Visitor economy champions recognised at 2025 West Midlands Tourism Awards

The best venues, experiences and events from across the West Midlands visitor economy have been honoured at the 2025 West Midlands Tourism Awards, with 15 winners crowned at the annual celebration of the sector at Edgbaston Stadium (Tuesday 18 March).

Tourism businesses from across the region – including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Ironbridge, Leamington Spa, Market Drayton, Shipston-on-Stour, Shrewsbury and Warwick – emerged victorious in categories such as “Experience of the Year”, “International Tourism Award” and “Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award”.

The ceremony was hosted by radio, TV and sports broadcaster Amber Sandhu, with entertainment provided by B:Music Young Performers and music group W!RED. The awards were organised by the West Midlands Growth Company, the region’s lead for the West Midlands Destination Development Partnership.

Sharon Thompson, Deputy Mayor of the West Midlands, the keynote speaker at the ceremony, said:

"This is an important evening in the West Midlands’ events calendar to pay tribute to the wonderful tourism champions who have a direct impact on the positive way that the region is perceived.

 

“More than 145 million people visit the West Midlands each year, enjoying our magical cultural attractions, fantastic culinary settings and memorable business and sporting events offer. Crucially, too, tourism supports more than 143,000 jobs, offering inclusive growth and development opportunities for those who work hard to succeed.

 

“I was pleased and honoured to raise a glass to all of the great supporters of our visitor economy – all of whom are working hard to ensure that tourism remains one of the region’s success stories.”

Gold and silver winners from this year’s regional event automatically qualify for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, to be held in Brighton in June, where West Midlands successes will be shortlisted for national prizes. At the 2024 ceremony, Telford International (gold, Business Events Venue of the Year); Warwick Conferences (silver, Business Events Venue of the Year); and Cotswolds Distillery (silver, Small Visitor Attraction of the Year) were all recognised nationally. 

The 2025 West Midlands Tourism Awards took place during English Tourism Week (14-23 March), a nationwide initiative to highlight tourism’s importance to local communities and economies. The weeklong celebration promotes the innovation, quality and range of products and services on offer to boost domestic breaks.

Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable sectors, supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses, employing 2.6 million people and generating about £71.6 billion annually for the economy in domestic visitor spending.