Isle of Wight businesses are celebrating following a successful night at the annual Tourism South East Beautiful South Awards.
Tuesday night’s ceremony at the Grand Hotel in Brighton saw tourism businesses from across the South East vying for the much sought-after accolades.
Tom’s Eco Lodge at Tapnell Farm brought home Gold in the Glamping Business of the Year category.
Chloe Baker from Tapnell Farm said:
“Thank you so much to the team for making this happen, we can’t believe we won Gold in the Beautiful South Awards, we’re so happy and look forward to another good year and to entering this again!”
As the winner of the category, Tom’s Eco Lodge will be automatically entered in the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, the winners of which will be revealed in 2025.
The Isle of Wight Walking Festival, organised by Visit Isle of Wight, was awarded Silver in the Tourism Event/Festival of the Year.
The event, which takes place in May and October celebrates the Isle of Wight as a top walking destination, encouraging visitors outside of the main peak season to join local volunteer walk leaders to explore their favourite parts of the Island.
The new owners of the Royal Hotel in Ventnor are also celebrating, winning Silver in the Restaurant of the Year category.
Mohamed Bathich, one of the new owners of The Royal Hotel, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have won in The Beautiful South’s Restaurant of the Year category for a third year in a row. This achievement is a true testament to the dedication and talent of our Royal kitchen team, led by Head Chef Jacob Gough, and our exceptional front of house staff.
“Our team create unforgettable dining experiences daily. It’s an honour for The Royal Hotel to represent the Isle of Wight at such prestigious awards, showcasing our Island as a destination for food lovers”.
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary was shortlisted in 2 categories, placing Silver in the Café/Tearoom of the Year and Bronze in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year categories.
Lawrence Bates, CEO Wildheart attended the awards and said:
“It was a pleasure to be a part of our very first Beautiful South Awards this year, we’re delighted to be awarded Silver in the Cafe & Tearoom of the Year category and Bronze in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year category.
“This is a huge achievement for our Sanctuary, and so incredible to be competing with the likes of Blenheim Palace, who won gold in the large attraction category. It certainly elevates us to a new level, giving us the potential to raise our profile and showcase the incredible work that we do!
“Our Café recently changed to Vegan, so to be recognised in this category with a silver award certainly reaffirms the success of this bold move. We look forward to taking these successes into our plans going forward.
“This was our first time, and we will be back – already talking about which category to enter next year!
“Our team had a fabulous evening at the awards ceremony at The Grand Hotel in Brighton. It was great to see the Isle of Wight so well represented across a range of other awards. Massive congratulations to all of the winners on the night, and thanks to all of the sponsors and Tourism South East for making this magical night happen”.
Entering for the first time, Old Mill Holiday Park at St Helens received a commendation in the Holiday Park of the Year category.
Will Myles, Managing Director at Visit Isle of Wight, has congratulated the Island businesses:
“The Tourism South East Beautiful South Awards are a fantastic opportunity for Island businesses to show everyone just how good we are. The Island delivers high quality experiences time and again and this recognition is richly deserved”.
Highest Ferry fares in the world per mile.
24/7 364 days a year parking charges (£2 nightly charge)
20p, 40p or 50p to use toilets on the island.
Sandown is the worst run down Seaside in the country,
full of derelict hotels and abandoned shops on the High Street.
It is no wonder Tourism is down this year!