We are so pleased and proud to announce that Lon Lodges has made the shortlist for the National Tourism Awards for Wales 2013. The shortlist was announced to the public and media at the launch of the new tourism strategy for Wales by Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart.

The following Press Release was issued on 17/06/13 from the Welsh Government News

Record numbers enter Tourism Awards

A record number of Welsh tourism businesses have entered this year’s National Tourism Awards for Wales, with 59 now shortlisted for the prestigious awards. Over 420 applications were made for the 19 National Tourism Award categories that will name the Best Place to Eat, the Best Place to Stay, the Best Visitor Experience and the Regional Tourism Awards, among others.

The awards are staged by Visit Wales, in partnership with the Wales Tourism Alliance and in commercial partnership with Quadrant Media and Communications, to recognise and reward the very best in Welsh tourism. In total, there are 15 businesses short-listed from the Capital Region, which covers South East Wales, 12 from mid Wales, 16 from North Wales and 16 from South West Wales.

The short-listed businesses were officially announced at the launch of the new tourism strategy for Wales by Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart. The strategy ‘Partnership for Growth’ has set the vision for the industry and Welsh Government to work in partnership to increase visitor spend to Wales.

The Minister said: “It’s fantastic to see such a high number of entries for this year’s National Tourism Awards for Wales. What’s more, the quality of those entries was outstanding. We are very fortunate in Wales to have a tourism sector of such high calibre. The shortlisted businesses are prime examples of quality businesses, helping to drive higher tourism earnings for the Welsh economy. We look forward to unveiling the winners in November.”

A panel of independent judges whittled down all entries into the announced shortlist. The finalists from that shortlist will be unveiled at the National Tourism Awards for Wales awards ceremony at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on 21 November 2013, where the overall winners will be crowned.

Lon Lodges will keep you updated during the next few months!