The Destination North East England Tourism Awards, delivered by England’s first Destination Development Partnership have been celebrating the area’s best tourism and hospitality businesses for over two decades. Now visitor economy bosses from across the North East are inviting the great and the good of the industry to join the 2025-2026 awards cycle to showcase their excellence and quality.

With 19 categories celebrating everything from the region’s most unforgettable attractions to the unsung heroes and volunteers that make the industry tick, winners have the opportunity to celebrate their successes, reward their hard-working teams, earn a recognised mark of quality, attract new customers and access insightful feedback to develop their offer from expert judges and mystery shoppers.

The awards will once again feature three brand new categories, introduced last year to celebrate even more of the area’s visitor economy – with the Rising Star, Volunteer of the Year and Tourism Festival or Event categories returning. The public will once again get the opportunity to have their say, with the winner of the Festival or Event category being decided by public vote early next year.

Entrants must complete a short application online before two rounds of rigorous judging decide a handpicked shortlist to compete for bronze, silver and gold awards at the ceremony in Spring 2026. The judging involves pre-arranged or surprise mystery shopping visits as well as assessing the merits of the business’ application form and online presence. Entries close on 15th September 2025 at 5pm. 

Delivered in collaboration with national tourism agency VisitEngland, many of the region’s winners have gone on to compete on a national stage at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. Northumberland’s new star attraction Ad Gefrin most recently scooped the gold award both regionally and nationally in the New Tourism Business category, earning praise for its blend of historical storytelling and exceptional visitor experience.

The awards culminate in a glitzy award ceremony, which welcomes over 450 leading lights from the visitor economy in Spring 2026. Organisers are keeping details of next year’s ceremony tightly under wraps but are promising a fitting celebration for the region’s businesses.