In a total contradiction to the 2014 Tourism Awards Ceremony, this year’s ceremony was not held at a wide country hotel & golf course (Highbullen) but a tall city hotel with iconic views of one of Devon’s most prized landmarks, Smeaton’s Tower on Plymouth Hoe. The modernised Plymouth Holiday Inn (@HIPlymouth) hosted sponsors like Westward MS Ltd/ App for Devon and award finalists for an evening of speeches, nail-biting announcements, and smooth gin offered by sponsor and gold winner, Plymouth Gin.

While this year’s awards were unexpectedly more Plymouth-focused than year’s past, organiser Robin Barker provided the night’s opening greeting as ever before. From Brittany Ferries to Mayflower Marina, Armed Forces Day to Le Vignoble, this year’s awards winners and sponsors included nearly ten Plymouth-based representatives. For many years the English Riviera gained most wins, so the 2015 turn southward revealed changing dynamics in the nature of Devon tourism. One of the most talked-about speakers from the evening was Michelin Star Master Chef and Plymouth-based culinary instructor, Peter Gorton. His honest speech focused on building partnerships as the route to tourism industry success. He received ample applause from Judi Spiers, his interviewee, and the Twitter community (one chef thanked Peter for “only telling it as it should be told”).

As the sponsors of the Best Small Attraction category, Westward MS Ltd and App for Devon were especially proud of winners therein.  Applause roared when Stuart Line Cruises won Silver. The line has been a Premium App for Devon/ Westward MS Ltd member for many years. The Silver couldn’t come at a better time of year as the line promotes its Santa Cruises, an annual Devonian tradition. Most attendees were not surprised when Plymouth Gin won Gold for Best Small Attraction; the organisation has been guiding tours through its multi-award winning facility for centuries! But the audience was pleasantly surprised when the Bronze for Best Small Attraction was shared in a tie by Thelma Hulbert Gallery and the Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life. Again, this years’ awards focused on inclusivity, partnerships, and ideas sharing.

Another Westward MS/ App for Devon winning partner was National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. Over the course of the last year the group worked incredibly hard to upgrade their website and social media to educate the public on NMA’s involvement in Devon’s oceanic sciences scene. Not surprisingly, NMA Plymouth won gold in the “Sustainable Tourism” category.

As guests slowly filed out of the Holiday Inn, thankful for a warmer winter evening, a certain sense of wonder filled the air. As small, family-run businesses clutched glass awards emblazoned with an image of Smeaton’s Tower and walked home via their own Plymothian streets, the results of the annual awards ceremony felt markedly different. Evidently, the dynamics of what it takes to win are changing as factors like dog-friendliness, sustainability, size, and accessibility contribute to what makes one group “best.” And yet, every attendee recognized that in this new world of tourism, partnering to learn and grow together was the only way forward. In this way, we can only wonder what 2016 has in-store…

Read the official DTA Press Release and see the full list of winners here: http://www.devontourismawards.org.uk/