Surrey attractions hit the jackpot and win gold at the tourism oscars for the South East

With the highest number of entries ever in the Tourism ExSEllence Awards 2009 congratulations go to RHS Wisley for winning GOLD as THE large visitor attraction of the year in the South East of England and the Lightbox, Woking, for winning a second GOLD for the region as THE small visitor attraction of the year.

Guildford Cathedral were also presented with a highly commended prize in the small attraction category, at the glittering award ceremony held at Wentworth Golf Club and Asperion won a superb silver award in the Sustainable Tourism category.

The judges were on the lookout for excellence, quality and innovation, covering all aspects of the business from customer service, sales & marketing, to training & development for staff. They praised all the shortlisted businesses, saying of The Lightbox, “Everyone should visit this remarkable attraction,” and calling Asperion Hillside, “a very strong entry.”

Despite being the smallest county in the South East, Surrey tourism businesses sweeping the floor in both attraction of the year categories at the Tourism South East awards clearly shows the county is a winning destination for visitors!

The Tourism ExSellence gold winners from the South East will automatically be entered into the 2010 national tourism "oscars" the VisitEngland Excellence awards, to be held in Brighton next April so good luck!