At the end of last year, we were celebrating the Devon Tourism Awards. And indeed, East Devon tourism triumphed at the 2025 Devon Tourism Awards!
As covered by the Herald: East Devon businesses recognised at Devon Tourism Awards – with a focus on the Sid Valley and its neighbours:
Winners from the district included the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, which took gold for Café/Tearoom and silver for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year.
John Crouch, Chair of East Devon Excellence and Visitor Engagement Manager at the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, said: “Consistently being recognised as one of the best attractions in Devon takes a dedicated team from the gardeners through to visitor services. We’re very proud to receive this award and congratulations to all the East Devon businesses that were acknowledged for their excellence in hospitality.”
Other winners included Andrewshayes Holiday Park in Axminster (silver, Holiday Park of the Year), Mazzard Farm Holiday Cottages (silver, International Tourism Award), Stuart Line Cruises in Exmouth (bronze, Large Visitor Attraction), Rockbeare Manor (silver, Wedding Venue), Source Spa Day (silver, Spa and Well-being Experience), and the Victoria Hotel (bronze, Large Hotel).
Looking at earlier posts on these winners, last year the Donkey Sanctuary was shortlisted for a national award, for the 2023 South West Tourism Awards, Mazzard Farm won gold, and the Brend Hotels have received several awards over the years as sustainable businesses: Victoria and Belmont Hotels.
Finally, it’s good to see how the Devon Tourism Awards now have a ‘regenerative tourism’ award – an area of increasing importance, as covered in this interview with Cllr Louise Cole: on bouncing back and discovering new alternatives back in 2021. And a couple of years ago, Louise was also behind the initiatives promoting green tourism in East Devon: ‘regenerative tourism’.
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