THE cream of Bournemouth's tourism industry has been celebrated at an awards ceremony which heard the town was offering an “amazing” experience.

The ninth annual Bournemouth Tourism Awards were held at the town's Pavilion, with Rich Clarke, presenter of Heart Breakfast, as compère.

Des Simmons, chair of Bournemouth Tourism Management Board, told the audience of the successes the evening was aimed at celebrating.

“There are so many things going on in this town and when they all come together, we can be phenomenal,” he said.

“Our aspiration is to give visitors the opportunity to have a world class experience. We've got an amazing seafront, amazing gardens, amazing events and an amazing set of businesses able to deliver that experience.”

Mark Smith, the resort's director of tourism, said: “We have the best professionals in the business. We have seen more awards for the town than ever before. Thank you for all you do. You work hard to keep Bournemouth the best.”

Guests heard the resort had enjoyed a “golden summer”, with record temperatures as late as Halloween.

Among those celebrating were the Connaught Hotel and the Balincourt, winners of the large and small hotel awards respectively.

Longhorn Burgers was saluted for specialist dining, La Piccola for world cuisine and Aruba Restaurant and Bar for family eating.

RockReef - the climbing centre and zipwire ride on the pier - took the Great Time Out award. 1812 and Bar So were named Great Night Out, while the Gardens of Light event in the run-up to Christmas took the prize for Creative Concept of the Year.

Mike Saul of Yellow Buses and Tim Sanders from Discover Dorset shared the award for the transport industry, while David Bailey of Hotel Miramar won the Unsung Hero award.

The full list of winners and finalists:

Large Hotel Experience, sponsored by Quantum Recruitment.

Winner: Connaught Hotel.

Finalists: Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott; Days Hotel, Marsham Court; Hotel Miramar; the Cumberland Hotel; the Hermitage Hotel; the Norfolk Royale Hotel.

Small Hotel Experience, sponsored by Goadsby.

Winner: the Balincourt.

Finalists: Cliff House Hotel; the Green House Hotel; the Hedley; the Rosscourt.

Specialist Dining Experience, sponsored by Coles Miller.

Winner: Longhorn Burgers Ltd.

inalists: Chaplin's & The Cellar Bar; Salad Centre, Boscombe; Ventana Grand Café; WestBeach.

World Cuisine Experience, sponsored by Bostico International.

Winner: La Piccola Italia Ristorante.

Finalists: Coriander; Joy, Bournemouth.

Family Eating Experience, sponsored by Media Wise Sites Ltd.

Winner: Aruba Restaurant and Bar.

Finalists: Harry Ramsden's; Quarters Restaurant; Sprinkles Gelato.

Education Sector Award, presented by Cllr Lawrence Williams, Bournemouth council's cabinet member for tourism, leisure and culture.

Winner: White House Guardianship.

Great Time Out, sponsored by Westover Group.

Winner: RockReef.

Finalists: 6D Cinema; Discover Dorset - City Sightseeing; Go Ape, Moors Valley; Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre; Matchams Karting; S&D Leisure (Europe) Ltd - Christmas market.

Great Night Out, sponsored by Matthew Clark.

Winner: 1812 & Bar So.

Finalists: Cameo & Myu Bar; Chaplin's & The Cellar Bar; The Cumberland Hotel; The Four Horsemen.

Creative Concept of the Year, sponsored by the National Coastal Tourism Academy.

Winner: Gardens of Light (Town Centre Business Improvement District).

Finalists: Discover Dorset (Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door Bus Tour); Entente Florale; RockReef; Seventa Events; The Local Scene.

Transport Delivery Award, sponsored by Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce.

Winners: Mike Saul, Yellow Buses, and Tim Sanders, Discover Dorset.

Nominees recognised: David Barton, South West Trains; Nigel Cornell, Yellow Buses; Lorraine Barnes, National Express; Robbie Bartle, Morebus; Swanage Railway Team.

Unsung Hero Award, presented by Des Simmons, chair of Bournemouth Tourism Management Board, and Tony Williams, chief executive of Bournemouth Borough Council.

Winner: David Bailey, Hotel Miramar.

Nominees recognised: Lisa Tucker, Town Centre BID; Helen Taylor, Town Centre BID; Howard Smith, Splashdown; Harry Seccombe, Chaplin's & the Cellar Bar; Simon Scarborough, Simon Scarborough Associates.