Date :
14/10/2015
The shortlists for the five regional finals of the Scottish Thistle Awards have been announced, with some of the biggest events in Scotland’s history making the grade from a record number of entries.
Nominees for the awards, which celebrate excellence, innovation and success in our hospitality and tourism sector, include The 2014 Ryder Cup, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay organised by Unique Events, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the MTV EMAs, Edinburgh Zoo, Rosslyn Chapel and Knockhill Racing Circuit.
This year saw a record-breaking 615 entries submitted, including hundreds of nominations from members of the public keen to recognise hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, visitor attractions and individuals who go the extra mile to provide customers with exceptional service. More than 60% of businesses were encouraged to enter after being nominated by the public.
Shortlisted finalists will now battle it out against competition from across five different areas at regional award ceremonies in November. Successful finalists in each category will then go on to represent their respective region in the national Scottish Thistle Award final in March 2016, part of the Signature Programme of Scottish Tourism Week.
Categories, which are aligned with the Scottish Tourism 2020 Strategy, include Fishers Cleaning Services Ltd’s Most Hospitable Hotel and Friendliest Pub or Bar, as well as new awards such as Hospitality Hero; and Tourism – Everyone’s Business. An Innovation category has been introduced this year in anticipation of Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design in 2016.
The five regional finals will take place in November:
Central South West, Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, November 4
Central South East, Prestonfield House in Edinburgh, November 11
Tayside and Fife, Prestonfield House in Edinburgh, November 11
Highlands and Islands, New Drumossie Hotel in Inverness, November 13
Aberdeen City and Shire, Ardoe House Hotel and Spa, November 27
To find out more about the different ways to grow your business, check out the Tourism 2020 Scotland strategy, which outlines ambitious plans to grow tourism revenues by £1bn in 2020.
For a full list of shortlisted finalists please visit the Scottish Thistle Awards website.