Best Meal Out - Taste of Swansea Bay

Sponsored by Castell Howell

This award is open to any Restaurant, Café / Tea Rooms, Bar or Hotel who provide excellent quality food, with an innovative menu using locally sourced seasonal produce (where possible), promoting local Welsh identity.  We will also be looking for excellent customer service and hospitality.

Best Pub or Bar

Sponsored by Booker Wholesale

This award is open to any pub or bar that provides excellent customer service, quality and hospitality.  They should sell a range of drinks that have been sourced from Wales, example, Welsh Beer, Whisky, Wine etc. and soft drinks from Wales - promoting Welsh identity. 

Best Activity or Attraction

Sponsored by Pear Communications

This award is open to an Attraction or Activity provider, which can demonstrate excellence in service, hospitality, quality and customer care.  Consistently providing a unique and memorable visitor experience: extending a warm welcome. 

Best Festival & Event

Sponsored by The Wave & Swansea Sound

Swansea Bay has a plethora of festivals and events, many are organised by enthusiastic individuals who spend their own money and many hours of their time working hard to bring ‘visitors’ to the area.  What are we looking for?  Does the festival or event bring visitors from outside Swansea Bay, engage with places to stay (accommodation providers) and places to eat & drink?  Does the festival enhance the area through its marketing and content?  Is the ‘event’ working towards being sustainable?   

Best Green Tourism Business

This award is open to any business that has demonstrated a dedication to adopt or improve sustainable ‘green’ business practices within their operations.  What are we looking for? - a business that has excelled or made improvements in energy, water and waste management – what steps have you done to reduce your carbon footprint?  Do you encourage your guests and staff to use sustainable transport (perhaps public transport or bikes)?  These are just some pointers, there are many more ways that you could have done to improve your sustainability.  

Innovation In Marketing

Sponsored by Harcourt Colour Print

A winning marketing campaign will enthuse the visitor, encouraging them to visit and return time and time again.  Just as we have many different types of visitors, there are many new and innovative ways to attract them to the area, for example, through the use of technology, social media etc…  This category will be awarded to an individual or a team who have demonstrated an unmistakable enthusiasm to bring visitors to the area, have clear marketing objectives and can demonstrate success.  We will recognise individuals and team with creative talents, giving campaigns that extra edge. 

Best Visitor Experience

Sponsored by City & County of Swansea

This award is open to business or individual, which can demonstrate they go the extra mile to consistently provide a unique and memorable visitor experience, extending a warm welcome, making an extraordinary effort to provide more than is expected to the visitors who come to the Swansea Bay area.  We will be looking for evidence from ‘customer’ comments, which demonstrate the ‘Wow’ factor. 

Best Newcomer

Sponsored by The King Arthur Hotel

A successful tourism, leisure and hospitality industry requires a constant supply of fresh ideas and new business start-ups.  This award will recognise an individual or new business, established within the last 2 years (From August 2010), which has demonstrated a successful contribution to or enhances the industry within the Swansea Bay area. 

Best Young Ambassador

Supported by Gower College Swansea

The future of the Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality industry lies with people having the ambition, passion and dedication to want to have successful careers within this vibrant industry.

The Best Young Ambassador award is open to all young people aged 29 and under, on the 15th October 2012. 

This category is open to anyone studying to work in the tourism, leisure and hospitality industry, who has shown the most enthusiasm / commitment to gaining knowledge about the ‘industry’ in Swansea Bay, Or this category is open to any young person who has set up a new tourism, leisure & hospitality venture. 

Outstanding Services to Tourism award

Sponsored by SWW Media

In this award we are looking for an individual Or organisation who have made an outstanding contribution by dedicating their time and energy to making a difference to the tourism, leisure and hospitality industry in the Swansea Bay area.  Perhaps inspiring and leading others to create a more sustainable tourism industry in Swansea Bay Or perhaps a member of staff who has delivered excellent customer service to visitors for a number of years beyond the norm.