Gold for Dartmoor at South West tourism awards

Dartmoor’s National Park Visitor Centres have scooped Gold in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards. 

The centres, run by Dartmoor National Park Authority, were presented with the top accolade in the ‘visitor information services of the year’ category at a ceremony at Sandy Park, Exeter, last night (Thursday 7 April).

They joined leading tourism businesses and individuals from across South West England. The event was the first time since February 2020 that the region’s tourism awards have been able to return to their face-to-face format. 

The award comes as Dartmoor celebrates National Parks Fortnight, a national celebration of our precious protected landscapes, with events planned that help people discover Dartmoor is new and different ways. 

Rebecca Martin, Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Visitor Services Manager, said: “We’re so pleased and proud with our gold award. We know Dartmoor is a unique place, and we love helping people discover its special qualities. 

“This award is testament to the passion and commitment of staff whether that’s our information advisers who are on hand to help people get the best from their visit or the staff behind the scenes who work hard to make our centres gold-standard.”

There are three National Park Visitor Centres: Haytor, Postbridge and Princetown. The centres are brimming with gifts and products including ceramics, handmade soap, local wool products and prints from Dartmoor artists. 

As well as being staffed by friendly, knowledgeable information advisers, the centres stock books and walking guides, nature-inspired activity books for children and toys to encourage a love for the outdoors.

The National Park Visitor Centre at Princetown holds regular, changing exhibitions which celebrate Dartmoor’s beauty, cultural heritage and distinct habitats and wildlife. Currently it is showing the 70th anniversary of Dartmoor being designated a National Park. 

All forms of hospitality business were amongst the winners, with cafes, pubs, cookery schools and sailing schools all celebrating alongside attractions, camping and glamping sites, holiday parks, B&Bs, cottages and hotels. Many have also been nominated to represent the South West in the national VisitEngland awards later in the year.

Read more and see all the winners at South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2021/2022.