Amazing Places To Visit, Dine, Stay and Experience Encouraged to Enter Tourism Awards
With just over a month to go until entries close for the North East England Tourism Awards, visitor economy businesses from across the North East are being encouraged to enter before its too late.
Celebrating the best hotels, eateries, attractions, camp sites, events, venues and more, the North East England Tourism Awards are back for 2026-2027 and businesses in Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne & Wear and the Tees Valley can now submit their entries before the deadline on 27th July 2026 at 5pm. Entries must be submitted via the official entry portal at experiencenortheastengland.co.uk/neeta
With a large range of categories covering everything from the best Small Hotels to the Unsung Heroes who make the industry tick, the awards offer an opportunity for businesses to showcase their excellence and quality, reward their hard-working teams and demonstrate to potential customers and visitors that they’re operating at the top of their game.
Recently revealed figures show the region welcomed over 70 million visitors in 2025 with the visitor economy now worth over £7.13 billion to the region. The awards provide the opportunity to champion the businesses who provide the world-famous North Eastern welcome to the millions of travellers that flock to our unrivalled coastline, tranquil countryside and vibrant towns and cities.
Organised in association with the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, winners of the regional heats are eligible for consideration on the national stage, allowing entrants to earn recognition at the highest level. The region recently enjoyed a bumper year at the national finals held in Bristol in June, with two golds, a silver and two bronze awards handed to some of the region’s most cherished tourism and hospitality spots.
The region’s awards last year once again secured the highest number of entries in England and bosses are hoping to beat last year’s record number of entries. A large number of businesses who were new to the awards took part last year and organisers are encouraging as many tourism and hospitality spots as possible to enter, so they can showcase the full breadth and depth of the region’s visitor offer.
The entry process is straight forward with an online application form assessed by a panel of experts. Judges will assess how well the standard questions are answered as well as reviewing the business’ online presence and how well they respond to feedback on popular review sites like Tripadvisor. From there, a shortlist of finalists will be revealed.
Businesses then face a rigorous second round of judging, conducted by a leading customer experience agency who make either pre-announced or ‘mystery shopper’ visits to assess the businesses’ customer offer, the quality of their facilities and their commitment to excellence. Final scores and detailed feedback are then collated before a glamourous ceremony takes place in Spring 2027, with each category awarding up to four accolades, ranging from Highly Commended to Gold.
A further set of categories designed exclusively for North East England will soon open for entries alongside the core categories, which will shine a light on the Rising Stars, Independent Businesses, Major Events and Cultural Gems that the region is famous for. More details will be announced on the Experience North East England social media channels in the coming weeks.
Billed as the biggest night in tourism, last year’s ceremony featured a stunning live orchestral performance of North East hits ranging from PJ & Duncan to Sam Fender, and organisers are already planning an even bigger and better event for its 25th anniversary. Opportunities to sponsor the awards are also now open to businesses eager to show their support for the visitor economy.
The awards are organised by the region’s newly formed destination marketing agency Experience North East England on behalf of the region, alongside Local Visitor Economy Partnerships Visit Northumberland, Visit NewcastleGateshead, Visit County Durham, Visit Tees Valley and all seven local authorities that come under the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Ian Thomas, interim Chief Executive of Experience North East England said: “For over two and a half decades, the North East England Tourism Awards have been championing the amazing visitor economy businesses who welcome over 70 million visitors to the region every year.
“We’re home to some of the country’s finest tourism and hospitality assets and our recent success at the national awards and the high number of entries our awards programme receives demonstrates the sheer volume of quality businesses we have here.
“Our previous winners have reported that winning a Tourism Award has led to increased bookings, greater staff retention, heightened awareness and unrivalled PR coverage and I would encourage any visitor economy business, whether they’re a cutting-edge restaurant, thrilling attraction, homely hotel or a rustic escape to enter.”
Elain Meenaghan, Director of Sales at gold award winners for Small Hotel of the Year, The Tempus at both the regional and national awards said: "Winning gold at the North East England Tourism Award has been an incredible achievement for The Tempus. As a relatively new business, it was fantastic recognition for the hard work and dedication of our entire team, giving us confidence that we're making a real impact and moving in the right direction.
“I would encourage any business considering entering the awards to go for it. Don't assume you're too small or too new. The process is worthwhile in itself, and the recognition can have a hugely positive impact on both your business and your team."
