a hat-trick of visitengland awards!

Three Leicestershire venues were recognised for their ‘excellence in tourism’ at the prestigious VisitEngland Awards, which was held in Brighton last night (4 June).  These awards highlight the very best of England’s outstanding tourism industry.

Scooping silver and ranked as the second best attractions in the entire country were The National Space Centre (Large Visitor Attraction of the Year) and the King Richard III Visitor Centre (Small Visitor Attraction of the Year) – two of Leicester’s most important and loved visitor attractions.  Bronze in the hotly contested Pub of the Year category went to The Griffin Inn of Swithland, Leicestershire.

The prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence have been running for more than 30 years and select winners from hundreds of tourism businesses across England. The winners of the Leicestershire Tourism & Hospitality Awards, run by Leicestershire Promotions, are entered into the national competition, but only a few are ever chosen to reach the finals.

The King Richard III Visitor Centre received its first ever Silver VisitEngland Award for Excellence, adding this to an enviable list of awards since it opened in 2014. The Centre, which tells the story of the life, death and rediscovery of the Lost King, has been recognised as it commemorates the 10^th anniversary of the reinterment of King Richard, and as the city prepares the ground for the reopening of the Jewry Wall Real Roman Experience.

Phil Hackett, General Manager of the award-winning King Richard III visitor centre added: ‘This national recognition means a great deal, it highlights the dedication and the warm, welcoming experience our amazing team offer to all our visitors, the same team that are behind the soon to open Jewry Wall Museum: A real Roman Experience.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last decade, including our incredible volunteers and every visitor who’s helped us celebrate the most incredible archaeological detective story ever told…’

The National Space Centre’s recognition is yet another endorsement of this fantastic visitor attraction which has been entertaining and educating visitors to Leicester for 20 years and celebrating the city’s long history of technological innovation. As with the KRIII Centre, this is the first time the Space Centre has been shortlisted for the national award. Thanks to the work of the University of Leicester there has been equipment built in Leicester working in space for every year since the 1960s.

Chas Bishop, Chief Executive of the National Space Centre said: “Fantastic! The news came through during our annual dinner and quiz night, so we were all able to celebrate together. This is testament to a huge amount of hard work from everybody who works at the National Space Centre and brilliantly enthusiastic visitors, and there is some amazing new exhibition content to come as the year progresses. Watch this space!”

And completing the triumvirate of Leicestershire success was the Griffin Inn with a Bronze award for Pub of The Year. Found in the quintessentially British village of Swithland, the Griffin Inn is a gastro pub as renowned for its fantastic food and drink as it is for its celebrity owners, cricketers Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney. Their award comes after an extensive refurbishment and being named Leicestershire Pub of the Year at the National Pub and Bar Awards and best Gastro Pub at the Midlands Food, Drinks and Hospitality Awards.

Mike Denby, Director of Place Marketing for Leicester and Leicestershire said: “We are absolutely delighted to have three of our Leicestershire attractions receive recognition at the finals of the VisitEngland Awards For Excellence and be placed alongside the very best this country has to offer.

“The National Space Centre and the King Richard III Visitor Centre are two of our top attractions, and receiving silver awards simply underlines their importance to regional tourism. As the only Local Visitor Economy Partnership recognised by VisitEngland for our region, we would like to thank all of our partners, including Leicestershire Promotions, for running the regional Tourism & Hospitality Awards.”

This trio of awards is proof that Leicester has firmly established itself as a tourism powerhouse that continues to drive economic growth and prosperity. In 2023, the city’s tourism industry contributed nearly £2.4 billion to the local economy, attracting more than 31.28 million visitors to the city and surrounding county. This surge in tourism has led to a significant increase in employment, with over 22,923 people now working in tourism-related jobs. The city’s rich history and diverse cultural offerings, including the iconic (and award-winning) King Richard III Visitor Centre and National Space Centre, alongside the Jewry Wall Roman Museum — which is set to reopen later this summer — continue to captivate visitors from around the globe. Leicester’s flourishing tourism sector is not only enhancing the city’s global reputation but also solidifying its place as a key player in the UK’s tourism landscape.