The East of England Tourism Awards 2022-2023 are open for nominations and are all set to be bigger and better than ever, recognising and celebrating the very best of our region’s vibrant tourism sector.

The opportunity to escape and relax is so important to many of us, and luckily, we’ve got everything we need to do just that right on our doorstep.

Whether you’ve been impressed during a visit to a local attraction, hotel or pub, or are a business that wants to shout about all the great things you’ve been doing over the last year, the East of England Tourism Awards are the perfect opportunity to share your experiences.

Tourism businesses operating across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire are invited to enter one of our 14 categories, with entries closing at midnight on Sunday, October 2. Shortlisted finalists will go through a judging process, which may include a site visit, before being announced in February 2023.

A glittering black tie event will then take place in March 2023, marking the celebration of those who have shone through in the judging process.

This year’s awards are brought to you in association with Visit East of England and are also fully aligned with the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, which means that the top three in each category will go forward to the national finals and potentially triumph as the best in the country.

Andy Wood OBE, chair of Visit East of England said: "We’d encourage all tourism and hospitality businesses to engage with the East of England Tourism Awards as a way of highlighting the brilliant work that is being done to develop the region’s largest sector and biggest employer as well as promoting best practice. It was great to see two of last year’s regional winners gain national recognition at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence and we look forward to seeing many more this year.”

VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes added: “Last year we were delighted that both Secret Meadows and Pensthorpe applied to the East of England Tourism Awards and won at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2022.

“We wish all tourism businesses from across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk as well as Hertfordshire the best of luck and look forward to finding out who the next regional winners are.”

The awards have been made possible by a range of sponsors, led by our headline partner, Hoseasons.

Dan Cook, account director at Awaze UK, parent company of Hoseasons, said: “The East of England Tourism Awards are back – and this time they really are bigger and better than ever before.

“This year we will for the first time be welcoming entries from Hertfordshire – a development that is guaranteed to increase competition for the region’s most coveted tourism honours and make winning one even more special.

“We’ve been supporting these awards for more than a decade now, and in recent years have watched them grow from smaller, single-county events through to last year’s fabulous four-county celebration of regional tourism.

“There’s a long way to go before we all get our black ties and posh frocks back on for next year’s event, and who knows which businesses will eventually walk off with the honours? But, one thing we can all be certain of is that our eventual winners will not only have been successful in their own right, but will also have made a big contribution to keeping us front of mind for people considering a staycation or UK break.

“East Anglia has been the proud home of Hoseasons since our founder Wally Hoseason began selling boat trips from a small base on Oulton Broad in the 1940s. Our history and growth are firmly rooted in this part of the UK and while we clearly know what it has to offer, it seems the Great British holidaying public love it just as much now as ever before.

“Our bookings for July holidays in Norfolk and Suffolk were up 75% last week, compared to the same week in 2019, while bookings for August breaks were up 29%.

“Yes, good weather makes a difference, and yes, continued chaos at airports makes people think twice about going abroad, but it’s the hard work of businesses across our region that ensures those holidaymakers who choose a staycation end up visiting us rather than anywhere else.

“We hope to see many nominations and entries submitted into this year’s awards and wish tourism businesses in the East of England the very best of luck!”

The East of England Tourism Awards are a gathering of the very communities, businesses and people that help to put our counties on the map.

Entries will be welcomed from businesses, but we also urge you to nominate your favourite tourism businesses across the East of England, be that your favourite hotel, an amazing attraction, or incredible customer service.

Archant organises and hosts the annual East of England Tourism Awards to recognise and celebrate those businesses and individuals that contribute to the regional visitor economy. The awards are open for entries until Sunday, October 2. To enter, please visit www.tourismawards.co.uk