TOURISM NEWS

COUNTDOWN TO TOURISM AWARDS

The finalists have been announced for the 21st year of the Cornwall Tourism Awards, which will be presented in Truro Cathedral this month.

After three months of judging, 63 finalists have been announced for this year’s awards, with the winners announced on November 17.

This year’s awards have taken ever greater account of entrants’ commitment to the environment and community, as well as displaying an exemplary digital presence. The awards organisers have evolved too, this year winning their own ‘Outstanding’ accreditation in the Awards TrustMark scheme.

Plans have been released for a 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel in St Ives.

A public exhibition was held last month to share proposals from Whitbread, the parent company to Premier Inn, for the site of the Trewidden Care Home, Trewidden Road next to Trenwith Car Park.

The proposed hotel has been designed to a high environmental standard in a contemporary style, with design touches that “reference existing architecture” in St Ives. The proposed hotel would be clad with copper as a nod to the mining at Wheal Trenwith which operated close to the site.

If approved, more than £10 million will be invested in the construction of the proposed hotel and 30 new permanent jobs in a variety of roles will be created on opening. Successful businesses in many categories will be fast tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in March and possibly invited to represent Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the 2023 national VisitEngland Awards, in which Cornwall has often excelled.

Awards organiser, Robin Barker of Services for Tourism, commented: “After a tough two years for tourism, it has been gratifying to see so many tourism businesses excelling, demonstrating their passion for

PREMIER INN EYES ST IVES

It is also estimated that guests of the St Ives Premier Inn would spend around £2.5 million per year in the local economy – £1.2 million of which is expected to be spent during the off-peak season.

The Trewidden Care home site already has planning permission for a 39-bedroom apart hotel that was granted in 2016 and would occupy a large portion of the site if built. The York Hotel operated from the building until the 1980s and, if approved, Premier Inn’s plans would bring the site back to this original use through the development of a new hotel building.

Trewidden Care Home is made up of 39 beds and the current residents of the home, their families and the on-site care team have been informed of the plans to redevelop the site by Cornwallis Care Services, which operates the home.

A planning application for the proposed hotel is anticipated to be submitted to Cornwall Council before Christmas. the industry and showing their commitment to both the environment and community in which they operate. My heartfelt congratulations to them all.”

The 23 award categories cover everything from dog friendly, active experiences and cafes to glamping, hotels and pubs. A Winner of Winners title, a Tourism Leadership award and special Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award will also be presented on the night.

For a full list of finalists, go to cornwalltourismawards.org.uk

LOVE IT, BUY IT

The Headland Hotel & Spa has become the latest hospitality provider to join a new ecommerce platform that enables guests to buy the products they encounter during their stay.

Standing for ‘Love it, Buy It’, LiBi uses QR code access to enable guests staying in the hotel’s rooms to purchase items varying from mattresses and beds to art and design, food and drink to consumer tech by simply scanning the corresponding code – allowing the hotel to earn incremental income with every transaction.

LiBi, which launched in February, has partnered with a number of hospitality providers across the UK, including the 137-room Alan Hotel in Manchester, 4-star Mount Pleasant Hotel in Doncaster, and Lake District-based Rothay Garden Hotel.