Beverley has been awarded a top accolade at the British Coach Tourism Awards 2018, at a ceremony at the National Motorcycle Museum at the NEC Birmingham.
The town secured the coveted title of being the UK’s most coach friendly destination –seeing off stiff competition from Bournemouth, Burnham-on-Sea, Devon, Guildford, Otley and Wells.
Winning the ‘Coach Friendly Destination of the Year’ category is a real coup for Beverley, after narrowly missing out on the award in 2016 and 2017.
Judges were impressed with Beverley’s submission which highlighted the town itself, the increase in coach numbers to Beverley since a campaign was launched by the tourism partnership, Visit Hull & East Yorkshire (VHEY), in August 2015, the success of the Beverley Festival of Christmas and the coaches that came to the event, a new partnership with Flemingate Shopping Centre to provide coach parking seven-days-a-week as well as positive testimonials, publicity and social media.
In 2012, the council also created seven dedicated coach parking bays at the School Lane Car Park off New Walkergate.
Councillor Richard Burton, cabinet portfolio holder for leisure, culture and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This really is a fantastic honour for Beverley and the wider East Riding, with tourism being vitally important to the local economy.
“Winning this trophy follows on from the news that Beverley was ranked third in the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live Guide, showing that the town is a great place to live, work, play, visit and invest in.
“Working through the VHEY Tourism Partnership, East Riding of Yorkshire Council will continue its work to grow the visitor economy year-on-year and promote Beverley and the whole of the East Riding as a must-visit tourist destination locally, nationally and internationally.”
Graham Tait, Flemingate Centre Manager, said: “This is great news for Beverley and a feather in the cap for VHEY and East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The profile from the award will boost even further Beverley’s attractiveness as a venue for coach trips and enhance the economic benefits visitors bring to the town.
“We’re delighted to have contributed to the success by linking with VHEY to extend the previous weekday parking and benefits package for coach operators to weekends, with coaches using our site, meaning coach companies and drivers get a great welcome to our fantastic market town seven-days-a-week.”
