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15 Dumfries & Galloway Entries Shortlisted for Scottish Thistle Awards

The Devil’s Porridge Museum, Basecamp Café at Laggan Outdoors, Solway Tours, and the Big Burns Supper Festival are among those shortlisted for a top tourism award, as the Scottish Thistles Awards celebrates its 25th anniversary.

A total of 15 businesses, individuals and events in the region have made it through to the regional finals. Winners will be announced at the West Regional Final at Glasgow Science Centre on Thursday 26 October 2017.

This year marks the ‘silver’ anniversary for the prestigious competition, which celebrates success, innovation, excellence and best practice in the country’s tourism and hospitality industry. Over the past 25 years, the Scottish Thistle Award has crowned over 350 national winners.

The awards recognise hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, visitor attractions and individuals who go the extra mile to provide customers with exceptional service.

2017 saw a record breaking 734 entries submitted, including hundreds of nominations from members of the public keen to recognise hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, visitor attractions and individuals who go the extra mile to provide customers with exceptional service.

Rebecca Brooks, Chair of the Scottish Thistle Awards Industry Panel, said: “It’s fantastic that in this special anniversary year, we’ve had such an overwhelming response to this year’s competition. These awards aim to find the crème de la crème of Scotland’s tourism industry, to recognise the shining lights who have shown real commitment and dedication to the industry.
“From the sheer volume and calibre of entries, it is clear that this year’s competition will be the fiercest yet and on behalf of the panel I’d like to congratulate all the shortlisted entrants and wish each and every one of them the very best of the luck at the regional finals.”

The Scottish Thistle Awards is led by a panel of industry experts from several organisations including VisitScotland, Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards, Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards, the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, sportscotland and Wild Scotland.

Paula Ward, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “I’m delighted to see that so many businesses and individuals from Dumfries & Galloway have been shortlisted for a regional Scottish Thistle Award.
Every year, we see the tourism industry in Dumfries and Galloway continue to punch above its weight. The fact that, this year, we have a remarkable 15 finalists is testament to the impressive range and depth of outstanding tourism businesses we have in the region.
 “Tourism is more than a holiday experience, it creates jobs and sustains communities. The Scottish Thistle Awards is a chance for us to celebrate those who work tirelessly to ensure that all visitors, whether from Scotland or further afield, enjoy a truly memorable experience.
“I wish all those shortlisted the best of luck in the regional final.”

Four regional ceremonies will be held in: Central, Fife & Tayside and Lothians & Borders; West; Highlands and Islands, which will be organised by the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards; and Aberdeen City and Shire, which will be organised by Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards.

Regional finalists will battle it out across 16 different categories including Fishers – Most Hospitable Hotel, Best Pub/Bar, Best Visitor Attraction and Tourism Hospitality Hero.  In celebration of the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017, the new award will honour those who excel in bringing to life Scotland’s rich history, heritage and traditions.

The full 16 regional categories are:

  • Fishers – Most Hospitable Hotel
  • Most Hospitable B&B/Guest House
  • Best Accommodation Provider
  • Historic Environment Scotland – Best Heritage Tourism Experience
  • Innovation in Tourism
  • Best Informal Eating Experience
  • Best Restaurant Experience
  • Best Pub/Bar
  • Regional Ambassador
  • Caledonian MacBrayne – Best Cultural Event or Festival
  • Best Sporting Event
  • Best Outdoor/Adventure Experience
  • HIT Scotland Regional Rising Star
  • Working Together for Tourism
  • ScotRail – Best Visitor Attraction
  • Tourism & Hospitality Hero

 

For further information about the Scottish Thistle Awards visit: www.scottishthistleawards.co.uk

Full Shortlist for the West Regional Final

Category

 

Shortlisted finalist

 

Local Authority Area

 

Best Accommodation Provider

 

Forest Way on White Loch
 

 

Portnellan Farm

Colvend, Dumfries and Galloway
 

Alexandria, Dunbartonshire

Best Bar/Pub

 

Hielan Jessie Ltd
 

Imperial Bar

 

The Clachan Inn

Glasgow
 

Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

 

Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway

Best Cultural Event or Festival

 

Big Burns Supper Festival
 

Glasgow Film Festival

 

Illumination: Harbour Festival of Light

Dumfries and Galloway
 

Glasgow

 

Irvine, North Ayrshire

Best Informal Eating Experience

 

Basecamp Café
 

Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen

 

Scrumptious

Gatehouse of Fleet – Dumfries and Galloway
Glasgow

 

Dumfries

Best Outdoor/Adventure Experience

 

Firm of RS Duncan (Blackstone Clydesdales)
 

Galloway Activity Centre

Cumnock, Ayrshire
Castle Douglas,  Dumfries and Galloway
Best Restaurant Experience

 

Blackaddie House Hotel
 

Buzzworks Holdings – Scotts of Troon

 

Number 16 Restaurant

Sanquhar – Dumfries and Galloway
Troon– South Ayrshire
 

Glasgow

Fishers – Most Hospitable Hotel

 

Cameron House on Loch Lomond
 

Elphinstone Hotel

 

Trigony House Hotel

Dunbartonshire
 

Biggar, South Lanarkshire

 

Closeburn,  Dumfries and Galloway

Historic Environment Scotland – Best Heritage Site

 

Britannia Panoptican
 

Glasgow Music City Tours

 

The Devil’s Porridge Museum

Glasgow
 

Glasgow

 

East Riggs, Dumfries and Galloway

HIT Scotland – Regional Rising Star

 

Emma Kirk, Blythswood Square Hotel
 

Julianne Grasekamp, Snuggle Muffin

 

Laura Dunphy, Blythswood Sqaure Hotel

Glasgow
 

Glasgow

 

Glasgow

Innovation in Tourism

 

Galloway Activity Centre
 

Solway Tours

 

VisitArran

Castle Douglas,  Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway

 

Isle of Arran

Most Hospitable B&B/Guest House

 

Bridge House
 

Hillcrest Guest House

 

 

The Old School B&B

Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway
Wigtown, Dumfries & Galloway

 

New Cumnock, East Ayrshire

Regional Ambassador

 

Ian McAndrew, Blackaddie House Hotel
Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway

 

ScotRail – Best Visitor Attraction

 

Heads of Ayr Farm Park
 

Isle of Arran Distillery

 

The Experience

Alloway, Ayrshire
 

Isle of Arran

 

Glasgow

Tourism & Hospitality Hero

 

Forbes Crawford, Glynhill Hotel
 

Ian Byers, Stravaigin Tours

 

John Stevenson, Experience Scotland’s Wild

Glasgow
 

Glasgow

Dunbartonshire
Working Together for Tourism

 

Solway Tours
 

VisitArran

Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway
Isle of Arran

 

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