Remarkable East Yorkshire

TOURISM AWARDS 2020

The Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards are organised by Visit Hull and East Yorkshire to recognise the

significance of tourism to this area and celebrate the quality of businesses and individuals working within it.

Who can apply? The REYTAs are open to all tourism businesses in Hull & East Yorkshire, and you can enter

more than one category as long as you meet the criteria in each. A separate application must be made for each

category. Eligible winners across a number of categories will be automatically put forward to the national VisitEngland

Awards for Excellence 2020.

You will be judged on the answers given in the application, and anyevidence provided is in support of your application.

CATEGORIES

Recognises tourism businesses providing truly memorable visitor experiences for everyone, particularly those with accessibility requirements, and demonstrating excellence across every aspect of the business.Open to all types of accommodation, food & beverage services, transport services, sporting venues, theatres that have a tour, museum or exhibition element included, guided tours, cultural services, travel agencies, sporting adventure and recreational activities, retail, visitor services and attractions.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business. Events and festivals are not eligible to apply to this category.

Recognises bed & breakfast and guest house businesses providing truly memorable guest experiences and demonstrating excellence across every aspect of the business.The proprietor or a staff member lives on site offering a maximum of 12 guest bedrooms. However, businesses with more than 12 bedrooms can apply if they consider themselves appropriate for this category.

The property may also be the proprietor’s home, and is most likely to be run by the owner with few or no additional staff. Guests are likely to have direct interaction with the proprietor.

There is no requirement for your business to be quality assessed. However, if you have an independent quality assessment/mystery shopping report from the last two years, you might wish to upload it to your application form.

Recognises business events venues that demonstrate an excellent understanding of the market, exceeding the expectations of their clients and have a strategic plan for future development within this area, with clear goals.Open to any business that hosts business events (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) e.g. hotels, conference centres, exhibition venues. Clients may be exclusively from UK markets or also be from international markets.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business.

Events and festivals are not eligible to apply to this category.

Recognises holiday parks, sites and villages providing truly memorable guest experiences and demonstrating excellence across every aspect of the business.Open to all businesses whose main offer is holiday parks, sites, villages, camping and glamping. Holiday parks/sites with static vans, touring pitches, tent pitches, glamping and other accommodation such as shepherd’s huts, or any combination.

Sites ranging from small static caravan parks with no added services and facilities, up to larger sites with many on-site facilities, some of which might be open to the public. Holiday villages offering room only or self-catering accommodation e.g. lodges and chalets.

A holiday village is typically a complex with a range of facilities and activities available. Holiday parks that consist entirely of units that are owned may apply if used by owners for holiday purposes only (not as a permanent residence).

There is no requirement for your business to be quality assessed. However, if you have an independent quality assessment/mystery shopping report from the last two years, you might wish to upload it to your application form.

1. Remarkable Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award

2. Remarkable B&B & Guest House of the Year

3. Remarkable Business Events Venue of the Year

4. Remarkable Camping, Glamping & Holiday Park

Recognises businesses within the tourism industry that offer food, beverage and service innovation and excellence.Directly involved in tourism, making a contribution to the visitor economy with a significant proportion of business generated by people visiting from outside the local area.

Open to food service businesses including restaurants, hotel restaurants, cafés, tea rooms, coffee shops, bistros etc. Offers the option for table service.

Access to toilet facilities is available. Does not require payment of an admission fee to access the eatery. A single site from an independent, chain or group operator.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business. Events and festivals are not eligible to apply to this category.

Recognises tourism businesses committed to being sustainable, responsible and ethical in how they operate and interact with customers, the wider community and the environment.Open to all types of accommodation, food & beverage services, transport services, sporting venues, theatres that have a tour, museum or exhibition element included, guided tours, cultural services, travel agencies, sporting adventure and recreational activities, retail, visitor services and attractions.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business.

Events and festivals are not eligible to apply to this category.

Recognises providers of truly memorable and immersive activities for visitors to participate in.Open to any visitor experience that requires participation in an activity. The experience may involve a host/teacher/instructor/guide or may be undertaken independently and is likely to be immersive and interactive.

Typically experiences will be learning, adventure or relaxation based. Likely to fall under one of these themes: wellness and well-being (e.g. spa), Sporting and active (e.g. caving), Environment (e.g. beach cleaning, dry stone walling), Arts & culture (e.g. pottery making) or culinary (e.g. cookery courses).

Experiences (including guided tours) that are offered by visitor attractions will be eligible if they are standalone activities i.e. can be purchased separately, and not in addition to, general admission.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business.

Events and festivals and food service experiences are not eligible to apply to this category.

Recognises hotels and serviced accommodation businesses providing truly memorable guest experiences and demonstrating excellence across every aspect of the business.This is a broad category for all types and styles of serviced accommodation except bed & breakfast and guest house accommodation, which has its own category. A full service hotel – that includes a reception, restaurant, bar, dinner and breakfast or a hotel/serviced accommodation business offering a selection of hotel services, which are likely to include some or all of: reception, restaurant, bar, dinner and breakfast. Usually offers more than 12 bedrooms. However, serviced accommodation businesses with fewer than 12 can apply if they consider themselves appropriate for this category.

There is no requirement for your business to be quality assessed. However, if you have an independent quality assessment/mystery shopping report from the last two years, you might wish to upload it to your application form.

