Lord Montagu has become the first recipient of the brand new ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism’ award, presented at the annual Beautiful South Awards for Excellence, held at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey and hosted by TV news anchor Nicholas Owen.
The award was presented in recognition of his unfailing commitment to tourism in the South East and nationally over many years, from developing Beaulieu and the National Motor Museum as one of the region’s top day visitor attractions, through to his roles with the Tourism society, the veteran vehicle clubs and other societies. He was one of the early Presidents of the Southern Tourist Board and the first Chairman of both the Historic Houses Association and English Heritage.
Lord Montagu said: “I have been involved with tourism since the early 1950s and am delighted to receive this Award to mark the efforts of so many people who have worked considerably hard for so many years on behalf of English tourism.”
The annual awards, organised by Tourism South East, are now in their 20th year and recognise exceptional levels of customer service and dedication to raising standards in the tourism industry. A record number of entries led to an impressive shortlist of award winners. Finalists across the region were guests at the celebratory evening which saw Hampshire and the Isle of Wight scoop eight gold awards.
The Beaulieu attraction also received a Silver Award in the’ Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ category, having been judged one of the best in its class in the South East. Chief Executive of Tourism South East, Mike Bedingfield commended Lord Montagu and all other award winners on their success, saying: “We offer our congratulations to all tonight’s winners. Our industry’s commitment to providing the best possible customer service and to exceeding customer expectations is outstanding. The Award winners have shown that they are truly the best-in-class and we look forward to seeing them on the national stage at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence next April.”
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