards. Talent and hard work deserves recognition and accolations.

NFU Mutual Wrington

It’s our mutuality which sets us apart. We’re owned by and run for you, over 900,000 members, and we work hard to protect your interests. From our 300 local agent offices offering personal service to our tailored quotes you can’t get on price comparison sites, your needs are at the heart of everything we do.

Gaining accolades is one way of being recognised for the high standards of customer service and cover which we provide. We take pride in the fact that many of our general insurance products have received recognition from third parties, demonstrating our commitment to providing a comprehensive level of cover.

But we’re not standing still. Supporting our communities is very important to us. We’re committed to helping protect the environment, championing rural communities through events and initiatives, and continuing to offer the best care possible.

Vickery Holman

As one of the most established and well respected firms of Surveyors, Vickery Holman deliver property consultancy services across the South West. With offices in Truro, Plymouth, Exeter and Bristol they deliver local expertise within the region to their regional and national clients. Regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors their local experts offer a full range of services and specialise within the leisure industry to provide:-

Commercial sales, acquisitions as well as business rates consultancy for hotels, holiday parks and self-catering complexes;
Service charge administration and management for commercial property and holiday parks;
Valuation for secured lending, accounting and tax purposes;
Building surveying services including surveys for purchase, project management and planned maintenance and new developments.

Sunflower Social Media | Social Media Management and Solutions

Sunflower Social Media is delighted to support this year's Bristol, Bath & Somerset Tourism Awards.  Located in the South West, Sunflower Social Media supports a wide range of businesses, helping them to maximise the return from their social media.  

Making time for social media can be hard.  Only you can run your business the way you know how and so we create and implement social media strategies for you, sourcing content and dealing with all your engagement and community growth, leaving you to do what you do the best. 

Mendip District Council

Mendip is a largely rural district with five distinctive towns - Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street and Wells - that has the additional benefit of being close to the economic prosperity of Bristol and Bath. 

Whilst the majority of businesses are small-medium in size, the district is home to established global companies and brands including Clarks, Mulberry, Blackthorns and the Glastonbury Festival.

Weston College

Weston College, one of the largest education and training providers in the UK supporting 30,000 annual course enrolments, recognised as outstanding by Ofsted, and recipients of the Queens Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education.

The college supports the tourism industry across the south west by providing apprenticeships, training, student industry placements, working with businesses to inspire our students to succeed in the visitor economy sector. We are proud to be sponsoring the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards and look forward to joining the finalists in November at the Winter Gardens Pavillion in Weston-super-Mare to celebrate the success of the industry.  

Tozers

Tozers are the award-winning leading lawyers when it comes to park law. As legal advisers to the British Holiday and Home Parks Association for over 65 years, we are at the cutting edge of legal developments affecting the parks industry. Our dedicated and experienced team advise parks businesses small and large, throughout England and Wales, on a wide range of issues.

We offer a comprehensive legal service for both our commercial and private clients, always staying one step ahead and seeking new perspectives, which is why we are one of the top-rated law firms.

We put our clients first. We’re Tozers, thoughtful legal partners for a changing world.

Visit South Somerset

With miles of footpaths winding through unspoilt countryside, accessible rivers and cycle trails, bustling market towns and picturesque villages the destination of South Somerset is just what you need to take time in nature and enjoy quality time with friends and family. Visit the lowlands of the Levels or the hillforts at Ham Hill and Cadbury to get a unique view of historic houses and rare wildlife.

Our Tourism team at South Somerset District Council manage the multi award winning Visitor Information Centre at Cartgate’s bustling picnic site on the A303, perfectly positioned to welcome visitors to Somerset and the South West. The team offers help and support to many tourism businesses that flourish in this special area.

So whatever you are looking for in a holiday destination, or a place to launch a new visitor business, then we think South Somerset will have what you are looking for.

Thatchers

We’re family cidermakers with our home at Myrtle Farm in Somerset. We care about our ciders, and we care about tomorrow. We’ve a vision to create sustainable, great tasting cider for generations to come, enjoyed, loved and respected the world over.

We craft a range of draught and packaged ciders, including our smooth and golden Thatchers Gold with juicy apple flavours,  our naturally hazy Thatchers Haze that brims with fruitiness, and sweet and vibrant Thatchers Rosé made from rosy-red eating apples.  New to our family are zesty Cloudy Lemon, crisp and sweet with a zing from the juice of real lemons, and our alcohol-free Thatchers Zero.

South West Coast Path Association

For almost half a century, the South West Coast Path Association has been helping to protect, care for and champion the South West Coast Path as one of the world’s greatest trails and one of the region’s most important environmental and tourism assets.   The Path now attracts over 9 million visitors a year and brings over £520 million into the local tourism economy.

As a charity, our mission is to help people access, enjoy and share in the amazing health-giving benefits and spectacular wildlife which our 630 mile National Trail offers.  We work with businesses along the Path (Way Makers), volunteers and members to raise funds to improve and care for the Trail – a task which is becoming increasingly important in light of current climate change.

