The best holiday experiences across England have been identified at a tourism awards ceremony.
From the best hotels to the best new experiences, the VisitEngland awards celebrated holidays across the country just as the industry tries to rebuild after pandemic lockdowns.
VisitEngland gave a special nod to English period dramas, giving them the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award in recognition of their role in inspiring people to visit locations, such as Highclere Castle, Hampshire, which featured in hit TV series Downton Abbey.
A powerboat school in Mylor, Cornwall, was named experience of the year.
Three Mile Beach, also in Cornwall, the Black Country Living Museum, in the West Midlands, and Chester Zoo, Cheshire, were also honoured for the high level the experiences they offer.
Treeopia, in Worcestershire, and the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath, were recognised as top places to stay.
“All these businesses are winners in every sense,” said VisitEngland advisory board chairman Nick de Bois.
“Millions of jobs and local economies depend on tourism and this year’s awards also highlight the dedication of tourism businesses as they rebuild, championing best practice and providing visitors with first-class experiences.”
The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, running for more than 30 years, celebrate and champion innovation, quality and best practice in tourism.
Winners were announced in the Awards’ 15 ‘core’ categories as well as for four special awards, including Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award, Travel Content Award, TXGB Trailblazer Award and the Tourism Superstar Award.
The VisitEngland award winners 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
Racecard
7pm: Abu Dhabi - Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.30pm: Dubai - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
8pm: Sharjah - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m
9pm: Umm Al Quwain - The Entisar - Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
More on animal trafficking
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
