England's top tourist destinations chosen by VisitEngland


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Some of the best holidays in England have been picked out by the country's official tourist board to show off the best places to stay and to visit.

The VisitEngland awards celebrate the most beautiful — and unusual — holiday hot spots, as the group shines a spotlight on the country's outstanding tourism offerings.

A beach, history museum and zoo are among VisitEngland's winners.

The Black Country Living Museum, in the West Midlands, brings to life the region's industrial revolution.

Bringing holidays into the 21st century is a powerboat school near Falmouth, Cornwall, where you can rev engines and later enjoy the tranquillity of the south-west coast.

Some of the country’s most recognisable hotels and most luxurious camp sites are also listed.

“Millions of jobs and local economies depend on tourism and the awards also recognise the determination and dedication of businesses and destinations across England’s tourism industry as they rebuild and continue to champion best practice and customer service excellence,” said VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes.

VisitEngland has short-listed the holidays in its Awards for Excellence. There are 15 core categories, including two new awards for Unsung Hero and the Resilience and Innovation award. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on Wednesday.

The awards are:

Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award

  • Gold — Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School, Cornwall
  • Silver — Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire
  • Bronze — Fleetwood Beach Wheelchairs, Lancashire

B&B and Guest House of the Year

  • Gold — The 25 Boutique B&B, Devon
  • Silver — Horseshoe Cottage Farm, Leicestershire
  • Bronze — Brightham House Boutique Bed and Breakfast, Devon

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year

  • Gold — Secret Meadows, Suffolk
  • Silver — Brook Meadow, Leicestershire
  • Bronze — Landal Sandybrook, Derbyshire

Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award

  • Gold — Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex
  • Silver — Pure Outdoor, Derbyshire
  • Bronze — West Bay Discovery Centre, Dorset

Experience of the Year

  • Gold — Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School, Cornwall
  • Silver — Pure Outdoor, Derbyshire
  • Bronze — All Hallows' Farmhouse Cookery School, Dorset

Large Hotel of the Year

  • Gold — The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath
  • Silver — Hotel Indigo Durham, County Durham
  • Bronze — The Langham, London

Small Hotel of the Year

  • Gold — Seaham Hall, County Durham
  • Joint Silver — No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath
  • Joint Silver — The Idle Rocks, Cornwall

New Tourism Business of the Year

  • Gold — Three Mile Beach, Cornwall
  • Silver — Triple A Food Tours, Tyne & Wear
  • Bronze — Rowley Farm Holidays, Worcestershire

Pub of the Year

  • Gold — The Cotley Inn, Somerset
  • Silver — The Acorn Inn, Dorset
  • Bronze — The Devonshire Arms at Pilsley, Derbyshire

Resilience and Innovation Award

  • Gold — Black Country Living Museum, West Midlands
  • Silver — Chester Zoo, Cheshire
  • Bronze — Severn Valley Railway, Worcestershire

Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year

  • Gold — Treeopia, Worcestershire
  • Silver — Glynn Barton, Cornwall
  • Bronze — Pitt Farm Holiday Cottages, Devon

Taste of England Award

  • Gold — Lu Ban Restaurant, Merseyside
  • Silver — Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, Lancashire
  • Bronze — Fischer's Baslow Hall, Derbyshire

Unsung Hero Award

  • Gold — Adam Wardale, Middletons Hotel, North Yorkshire
  • Silver — Neeshal Jeewon, Hilton London Metropole, London
  • Bronze — Clive Goodwin, Ouseburn Trust, Tyne & Wear

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

  • Gold — Chester Zoo, Cheshire
  • Silver — Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
  • Bronze — Pensthorpe, Norfolk

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

  • Gold — Nothe Fort, Dorset
  • Silver — Royal Liver Building 360, Merseyside
  • Bronze — British Music Experience, Merseyside

Travel Content Award

  • Gold — Ben Lerwill, National Geographic Traveller: ‘Pirates and prehistory on Devon’s south-east coast’
  • Silver — Cathy Toogood, The Telegraph: ‘Forget the countryside — this Northern powerhouse is the perfect place for summer staycations’
  • Bronze — Lauren Jarvis, LoveExploring: ‘Explore the New Forest’

TXGB Trailblazer Award

  • Gold — Rugby League World Cup 2021
  • Silver — Visit Gloucester
  • Bronze — Mike James, Savouring Bath

Tourism Superstar 2022

  • Winner — George Finlay, Matlock Farm Park

Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award

  • Winner — The English Period Drama
Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

The specs

Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors

Transmission: two-speed

Power: 671hp

Torque: 849Nm

Range: 456km

Price: from Dh437,900 

On sale: now

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

While you're here
The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

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THURSDAY'S FIXTURES

4pm Maratha Arabians v Northern Warriors

6.15pm Deccan Gladiators v Pune Devils

8.30pm Delhi Bulls v Bangla Tigers

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

De De Pyaar De

Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg

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Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')

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Updated: June 09, 2022, 10:50 AM