This annual Tourism Superstar competition is organised by VisitEngland to recognise the dedication and passion of those working in the tourism industry. It is awarded to a team or an individual who go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure visitors to England have an unforgettable experience.

Run in conjunction with The Mirror, the campaign champions and celebrates those in the industry who go the extra mile, highlights the variety of careers in tourism and promotes quality, customer service and excellence within England’s tourism industry. 

Usually, the award scheme details are published late October, for nominations to be reviewed by a panel in early December. A shortlist of ten finalists is announced in conjunction with the Daily Mirror in February with lots of social media and local promotion to encourage the public to vote to choose the overall winner, which is announced during English Tourism Week in March.

This annual competition gives any business that gets through to the final ten nominations a chance for local and national publicity. Check out previous finalists here in the Cotswolds to see why they were nominated. Why don’t you enter this prestigious award next year?

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Tourism Superstar 2024

The search has started for the 2024 superstar. You can submit your nominations for teams of ten or individuals to cotswoldstourism@cotswold.gov.uk with a colour image. The deadline for application forms to be with us is 29th November ready for a final submission to VisitEngland on 30th November. The judging panel will then meet early December 23.

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March 2023 -  Many thanks to everyone who voted for Dave who secured third place in this national competition. See the full results here

2023 Finalists announced. From 6 February - 20 March 2023: voting is running for Tourism Superstar 2023 on the Mirror website.

We are delighted to have a finalist representing the Cotswolds to now all get behind promote.

 

Vote now for Dave Painter of WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre who is a finalist for 2023 Tourism Superstar award.

Last year marked Dave’s 40th anniversary of working for Slimbridge wetland reserve and his contribution has been immense.

Over four decades he’s never stopped thinking how it can be improved, and the wetland habitats and the species Slimbridge support throughout the year are now hugely more diverse because of his work.

Equally well known for how he helps visitors embrace that wildlife, he embraces YouTube and TV as an important way of getting the conservation message across and connecting the public with nature.

He introduced important waterscapes, including South Lake, which is used by breeding species such as the avocet and common crane.

South Lake is seen as one of Dave’s greatest achievements as it’s now one of the best birding spots in the UK.

Dave is definitely a local legend, let’s make him a national superstar by all showing our support and voting now. 

2023 – The current nominations were submitted to VisitEngland in December 2022, with the largest number of submissions from the Cotswolds region to date. Good luck to all those that took the time to apply.

Previous Tourism Superstar nominations

2022 Tourism Superstar nominations:

Blenheim Palace cleaning team

All tourism business rely on their ‘behind the scenes’ staff but they are not usually in the limelight. So it was lovely to see the Blenheim Palace cleaning team nominated for taking on the challenge presented by the pandemic to ensure a constant disinfectant rotation was put into place, on top of their daily tasks to ensure visitors felt safe and the doors of this key World Heritage Site stayed open.

Mike James, Director of Savouring Bath

Mike has expanded artisan food tours of Bath to offer a range of itineraries as well as bespoke events, collaborating with local businesses such as the Royal Crescent Hotel. He champions local artisan producers and is a great ambassador for Bath and the Cotswolds.

2020 Tourism Superstar nomination:

Hayley Mullaney, Assistant Curator and Head Mammal keeper at Cotswold Wildlife Park

Hayley was nominated for not only being a dedicated member of the Park’s team looking after the animals but also for her work in organising events, especially those focussed for charities. She organised the Park’s first-ever “Dreamnight at the Zoo” – an evening for chronically ill and disabled children and their families to exclusively enjoy the wildlife park after hours.

2017 Tourism Superstar nomination:

Peter Jay, Volunteer, Cotswold Water Park Trust

Peter was nominated for his work helping tourists navigate the Cotswold Water Park area and all its activities by manning a busy information desk at the Gateway Centre, as well as ‘going the extra mile’ with visitors. He once helped a Japanese tourist whose hire car had a puncture and located the owners of lost car keys. He also helps train and recruit new volunteers for the centre.