5. Remarkable Cuppa Award

6. Remarkable Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award

7. Remarkable Experience of the Year

8. Remarkable Hotel of the Year

Recognises excellent local food producers, providing top quality produce to the local area and beyond.This category is open to producers, processors or growers of local food and drink products, vineyards, breweries, farms and co-operatives.

Entries must demonstrate creativity in their use or production of local produce, how the produce is made available to customers, and creative marketing used to promote their product and the region.

Recognises high performing new tourism businesses, demonstrating excellent understanding of their market, exceeding the expectations of their customers with clear plans for future development.Open to all types of accommodation, food & beverage services, transport services, sporting venues, theatres that have a tour, museum or exhibition element included, guided tours, cultural services, travel agencies, sporting adventure and recreational activities, retail, visitor services and attractions.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business. Events and festivals are not eligible to apply to this category.

Recognises pubs that make a significant contribution to tourism in their area, with a food and drink offering that includes quality locally sourced produce.Open to a single pub site from an independent, chain or group operator that offers food and the option to drink and not dine. Does or does not offer accommodation (accommodation not judged). Has a unique selling point that might be food, theme or entertainment.

Recognises businesses within the tourism industry that offer food, beverage and service innovation and excellence.Open to food service businesses including restaurants, hotel restaurants, cafés, tea rooms, coffee shops, bistros etc. offering the option for table service.

Access to toilet facilities is available. Does not require payment of an admission fee to access the eatery. A single site from an independent, chain or group operator.

Pubs may consider this category or the Pub of the Year category – choosing the one that best suits their business and only enter into one.

Businesses of all sizes can apply as this category is judged within the context and style of the business.

Events and festivals are not eligible to apply to this category.

9. Remarkable Local Producer Award

10. Remarkable New Tourism Business Award

11. Remarkable Pub of the Year

12. Remarkable Restaurant Award

Businesses whose main offer is self-catering accommodation including cottages, houses, historic properties (or part thereof), holiday boats, barn conversions, apartments and hostels etc.A single self-catering property or a collection of self-catering properties in one location (on a single site) owned by the same proprietor and of a similar quality.

A business with multiple properties across different locations is not eligible to apply in its entirety. However, an application may be completed for a specific location (on a single site) if it is clearly identified within any marketing e.g. website.

Large self-catering accommodation complexes (e.g. with chalets and lodges) with a range of facilities and activities available should apply for the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year category.

There is no requirement for your business to be quality assessed. However, if you have an independent quality assessment/mystery shopping report from the last two years, you might wish to upload it to your application form.

Recognises the best event or festival in Hull and East Yorkshire which provides a truly memorable experience to visitors to the area.What is the best event or festival in Hull and East Yorkshire that takes place over a day, weekend, week, month or season?

The event can be free or paid for; a one-off happening or a rolling series of annual events. The experience can be related to a specific activity or a special package.

When completing your application please remember the judges have not attended your event so clear, detailed answers are important.

Recognises visitor attraction businesses providing truly memorable visitor experiences and demonstrating excellence across every aspect of the business.Open to all visitor attractions that are capable of attracting day visitors, tourists and local residents. May occasionally require pre-booking for a visit or activity.

Retail outlets, sporting venues and theatres are not eligible to apply unless there is also a tour, museum or exhibition element included.

Guided tours that are not based within a visitor attraction should apply for the relevant Experience of the Year category.

This person is selected by the Visit Hull & East Yorkshire Advisory Board Group who in their judgement has made a significant contribution to tourism in our region.Nominations are invited from the local tourism industry.

13. Remarkable Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year

14. Remarkable Tourism Event of the Year

15. Remarkable Visitor Attraction of the Year

16. Remarkable East Yorkshire Passion Award

Supporting evidence is optional but it is recommended that you supply evidence to support your application.

Examples of evidence include quality assessment reports, awards, social media ratings, customer feedback, menus, press cuttings, certificates, leaflets, photographs or even business plans.

For the Experience/Event category only, video footage or a link to footage of a maximum of 3 minutes would be helpful.

If we feel that the category you have entered is inappropriate we will contact you to suggest an alternative.

Our Glittering Award Ceremony 19th March 2020, Bridlington Spa

• Shortlisting will take place shortly after the closing date via independent panels and mystery shopping.

• Shortlisted businesses must agree to waive the costs associated with the mystery shopping process such as food, beverages, admission prices etc. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the final outcome of the awards decisions.

• All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the REYTA ceremony on 19th March 2020 where the winners will be announced.

Judging Process

• You are judged on the answers you provide. Evidence should support what you have said in your application.

• Give examples! Tell us what you did, why you did it and the impact it had on your business.

• When completing your application, assume judges haven’t visited your business. Paint a clear picture of your business and what makes it fantastic.

• If you’re entering the events category, remember that events cannot be mystery shopped and

Top Tips for your Application

assume judges didn’t attend. Therefore, your application needs to be clear and detailed, showcasing your event in its best light.

• We receive a lot of applications so make yours stand out! Show us the passion you have for your business and tell us all your amazing qualities.

• The REYTAs celebrates excellence but also looks for businesses that are striving to improve, so make sure to detail your improvements in your application.

Go to www.reytas.co.uk to complete your entry.

You can create your own account in order to log in and continue your application when suitable.

You can save your progress at any point.

Once completed, click submit and you will receive a confirmation message indicating your application

has been successfully submitted.

Entries can be received up to noon on Monday 20th January 2020

ENTER ONLINE NOW

FOR 2020

CLOSING DATE