And the shorlisted projects for 'Best UK and Ireland Tourism Project' are...
The shortlisted projects in this category are shown below in alphabetical order.
Cardiff might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about food and wine, but the Welsh capital has a thriving independent bar and restaurant scene. But, as with many places, the start of the week can be loss-making, especially with rising costs.
Cardiff Wine Passport was created not only to showcase the fantastic indie wine bars across the city, but crucially to encourage Sunday to Thursday bookings to support these businesses.
Hospitality was hit hugely in the pandemic and this scheme – you buy a passport and then use it to claim six glasses of wine in any of the eight bars currently taking part – aims to help support these business while providing a fun way to try out places, foods and wine that you might not otherwise have known about. Run by a tiny team, the Passport is now in its second successful year.
‘Trees for Life’ bought the Dundreggan Estate near Loch Ness to preserve and regenerate Scotland’s ancient Caledonian forest. The first Rewilding Centre in the world features a tree nursery growing 100,000 trees every year while the Estate is a natural habitat for rare, endangered species - golden eagles, red squirrels, black grouse.
Managed by 25 staff and volunteers, 30,000 visitors, of all ages and nationalities, are estimated in the first year. Free entry and a fee for guided walks, Tree Nursery Tours, and educational workshops (wildflowers, butterflies, mythology). From family walks to immersive experiences - accessible trails, a forest play area, visitor centre, exhibitions and café, designed to bring the outdoors in, this new gateway to the wild forest and wildlife is a unique place of serious ecological, biodiversive change, to encourage people to 'rewild' themselves, connect with nature and explore the ancient history and heritage of the Scottish Highlands.
While history grad Jack could probably tell you countless facts about the exhibits at any of London’s 175+ museums, that’s not his vibe. You see, Jack started Living London History as a blog, to sate his thirst for the tangible and intangible culture of the city, and to share his passion with anyone who wants to know more. Fast forward a year and Jack takes his first tentative steps into tour guiding, wanting to tell the often untold stories of the city, right there in its streets and alleyways. London is Jack’s museum, its oddities, curiosities and corners that get overlooked. This one-man-band, armed with just his enthusiasm (and trusty yellow umbrella) leads his curious tours, such as Westminster’s Backstreets: Saints and Scoundrels, and fights for the preservation of London’s living, breathing history.
The newly waymarked St James Way is a 68.5-mile trail from Reading — the seat of Saint James in Medieval England — to Southampton, where medieval pilgrims would have set sail for Spain to begin the Camino Ingles from Ferrol or A Coruña.
While the St James Way sees far fewer pilgrims than the French and Portuguese Camino routes, new signposting, OS mapping and a network of pubs and churches offering stamps aim to revive England’s lost pilgrimage culture while encouraging slow, responsible tourism to England's south east.
Alongside a new visitors' centre and interactive museum, the amazing reimagined fourth-century Roman villa, Villa Ventorum, sits over the site of an original Roman villa. A team of archaeologists, architects, engineers and craftsmen has created the most ambitious reconstruction of a Roman villa ever undertaken in Britain.
It reveals the life of a wealthy Roman, with kitchens, sitting and dining rooms and a working complex of Roman baths. Laid out in a t-shaped plan, the site also features a vineyard garden, ponds and surrounding fields spanning more than 10 acres.
Utilising technology and interactives, guests feel as if they have taken a step back to the fourth century. Seeds and pollen from Romano-British villa sites provided the evidence that fruit trees grew in Somerset during the 3rd and 4th Cs - I wonder if they drank cider - it feels as though they've just popped out for some milk.
Now select one of the other shortlisted projects to review...
Best Europe Tourism Project
Best Wider World Tourism Project