The accolades highlight businesses that ‘go the extra mile’
Four Leicestershire attractions have been named in Visit England’s annual quality awards. The accolades highlight businesses that “go the extra mile.”
According to Visit England, the scheme celebrates excellence within the visitor attraction sector and showcases those who provide high-quality service. Out of the nine attractions recognised across the East Midlands, four of them are located within Leicestershire.
The scheme involves a “rigorous” independent assessment by Visit England, across 20 categories. This could be through a warm welcome, an engaging story, a delicious lunch or the overall visitor experience. Accolades are given for the following categories: Welcome, Best Told Story, Quality Food & Drink, Hidden Gem and Gold.
Belvoir Castle, in Grantham, was selected for having the ‘Best Told Story’. The castle, which is home to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, has found new ways to showcase its royal history, including telling the story of the women who have made the castle special through ongoing events.
The site has also launched a range of guided tours telling the history of the regency era building right through to celebrating its appearances on TV and film, which includes a starring role doubling for Windsor Castle in Netflix’s The Crown .
The 1620s House in Donington le Heath and the Melton Carnegie Museum, both run by Leicestershire County Council, were both recognised as being ‘Hidden Gems’. The 1620s House is fully restored to be authentic to its 17th century origins and highlights its links to the gunpowder plot and witchcraft.
The Melton Carnegie Museum, founded more than 100 years ago by industrialist Andrew Carnegie, tells the story of this famous market town, with its geographically protected food such as pork pies and Stilton cheese.
Finally, the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience, a free museum telling the story of the iconic motorcycle manufacturer, was given a Visit England Gold award, the highest accolade available and one which recognises businesses that out-perform in their category and offer outstanding quality.
The recognition of these attractions underlines the role local tourism offers, which has led to 32 million people visiting the county in 2024, and generated £2.558 billion for the Leicestershire economy, according to data from the independent STEAM tourism economic impact modelling service.
Speaking about the importance of these accolades, Visit England director Andrew Stokes, said: “These accolades put England’s outstanding attractions in the spotlight as they recognise the amazing visitor experiences available across the country. They acknowledge the people who give the warmest welcomes, provide the most mouth-watering food and tell the stories that delight visitors, making them jewels of our tourism offer.”
Visit Leicester’s director of place marketing, Mike Denby said: “It is great to hear that our venues have been chosen for these accolades. We see on a daily basis just how hard our attractions work to provide the very best customer experience and I am absolutely delighted for the staff at Belvoir Castle, the 1620s House, Melton Carnegie and Triumph that their efforts have been recognised in this way.”
“Leicestershire has a vibrant and exciting tourism offer and I would like to thank VisitEngland for their ongoing support in helping us to showcase it. It is a challenging time for the industry, and awards like this go a long way to reminding our colleagues what it is all about!”
