The South West Tourism Excellence Awards have been announced as a finalist in the ‘best regional awards’ category of the 2018 AwardsAwards.

The South West awards have seen year-on-year growth with record entries in 2017/18, linking in with county schemes in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Bristol, Bath and Somerset. Many winners are also nominated to represent the region in the national VisitEngland Awards, in which the South West maintains its position as England’s top region for quality, winning more awards than any other for the past five years.

Awards organiser Robin Barker said: “Being recognised as a finalist is a fantastic recognition for the awards, our tourism industry and the joint working we enjoy with the wider business community of the South West.

"It’s not easy running the awards in a region with our shape and diversity. Other regions are often blessed with public funding, better road networks and venues that can seat 1,100 or more – but we are blessed with the best quality tourism offering in the UK, and we are delighted to work as part of this."

He added: “We are clearly waiting in anticipation for the results of the AwardsAwards. The 2018/19 awards will be launching very soon and we look forward to working with everyone across the region to make it yet another record year.”

The AwardsAwards event will be held at the Waldorf in London on Friday, April 27, when the region will learn who will win what. More information is available at awardsawards.co.uk.