Sunderland businesses encouraged to enter Tourism Awards to showcase best of the city
The deadline for entries closes on July 27.
Sunderland businesses are being encouraged to submit their entries in annual awards which celebrate the cream of the region.
Celebrating the best hotels, eateries, attractions, camp sites, events, venues and more, the North East England Tourism Awards are back for 2026-2027.
Organisers say the awards offer an opportunity for businesses to showcase their excellence and quality, reward their hard-working teams and demonstrate to potential customers and visitors that they’re operating at the top of their game.
The core categories
- Small Hotel of the Year
- Large Hotel of the Year
- Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year
- Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year
- Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
- Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
- Pub of the Year
- Experience of the Year
- New Tourism Business of the Year
- B&B and Guest House of the Year
- Taste of North East England Award
- Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award
- Business Events Venue of the Year
- Regenerative Tourism Award
- Unsung Hero Award
- International Tourism Award
With more sporting and cultural events and subsequent visitors to the city, new figures recently showed that Sunderland’s tourism economy generated a record £657.5 million in 2025.
Businesses can submit their entries before the deadline on 27th July 2026 at 5pm. Entries must be submitted via the official entry portal at experiencenortheastengland.co.uk/neeta
Organised in association with the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, winners of the regional heats are eligible for consideration on the national stage, allowing entrants to earn recognition at the highest level.
The region recently enjoyed a bumper year at the national finals held in Bristol in June, with two golds, a silver and two bronze awards handed to some of the region’s best tourism and hospitality spots.
The awards are organised by the region’s newly formed destination marketing agency Experience North East England on behalf of the region, alongside all seven local authorities that come under the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Ian Thomas, interim Chief Executive of Experience North East England said:“For over two and a half decades, the North East England Tourism Awards have been championing the amazing visitor economy businesses who welcome over 70 million visitors to the region every year.
“We’re home to some of the country’s finest tourism and hospitality assets and our recent success at the national awards and the high number of entries our awards programme receives demonstrates the sheer volume of quality businesses we have here.
“Our previous winners have reported that winning a Tourism Award has led to increased bookings, greater staff retention, heightened awareness and unrivalled PR coverage and I would encourage any visitor economy business, whether they’re a cutting-edge restaurant, thrilling attraction, homely hotel or a rustic escape to enter.”