THE 2017 Bournemouth Tourism Awards Semi-Finals saw 250 professionals in attendance at Oasis Fun, Bournemouth.

The local business representatives, sponsors, partners and professionals from the industry gathered together alongside the Mayor and Mayoress of Bournemouth, the Mayor of Christchurch and the Chair of East Dorset District Council to find out who had made it to the semi-finals for this year’s celebrations.

Said Jackie Phillipson from The Bournemouth Tourism Awards and ROUTEpr: “This year, is our second year of running the awards and we are delighted to say there has been a 64 per cent increase in nominations, 56 per cent increase in entries and over 100 per cent increase in the four public voting categories and for the first time we also have the new Green Initiative Award sponsored by Waste Management Facilities, which attracted a great response.”

Des Simmons from the Bournemouth Tourism Management Board and Bournecoast said: “The Bournemouth Tourism Awards comprises of 17 different categories and they are completely free to enter. The awards are now in their 11th year and they have seen an array of winners and finalists who deserve to be celebrated and rewarded for their incredible contribution to Bournemouth’s offering as a vibrant, cosmopolitan, seaside resort. This is the second year that ROUTEpr have been involved with the awards and we are delighted to see more nominations, entries and votes than in previous years. They are run and managed by ROUTEpr on behalf of the BTMB, and they could not be held without the tremendous support from all the sponsors and partners who make these awards possible.”

Said Richard Blunderfield from ROUTEpr and organiser of the Bournemouth Tourism Awards: “We would like to say a huge congratulations each of the 2017 semi-finalists. It has been great to see such incredible effort and energy put into the applications received this year, and to see new businesses and established companies getting involved, supporting these awards and spreading the word about them. It is also encouraging to see customers and the community voting for their favourite place for breakfast, afternoon tea and their bar personalities, those entrepreneurs and employees they feel are their rising stars, and they are the future of the awards, for the work they do for tourism and the local Dorset community. It is heart-warming to see them being recognised and being encouraged by the public and their peers.”

The finalists will be notified ahead of the Final Gala Awards Ceremony which takes place on March 9 so don’t forget to buy your tickets for this sell out event at http://tourism-awards.co.uk/bournemouth/event/2017-bournemouth-tourism-awards-gala-dinner/ We look forward to seeing you there. There are still a range of sponsorship and marketing packages starting from just £395, email jackie@routepr.agency for more information.