Blenheim Palace scoops 'Attraction of the Year' at UKinbound awards

By Giles Gwinnett

27 September 2023

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Left to right: Maxine Café - head of partnerships (Virgin Experience Days), Sarah‑Jayne Beasley - partnership manager (Blenheim Palace), Siobhan Harrison – account director (Travel Beat) and the UKInbound Awards host - picture contributed

Oxfordshire's Blenheim Palace was named 'Attraction of the Year' at an awards ceremony from UKinbound - a trade association that represents the interests of the UK’s inbound tourism industry.

The winners of the orgainisation's 'Awards for Excellence 2023' were chosen by a panel of independent judges from across the tourism industry.

They were Kurt Janson, former director of The Tourism Alliance, Jason Edwards, of Jason Edwards Travel and Dr Karen Thomas, director of Tourism and Events Research Hub at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Blenheim received the award in front of 350 tourism and hospitality professionals at a gala dinner at Belfast City Hall.

Heather Carter, the managing director of visitor attraction at Blenheim Palace, said: "Winning this award truly means a lot to us as it is testament to the hard work, dedication and passion of each and every department that makes Britain’s Greatest Palace all that it is today.

"It is an honour to be crowned among an impressive shortlist of visitor attractions creating such fierce competition and fantastic to come together as an industry to celebrate our world-class tourism businesses."

Joss Croft OBE, CEO UKinbound added: "Last year, our inbound tourism industry saw over 31 million visits from international tourists to the UK who spent over £26 billion and our Awards for Excellence are a great opportunity to reward and celebrate the industry.

"Our members who work for businesses such as major attractions, tour operators, transport and accommodation providers have all worked incredibly hard over the last 12 months and made a significant contribution to the continuing success of the sector.

"We are delighted to name Blenheim Palace as our Attraction of the Year."

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By Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.