VENICE, ITALY postpones tourist tax

Visit West celebrates Bath’s hotel scene!

VisitEngland has today announced that two Bath hotels are have been nominated for the National Tourism annual Awards for Excellence. The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa featured in the ‘Large Hotel of the Year’ category and No. 15 by GuestHouse, Bath a finalist in the ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ category. Applications to the nationally recognised awards – which celebrate the businesses in tourism across England who have delivered excellence during the last year - were put forward for judging from businesses across England and went through a rigorous judging process by handpicked tourism industry experts. Gold, silver and bronze winners will be announced on June 8, 2022, in a ceremony in Birmingham.

Visit West Director of Tourism Kathryn Davis said: “We are absolutely thrilled for the teams at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa and No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath who thoroughly deserve to be named in the top three hotels in their category for these prestigious national awards. They have already achieved so much in the local and regional awards and so we will be cheering them on when the winners are announced on 8 June.”

No. 15 By Guesthouse Bath General Manager Guillaume Lesage said: “I am so delighted for the team at No.15 by GuestHouse, it has been an amazing few weeks of trophies and nominations. Being Finalist in the Visit England excellence award is true recognition of their hard work and the fantastic delivery of our service Ethos.”

VisitEngland Chief Executive Patricia Yates said: “Millions of jobs and local economies depend on tourism and this year’s awards are also a timely opportunity to acknowledge the determination and dedication of tourism businesses as they rebuild and continue to champion best practice and customer service excellence, providing visitors with a stand-out experience.” Celebrating Bath’s Hospitality Businesses Bath’s hotel scene is steadily recovering from the last few years with new openings and many recent award nominations. A 212-bedroom Hampton by Hilton opened earlier in the spring following the opening of The Yard in Bath last year, while Fragrance Hotels are forging ahead with plans to develop the former Royal Mineral Water Hospital in the city centre into a 160-room luxury spa hotel.

The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa also recently won an award from The Hotel Marketing Association for best social media campaign and is now looking ahead to the Queen’s Jubilee with a glorious afternoon tea event with music in the gardens of the hotel and a ‘Jubilee Joy’ package - two nights in a luxurious room or suite, a Jubilee themed cocktail, a champaign afternoon tea and a 6course Tasting Menu on one night – prices start from UK£530 per room per night.

The purchasing of a ticket to access the Italian city of Venice has been postponed until 2023, but a reservation system to enter the city will be implemented this summer. Venice will be the first city in the world to implement such a system.

From June, tourists who want to visit Venice will need to make an advance reservation. From 2023 the fee to enter will be between UK£2.5-UK£8.50. The decision to postpone is due to 2 years of pandemic and suffering for many operators.

Initially, no one will be penalised for not making a reservation or prevented from visiting the city or its historic centre.

The advantages for those who book in advance, since those who booked will have secured the purchase of tickets in museums and public transport will be allowed to move up the queue from those who have not made a reservation.