AN ICONIC heritage railway, the man who breathed new life into an historic pier and a former royal love nest have been hailed as stars of the tourism industry in North Wales.
The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways in Porthmadog and the Plas Dinas Country House Hotel in Bontnewydd, near Caernarfon were among the big winners at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards.
Meanwhile, the blue riband Go North Wales Tourism Service to Tourism Award went to Adam Williams, the owner of Llandudno Pier and Tir Prince Amusement Park in Towyn.
The glittering annual event organised by North Wales Tourism celebrated the dedication, skill and achievements of the region’s tourism and hospitality industry.
This year the ceremony at Venue Cymru in Llandudno was hosted by former BBC journalist Sian Lloyd and the headline sponsor once again was Harlech Foodservice which supplies many of the region’s hotels, guest houses and restaurants.
Most of the winners will go forward to the National Tourism Awards for Wales next March, hosted by Visit Wales.
The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways, the second oldest and longest heritage railway in Britain, was named as the Go Attraction of the Year.
The railway is on track to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its preservation next year and contributes more than £20 million to the Gwynedd economy every year, annually transporting 150,000 passengers through the beautiful landscape of Eryri.
David Russell is among more than 1,000 registered volunteers who support the railway.
He said: “It’s testament to the dedication of all those who have gone before us and their resolution to preserve this railway which is so loved by the community of Gwynedd, and railway enthusiasts all around the world.”
Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways Visitor Experience manager Stephen Greig added: “Winning tonight is a real feather in our cap and consolidates our reputation as one of the UK’s best visitor experiences.”
Entrepreneur Adam Williams bought Llandudno’s historic pier in 2015 and six years later bought the adjacent pier pavilion which had .been derelict for more than a quarter of a century.
The 1,234ft, Grade II listed pier first opened in 1877 and was voted national Pier of the Year in 2005.
Adam admitted his emotions were so high on discovering he had won that they brought a tear to his eye.
He and wife Alison live in Abergele with their three sons, Adam, Grayson and Harris.
He said: “This is my home. I was born and brought up down the road in St Asaph. I love it here and I will always go out of my way to promote the name of this beautiful region of North Wales far and wide.”
“I feel hugely honoured and want to thank everyone who put my name forward for this award.”
Another jewel in the region’s tourism crown is the Plas Dinas Country House Hotel in Bontnewydd which came away with two top awards.
It was honoured as Hotel of the Year for a record-breaking fourth time while its acclaimed Gunroom Restaurant won the Go Eating Out Experience category
The leasehold for Plas Dinas Country House was bought by Daniel and Annie Perks in 2019 after they fell in love with the former royal retreat.
Back in the 1960s, it provided a bolthole for Lord Snowdon, formerly Anthony Armstrong-Jones, and Princess Margaret, hidden away from the glare of London life.
It was also where Lord Snowdon used as a base to mastermind Prince Charles’s investiture at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.
Annie Perks said special mention must go to the Gunroom Restaurant head chef Daniel ap Geraint for his creativity and ingenuity in designing a menu fit for kings.
Daniel Perks added that they felt truly honoured to receive two awards on the same night to add to their growing collection.
He said: “We feel humbled to receive any award but to have been recognised as Hotel of the Year for the fourth time now is a tremendous honour.
Family owned business SF Parks, which runs five holiday caravan parks across the north Wales coast at sites including Rhuddlan, Towyn, Abergele and Conwy, won the Go Marketing & Media Recognition Award.
Twin brothers Jonathan and Oliver Seldon are the latest generation of their family to head up the business.
They have recently overseen the rise of SF Parks social media presence which has stepped up a gear thanks to their recruitment of expert Elin Hughes Jones.
Oliver said: “It’s only right that Elin is here with us as without her we wouldn’t have had any chance of winning such a fabulous award. She has been a miracle worker when it comes to enhancing our social media profile. Before we recruited Elin our company’s online presence was pretty minimal, but now we’ve become a little bit of a Tik Tok sensation.”
According to head judge, Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism, Adam Williams was an “irrepressible force of nature”.
He said: “Adam is a real-life hero of the tourism and hospitality industry in North Wales whose drive and ingenuity are helping to turbo charge the visitor economy as well as preserving a precious part of our tourism heritage.
“I would like to congratulate Adam and every single one of the winners but I would also like to stress that all the nominees have played an absolutely vital role in rebuilding tourism sector in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
“This event really showcases the very best of North Wales and we have seen so many amazing entries, all of which underlines why this is a truly world class destination for visitors.”
It was a sentiment echoed by David Cattrall, the Managing Director of headline sponsors Harlech Foodservice.
He said: “We are delighted to once again be the headline sponsor of this wonderful awards ceremony and it’s very much a vote of confidence in the tourism and hospitality sector which has endured such a difficult time in recent years.
“This is our opportunity to give something back and celebrate the achievements of our core customers.
“The impact of Covid and its aftermath have made things very difficult for everybody and tourism and hospitality is one of the sectors that has suffered the most in terms of economic impact.
“But as the awards have shown tonight we are a resilient lot thanks to an army of heroes who work on the front line in this important sector.
“It is important that we continue to celebrate our many achievements and there are reasons to be optimistic about the future.”
