Isle of Man Tourism are reminding residents and visitors to send in their nominations for the Tourism Awards scheme 2012 before the closing date of 30th September 2012.

The Tourism Awards are now in their sixth year and have proved to be a very popular way in which to showcase all that the Isle of Man has to offer.

There are seven award categories: Best Customer Service (Individual); Best Visitor Accommodation; Best Campsite or Hostel; Best Eating Out Experience; Best Attraction; Best Town/Village; and Event of the Year. Awards are based on customer feedback and not simply on the number of nominations, which means that smaller enterprises can be just as likely to win as larger ones. 

Nominations can be submitted easily by visiting the Visit Isle of Man website at www.visitisleofman.com/tourismawards.  Alternatively, nomination forms can be collected and submitted from a number of distribution points around the Isle of Man including; the Welcome Centre; the Airport; Railway Stations; Local Commissioners’ Offices; and at all Manx National Heritage sites. Completed forms can also be returned by post.

The Department’s Political Member for Tourism, Geoff Corkish MBE MHK, said:

‘We are delighted to be part of the initiative to recognise the contribution of these businesses to the Island's success.  It is a great pleasure to see the hard work and commitment of professionals in the industry being recognised through the Tourism Awards.'
 
Angela Byrne, Head of Tourism for the Department of Economic Development, said:

‘The Tourism Awards support the Department’s strategic objective of encouraging quality and service in the tourism and hospitality industry. The carefully selected categories offer a great opportunity for the diverse range of tourism businesses on the Isle of Man to show how they stand out from the crowd.’
 
Andy Turner of IOM Trike Tours, which was named Best Attraction in 2011, said:

‘Trike Tours were pleased to be nominated for an Isle of Man Tourism Award as this showed the delivery of our service reached the high standards we set ourselves. Over the past year, several customers said that they had noted the award in our advertising and this gave them reassurance when making a booking.’

Judging of the awards by an independent panel takes place in October and the winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony which will be held towards the end of the year.