Applications
Eligible tourism businesses must apply directly to the West Midlands Tourism Awards by completing an application using the online portal. All you have to do is answer four key questions and provide links to your online presence and customer reviews. Make sure you take a look at VisitEngland’s helpful top tips before completing your application.
All entries must be submitted via the online portal and cannot be accepted via email or any other format.
Click here to create your account to start and submit your online entry; you can save as you work through the form and print if required at any time prior to submitting the final version.
The deadline for applications will be revealed soon.
Judging
Judging is carried out by an independent panel of industry leaders and experts in their field, selected by West Midlands Growth Company for their impartiality, experience and suitability for each category.
The initial judging will be based on the information provided on your entry form along with your website, social media and any third party sites. Each question will be scored, based on your answers; if a question is left blank you will not receive a score.
By submitting a completed form to us you agree to be bound to our terms and conditions of entry. Any data you provide will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy.
Judges will also be looking at your online presence, including how well this encourages visitors to come to the area in the first place, how they are inspired to choose your business, the information you provide, viewing on different media (tablets, smart phones etc), accessibility, social media, online reputation and reviews.
For 2022/23, judges will be looking for evidence of ongoing customer reassurance within their online presence as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be in the following forms
- Accreditation (such as, but not limited to – VisitEngland’s ‘We’re Good to Go’; the AA’s ‘COVID-19 Confident’; Quality in Tourism’s ‘Safe, clean and legal’)
- Customer reassurance content on the website and/or social media
- Online reviews Since April 2020 – ideally with examples of reassuring business responses
Selected businesses may be visited (mystery shopped where possible) by the judging panel. Please note that it is a requirement of entry that entrants agree to waive or refund the direct costs of a mystery visit should a mystery visit be arranged. The mystery visitor will present you with a letter of authorisation stating this after their visit, please advise your staff that this may happen to avoid confusion. Receipt of your entry is taken as agreement to this requirement.
Businesses will be notified if they are a finalist or not.
Awards Ceremony Event
The winners, normally a combination of Gold, Silver and Bronze awards per category, will be announced at the awards ceremony.
Eligible winners from the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2023 will automatically feed into the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2023 for the chance to be recognised as a national winner.
