If you live in the UK, it can be easy to forget that this country actually makes for a fantastic holiday destination. There are thousands of tourist attractions helping to boost local economies and show off all the history, wildlife and culture Britain has to offer. They all deserve their fair share of recognition, and that’s where the British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW) comes in.
Each year the BGTW celebrates tourist sights and initiatives around the world with its International Tourism Awards. It includes categories for projects in the UK and Ireland, Europe and worldwide and now this year’s finalists have been announced.
Two British attractions (and one Irish museum) are in the running to be named the best tourism project in the UK and Ireland for 2024. They’ve been picked by BGTW’s expert community of travel writers, photographers, bloggers and broadcasters. In other words, this is an award you can definitely trust.
The first nominee is the Aerial Red Squirrel Trail at Landmark Forest Adventure Park in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. The kid-friendly trail brings visitors eight metres above ground to see the ancient pinewood forest from a new perspective and was recently recognised in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards.
Also up for the award is London’s historic National Portrait Gallery, which has just reopened following a £41 million glow-up and is nominated ‘for the most extensive renovation of the building since 1896’.
The Irish Wake Museum in Waterford, Ireland is the final contender in this category, described by the BGTW as ‘a rare opportunity to uncover an iconic part of Irish culture’. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on November 4.
More things to do in the UK
BGTW aren’t the only ones with a network of in-the-know travel writers. Here at Time Out, our local experts have created roundups of the best things to do in the UK, the best new things to see and do in 2024, the finest museums in the UK and the country’s ultimate art destinations.
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