Award Categories

Best Café, Bar or Restaurant Award

Visitor experience: 

This category celebrates the finest bars, cafes and restaurants, who demonstrate why Scotland is renowned for providing excellent service to all visitors. The winners are also recognised for the exemplary levels of customer service and satisfaction offered.

Who should enter: 

This category is open to bars, cafés or restaurants of any size

What the judges are looking for: 

Evidence of both qualitative and quantitative measures including a clear strategy, a proven track record of exceptional customer care and an innovative approach to delivering an excellent experience.

Best Cultural Event Award

Event tourism is extremely important to the tourism industry in Scotland. Successful events attract large volumes of visitors, generate significant economic and media profile, and inspire and involve local communities. This category is open to cultural events that take place at a national and international level across Scotland.

Who should enter:
Organisers of new or established local, regional or international cultural event of any size.

What the judges are looking for:
Cultural events that attract international or national audiences and can show evidence of media attention, local collaborations and benefits to Scotland's tourism economy.

Best Guest House or Bed & Breakfast Award

As a service industry provider, this award recognises that excellence in service, customer care and making a stay a memorable experience to the visitor are core business objectives. To meet increasing customer demands and be competitive we need to work more effectively and continue to achieving customers expectations.

Visitor experience:

This category celebrates the finest examples of Scotland's renowned reputation for exemplary service and experience to the visitor. For guest houses and B&Bs that demonstrate exemplary levels of customer service and satisfaction. 

Who should enter:

Guest houses and B&Bs who participate in VisitScotland's Quality Assurance Scheme or a similar recognised scheme.

What the judges are looking for:

A clear strategy, a proven track record and evidence of exceptional customer care. Evidence that provide both qualitative and quantitative measures.

Best Self Serve Accommodation Award

The self-serve sector covers a wide variety of customer expectations and requirements designed to allow the customer to tailor their stay around their needs. Serviced apartments, hostels, camping facilities etc provide very different experiences, but what unites them is the commitment of the accommodation providers to offer a level of comfort and access to facilities to match the aspirations of their customers.

Visitor Experience:
This category celebrates the finest examples of Scotland's renowned reputation for exemplary service and experience to the visitor. For Self Serve Accommodation providers that demonstrate exemplary levels of customer service and satisfaction.

Who should enter:
Participants in VisitScotland's Quality Assurance scheme or similar recognised scheme and operate a Self Serve Accommodation ranging from camping, caravaning, chalet, apartments etc.

What the judges are looking for:
A clear strategy, a proven track record and evidence of exceptional customer care. Evidence that provide both qualitative and quantitative measures.

Best Shopping Experience Award

Tourism and shopping naturally have common linkages - both are leisure activities. It is one of the most common motivations for travel decisions and is actually the principal and most common activity taken by tourists. This Scottish Thistle Award recognises our retailing heroes of Scottish Tourism who are contributing such a great deal to the experience of our domestic and international visitors.

Visitor Experience

This category celebrates the finest examples of Scotland's renowned reputation for exemplary service for the customer. For retail businesses that demonstrate exemplary levels of customer service and satisfaction. Who recognise the value of the tourist £ and make particular efforts to maximize the business benefits; go the extra mile to provide an innovative retail experience to their visiting customers while providing friendly accessible facilities.

Who Should enter

Any retail business in Scotland who has visitors, from home or abroad, as a significant part of their customer profile. Businesses of all sizes and across the length and breadth of Scotland: From high street retailers, department stores and specialty shops to small rural businesses, mill shops and visitor attraction or accommodation retail outlets. Mill shops and visitor attractions or accommodation retail outlets

What the judges are looking for

Evidence of innovation in the retail experience, company focus on provision of customer care and how this is measured. Understanding of our visitors expectations and how these expectations are exceeded. Demonstrate an understanding of sustainability and how it is implemented. Any links with destination and/or Scottish manufacturers if appropriate to the business. How the business is successfully marketed to our visitors. Best Shopping Experience

Best Sporting Event Award

Events are extremely important to the tourism industry in Scotland.  Successful events attract large volumes of visitors, generate significant economic and media profile, and inspire and involve local communities.  This category is open to sporting events that take place at a national and/or international level across Scotland. 

Who should enter

 Organisers of new or established local, regional or international sporting event of any size.  Please note that you are applying for a specific iteration of the event and as such the event must have taken place within 12 months and outcomes should be known at the time of submission.

What the judges are looking for

Sporting events that attract international or national audiences and can show evidence of media attention, local collaborations and benefits to Scotland's tourism economy.

First Data Merchant Solutions - Best Hotel Award

The accommodation sector is intrinsic to tourism. Representing the largest sector of tourism by spend, the hotel experience is a key contributor to many visitors lasting impressions of Scotland. This award recognises the pursuit of excellence in customer service, care and creating a memorable experience.

As a keen supporter of Scottish Tourism, First Data Merchant Solutions is the proud sponsor of the Best Hotel Award. We are an expert in the electronic payments business, dedicated to driving our customers? success by providing fast and secure processing for credit and debit card transactions. We share the ethos that a business must continually strive to exceed expectations by setting new benchmarks for customer service, quality, convenience and value.

Visitor Experience

This category celebrates the finest examples of Scotland's renowned reputation for exemplary service and experience to the visitor.   For hotels that demonstrate exemplary levels of customer service and satisfaction

Who should enter

Participants in VisitScotland's Quality Assurance scheme or similar recognised scheme and operate a hotel or hotel chain.

