The East of England Tourism Awards 2021 are open for entries now, and the Experience of the Year category looks to recognise a truly memorable and immersive activity for visitors to participate in.
Experiences are an increasingly popular area of tourism, as co-judge Judy Randon, customer experience director at insight6, explains: “These types of experiences touch on all our five senses – sight, sound, scent, taste and touch. These memorable events trigger our feelings and this is why we remember them so vividly and why they, when they are good, are so popular!”
This award covers any visitor experience that requires participation in an activity. The experience may involve a host, teacher, instructor or guide, or it may be undertaken independently.
It’s likely to be immersive and interactive, and typically experiences will be learning, adventure or relaxation based, falling under one of these themes: wellness and wellbeing (eg spa), sporting and active (eg caving), environment (eg beach cleaning, dry stone walling), arts and culture (eg guided tours, pottery making) or culinary (eg cookery courses).
“Businesses who achieve consistently high levels of customer experience are, without doubt, passionate and driven people who deserve recognition,” says Judy. “I believe that every business involved in tourism, in whatever area, has a uniqueness and the range just really highlights the great job we, as judges, are privileged to carry out.”
So why should experience-based businesses take the time to enter this award?
“If you and your team have worked hard to create amazing end-to-end experiences for your customers, this should be celebrated from the roof tops and entering awards is a great way to celebrate with your teams, your loyal customers, your families and your future customers,” says Judy.
And if you want to impress the judges, Judy says a stand-out entry for this category will be one where it’s clear that the customer feels truly amazed and impressed about every single aspect of their experience, from first touch of the business through to lasting impressions.
“Winning an award such as this is an amazing opportunity to promote your business as being outstanding and will increase your brand reputation without a doubt,” concludes Judy.
The East of England Tourism Awards 2021 is open to tourism businesses operating across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Entries close at midnight on Sunday, October 3. Shortlisted finalists will go through a judging process, which may include a site visit, before being announced on Saturday, January 15, 2022.
A glittering black-tie event will then take place at Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, on Thursday, February 24, 2022.
Enter the East of England Tourism Awards now at www.tourismawards.co.uk
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Working across the UK in the tourism sector for a wide variety of clients, from hotels to attractions, to festivals and themed events, insight6 provide comprehensive insight on the customer journey with tailored feedback, customer experience review programmes and training.
The unique service provided offers local support and solutions to clients, to help them achieve a truly world-class customer experience and develop highly motivated teams to ensure business success and profitability.
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