The University's Whitworth wins prestigious tourism award
09 Mar 2016
Our ‘gallery in the park’ named Visit England Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
The University’s Whitworth has been named Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in the Visit England awards for Excellence.
Our ‘gallery in the park’ – which was reopened a year ago after a £15 million transformation– beat a range of renowned competitors such as Chester Zoo, SS Great Britain and Salisbury Cathedral.
In 2014, the gallery had closed its doors in order to undertake the largest renovation in its 125-year history, which doubled its former size, with a new glass wing overlooking Whitworth Park proving to be a ‘magnet’ for visitors. As a result, it saw record-breaking visitor figures.
Gallery Director Maria Balshaw said: “It has been a momentous period for the gallery – and winning this award, one of several now, is again a wonderful way to say thank you to all those who made it possible.”
With a history stretching back over 25 years, the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence are firmly established as representing the highest accolade in English tourism. The Awards recognise businesses that incorporate best practice and demonstrate excellence in customer service throughout their operation and celebrate the very best in quality and innovation.
Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain and VisitEngland, said: “These awards are the highest accolade in the industry, recognising the world class tourism experiences that can be found throughout England. As ever competition has been fierce, with winners from the regions coming through to compete at a national level so my congratulations to all our winners, especially the Gold Award winners who are the standard bearers for English tourism.”
Tourism Minister David Evennett said: “The success of our world-leading tourism industry is due to the passion and dedication of individuals across the country.
“These awards highlight the huge talent we have, and the fantastic contribution winners and nominees have made to the sector, and I congratulate them all.”
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