The Lake District, Cumbria voted UK's Favourite Rural Break Destination
The Lake District, Cumbria, has added yet another coveted title to its growing list of awards, having been voted Favourite UK Rural Break destination in the Sunday Times Travel magazine's Reader Awards 2011, at an awards ceremony held in London, on Monday 28th November, at the St Pancras Renaissance.
Thousands of votes were cast by the magazine's readers across the 27 award categories covering everything from the ultimate short break to favourite airline. Readers of the reputable magazine named The Lake District, Cumbria, above all other UK destinations, leaving Cornwall and Pembrokeshire in second and third position respectively.
The Sunday Times Travel magazine itself is a highly respected publication, with an ABC Circulation figure of 67,461, outselling its nearest competitor by over 11,500 copies each month on the UK news stands. As a result the recognition afforded the Lake District, Cumbria, by the readers of this industry acclaimed publication is even more poignant.
This latest award comes hot off the back of Cumbria Tourism's website www.GoLakes.co.uk, winning a prestigious Travolution Award for website design. The Travolution Awards are widely acclaimed as one of the industries highest accolades, and are unique in recognising companies, brands and individuals who excel in the fields of online travel distribution, digital marketing and technology.
The Lake District, Cumbria, has been credited with several highly acclaimed awards in recent months, being recognised by industry insiders for its collective use of online marketing and technology. While this is certainly a significant achievement, being recognised in an award purely based on public opinion is a massive pat on the back for all those businesses and people that make the Lake District, Cumbria's, visitor experience what it is.
Ian Stephens Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism said: "We are immensely proud of this achievement, which recognises The Lake District as the UK's premier rural destination. It is significant that the region was nominated by the public and receiving such a prestigious award makes it even more special. Knowing the passion that the public have for our beautiful county, I'm not surprised we are up there. The Lake District, Cumbria, has a knack of capturing the hearts of anybody that visits and is deeply loved for its unique location and beautiful environment as well as for its quality accommodation, places to eat and things to do. The team at Cumbria Tourism is determined to ensure that our county's tourism success continues to grow throughout 2012 and in the years beyond."
Presenting the awards, Sunday Times Travel Magazine editor, Ed Grenby, said: "Our readers are well-travelled, worldly, and extremely knowledgeable. They are exactly the kind of people from whom you'd like to receive an award - so my hearty congratulations to all our winners and runners-up."
The Lake District, Cumbria's impressive award win is featured in a special Reader Awards 2011 supplement in the January edition of the Sunday Times Travel magazine (available from 2nd December).
To find out more about The Lake District, Cumbria, visit www.golakes.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
1: For further information please contact Cumbria Tourism Press Office on 01539 825002 or on pressoffice@cumbriatourism.org
2: Cumbria Tourism is the lead organisation for tourism in the county and is at the heart of the Cumbria Visitor Economy. It is also the largest membership organisation in Cumbria with more than 3,000 members. Over 40 million annual visitors to Cumbria contribute more than £2 billion to the local economy and support around 56,500 jobs. To find out more about the work of Cumbria Tourism, visit www.cumbriatourism.org
3: To book accommodation in Cumbria - the Lake District, visit www.golakes.co.uk
