The 3rd annual Wrexham County Borough tourism awards returned this week and 14 local businesses were recognised for their immense work in giving visitors a great experience in Wrexham.  

 

The prestigious ceremony to celebrate the continued growth in the local industry was staged at Chirk Castle to coincide with the Welsh Year of Legends 2017.

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In January, over 60 local tourism businesses put themselves forward for the awards and a shortlist was drawn up based on the quality of service and impact which they have each made on the local tourism industry over the last year.

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Hosted by Heart Radio's Oli from drive time, the awards were presented by Jim Jones (North Wales Tourism) and Joe Bickerton & Amanda Davies (Wrexham Council Tourism, Events & Marketing).

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We caught up with Joe and Amanda before the awards to ask about the vital role these businesses (and events) play in boosting the economy of Wrexham.  Joe said; "As much as we can shout about how our County Borough is a great place to visit for leisure and business - we rely heavily on the service and welcome that our businesses provide,  From the greeting in the cab from the station through to the goodbye when checking out of a local hotel - we want visitors to remember Wrexham for the right reasons and fortunately that is what's continually happening."   Amanda added that events are a major reason for new visitors heading into Wrexham, she said "we've a long track record of staging great events here in Wrexham, but more recently we're learning (from the businesses that we work with) that the economic impact is getting bigger as we attract more significant events and there are benefits for all of us.  It's a great time to be leading a team in this industry!"

 

Destination Wrexham Chair - Pete McGivern from the Bridge End Inn Ruabon added; "The County Borough is growing each year in terms of new visitors staying & spending - we still have challenges, but there's a massive network in place now through things like the tourism ambassador scheme which is helping.  2017 promises another strong year of growth and these awards will just further help the awareness of Wrexham as a place with real quality in abundance."

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2017 Awards Winners!

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