What the judges are looking for

A clear strategy, a proven track record and evidence of exceptional customer care.  Evidence that provide both qualitative and quantitative measures.

Historic Scotland - Tourism Entrepreneur Award

The spirit of entrepreneurship abounds in Scottish tourism. As an industry populated predominantly by SMEs, it is the bravery of individuals to see an opportunity and create a market that drives innovation forward and maintains Scotland as a world class destination.

Historic Scotland embraces the spirit of entrepreneurship; through their innovative approach marketing historic properties to supporting businesses who see modern opportunity in our nation's history. Historic Scotland is proud to support the energy and drive of Scotland's tourism entrepreneurs.

Who should enter

This category is open to businesses that are driven to innovate, demonstrating consistently that they are prepared to take risks in order to excel.

What the judges are looking for

A dynamic business with a track record in creating new products and services; harnessing an understanding of their customers to develop truly exciting and innovative enterprises.

Scottish Natural Heritage - Best Nature Based Experience Award

Iconic wildlife, outstanding landscapes - Scotland's accessible natural environment is a key tourism asset with nature-based tourism making a significant contribution to the sector. The direct economic impact of nature based tourism is £1.4 billion per annum. Tourist spending on nature based activities is worth nearly 40% of all tourism spending in Scotland and 39,000 jobs are reliant on this sector.

Working with partners, Scottish Natural Heritage helps ensure that Scotland has an attractive, high quality environment for visitors to enjoy and the tourism industry to grow. Responsible nature based tourism development will help safeguard these assets which set us apart from other places. Scottish Natural Heritage is proud to celebrate the achievements of those many businesses which responsibly showcase the best of Scotland.

Visitor Experience

This category celebrates the finest examples of Scotland's renowned reputation for exemplary service and experience to the visitor.

Who should enter

Businesses large and small that are directly involved in providing a visitor experience, focused on engaging with and showcasing Scotland's nature and environment. This category is appropriate to any business who offers their customers an experience of wildlife watching, enjoying the landscape, walking, adventure activities and field sports.

What the judges are looking for

Evidence of how nature based tourism is core to your businesses value and product. A demonstration of innovation in nature tourism to generate growth. A close understanding of environmental impacts and how the business is sympathetic to Scotland's natural assets.

Strathmore Spring Water - Best Visitor Attraction Award

Visitor attractions are a vital contributor to Scottish tourism drawing visitors from both national and international markets. Attractions provide memorable experiences for visitors through their commitment to delivering high quality, innovative and sustainable world class experiences. Strathmore Spring Water is delighted to support this important sector of Scottish tourism. Provence, authenticity and sustainability are at the heart of the brand - key facets that are shared with the business that represent the visitor attraction sector. Strathmore Spring Water is proud to support and celebrate the exciting experiences that bring Scotland to life for its visitors.

Visitor Experience

This category celebrates the finest examples of Scotland's renowned reputation for exemplary service and experience for the visitor. For Visitor Attractions that demonstrate exemplary levels of customer service and satisfaction.

Who should enter

This category is open to visitor attractions of all kinds and sizes.

What the judges are looking for

Judges are looking for businesses that have delivered something exceptional over the last year offering exceptional customer service.

Training and Skills Development Award

Businesses demonstrating training and skills development are providing commitment to investment in skills to Scotland. It celebrates individuals and teams which demonstrate outstanding personal and business success through investment in training and skills development. Open to tourism and hospitality businesses in Scotland that could demonstrate the tangible benefits they have achieved as a result of genuinely effective training and skills development and being recognised for their innovative approach to workplace development challenges. Evidence of company culture and clearly defined structures that encourage staff training and support staff in their own personal developments is a benefit of the business as a whole.

People

This category celebrates people development and individual or team excellence within specific disciplines. The category is open to any organisation who wants to recognise the contribution of their people to the success of their business.

Who should enter

This category is open to tourism businesses working to professional standards within the tourism industry by delivering tourism training and skills development

What the judges are looking for

Businesses that can demonstrate success through effective leadership, training and skills development.

VisitBritain - Marketing Campaign of the Year Award

A successful marketing will both excite and inform visitors to visit and return. Marketing encompasses a variety of skills and techniques but is founded on clear objectives, an imaginative approach and detailed analysis of the results.

VisitBritain is responsible for marketing the nations of Britain overseas and work in close partnership with a large number of organisations, including VisitScotland, to ensure that our visitor offer is marketed in an appropriate way. We also work to promote the tourism industry and are determined to increase the recognition of tourism's importance to UK Plc by the Government and to increase overseas visitor spend to all parts of Britain, thereby ensuring that tourism survives and prospers in the coming years. VisitBritain are delighted to sponsor the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award which aims to showcase best practice and the lasting legacy that effective marketing can create.

People

This category celebrates individual or team excellence within the discipline of marketing. The category is open to any organisation who wants to recognise the contribution of their people to the success of their business through marketing excellence.

Who should enter

Any tourism business who can demonstrate a clear marketing objective to attract visitors matched by deliverable success, recognising the creative talents and hard work of an individual or team.

What the judges are looking for

Clear evidence that a marketing strategy was conceived, managed and delivered with tangible results.