For more information visit southwestcoastpath.org.uk  or email waymaker@southwestcoastpath.org.uk

Visit West

Visit West is the Destination Management Organisation for the West of England, representing the four unitary authorities, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, businesses within these areas and members beyond working to maximise the potential of the visitor economy in the region.

Building on the work of Destination Bristol and Visit Bath, it brings together the business communities, local authorities, and wider stakeholders, and the domestic and international travel industry to create a strategically focused and innovative delivery organisation with a clear purpose. 

Somerset Life

Somerset Life is the county magazine that celebrates the finest things about our wonderful county. 

Every month as you turn the pages of your magazine, you will discover a whole world of the greatest food and drink, places and people that this area has to offer.  Uncover hidden gems, learn about the best places to visit and the events you can look forward to.

Somerset is your county and Somerset Life is your magazine. 

PayDough.me

A warm welcome from PayDough.me, proud to be sponsoring these outstanding awards this year. 

Whatever you concept is around “Card Payments” think again. Think of me as your Outsourced Card Payment Specialist, someone who is on your side, together we do payments. I can help you navigate the payments industry, avoiding some of the pitfalls you may have experienced. I can help make sense of what’s possible, throw in a few new ideas and take the hassle out of securing a good deal.

I work collaboratively with you and an extensive range of payment providers and partners to ensure the package I mould is always the optimum fit. I have options for businesses small, large and everything in between.

Once you are up and running the service doesn’t stop there either, I will manage and monitor what was agreed. 

Anytime Booking

Anytime is an innovative online booking and management software, powering the outdoor holiday market around the clock. We support hundreds of campsites, holiday parks, glamping sites, motorhome hire businesses and holiday let agencies all around the UK. Our multi-accommodation focus is one of our key differentiators in this market, along with our reputation for having the fastest and highest quality support.

Save precious time with automation, live availability and payments, intuitive dashboard and reporting, and integrated guest services. Drive up sales using our carefully selected partnerships with leading distributors like campsites.co.uk, Cool Camping, Pitch Up, TXGB and Rentals United. If you need a new website, create one with our new drag and drop website builder - beautiful results with no need to code! Fully supported from our HQ in Cornwall, our cloud-based platform is mobile-friendly and is racked, stacked and packed with all the tools a busy holiday business needs to stand out and thrive.

MiHi Digital

MiHi Digital has worked with more than 150 award winning tourism businesses from across the country over the past four years and built a proven track record when it comes to increasing website visitors, conversions and bookings for a wide range of accommodation providers.

They work with all tourism business on website design, search engine optimistation and social media management, as well as offering a wide range of training to business owners.

Mews

Mews is an innovative hospitality management cloud that empowers the modern hotelier to improve performance, maximize revenue, and provide remarkable guest experiences.

A fully integrated ecosystem of six key products – Operations, Payments, Guest Journey, Business Intelligence, Marketplace and an Open API – harnesses the power of smart automation to make a real difference for properties and chains of all sizes.

With over 600 integrations and hospitality tech partners, Mews is the most connected solution on the market. It's also the easiest to use, with a clean, intuitive interface and outstanding support should you need it.

Aldwick Estate

As a Family-owned Estate, Aldwick is an advocate of rural business success. Contributing to growth and sustainable development in North Somerset, it thrives in several diverse economic activities. This includes viticulture, tourism, and high-quality events. Aldwick Estate has a sustained investment in the community, playing a significant role in building a sense of local identity, creating jobs, and driving new business to the area.

As a producer of award-winning wine Aldwick continues to proudly represent North Somerset, national and internationally in the English wine industry.

Granny Gothards

Granny Gothards have been making traditional handmade ice creams in the South West since 2012 and still make them today in the same way they always have.

Using milk collected daily from the local farm, Oak Park Dairy, and adding fresh South West double cream, Clarence Court egg yolk and only the highest quality ingredients for flavours, it's no wonder the ices have won a vast number of TOTW and GTA awards, the latest being Supreme Champion Food & Drink Product in the South West in 2021

Supplying top hotels and restaurants in the UK, Dubai, Kuwait and Singapore, as well a premium retailer Waitrose, Granny Gothards are proud of their 195 flavours and have shown it's possible to upscale an artisan product without compromising on why people love you after their very first spoonful. Granny Gothards always delivering unforgettable luxury.

Hoseasons

Hoseasons help over 2 million holidaymakers find great value breaks and have built long-term and profitable partnerships with over 500 holiday accommodation owners across the UK. Creating memorable holiday experiences for guests and valuable partnerships for our owners is at the heart of everything we do.

With a history stretching back almost 80 years, Hoseasons has become a household and industry-leading name in UK holidays, offering more than 30,000 iconic places to stay, from luxury woodland lodges to family holiday parks, relaxing boating breaks and charming cottage holidays.

The UK travel industry is an ever-changing landscape, and Hoseasons prides itself on staying relevant, supporting holiday accommodation owners to keep up-to-date with the latest market trends. Boasting a diverse and unique portfolio of over 750 locations across the UK, including 8 specialist collections created to target the right holiday experience to the right guest – Hoseasons provide guests with their perfect holiday accommodation whilst working closely with accommodation owners to develop forward-thinking accommodation offerings and drive innovation in UK holiday accommodation.