08 November 2010, London THE WINNERS of the UK travel trade’s most prestigious annual tourism project awards were announced at the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Annual Gala Awards Dinner held at the Savoy in London on November 7 on the eve of the World Travel Market.

The event is the UK’s premier occasion for the travel industry to recognise the world's most innovative and newest tourism projects following nominations from members of the Guild, the premier professional association for bonafide journalists, editors, photographers, and radio and film broadcasters working in the travel field from Britain.

The Guild Tourism Awards – presented for successful and environmentally sustainable projects that benefit local communities – are highly coveted.

The evening was attended by more than 300 of the UK’s top travel media professionals as well as high-profile representatives of the international travel world.


Globe category

The winner of the Globe Category (receiving more than 250,000 visitors a year), nominated by Nigel Tisdall, was the new Acropolis Museum in Athens (www.newacropolismuseum.gr/eng), built to replace the old museum which has done an admirable job since 1865, but was short of space. In 2001 a competition was held to build a new one ten times larger and fit for the 21st century. It was won by a Swiss architect, Bernard Tschumi, and opened in June 2009.

Bright and spacious, the new museum lies at the foot of the Acropolis and has already attracted over two million visitors - many are amazed by the perfection of its design and the beauty of the artworks within. Built on three levels like disjointed slabs, the galleries use locally-sourced marble and recyclable glass and steel, and make ingenious use of convection to reduce the need for air conditioning. Wheelchair-friendly with 14,000 square metres of exhibition space, it rarely feels crowded. Signage is commendably unintrusive and visitors can walk right round its marvellous sculptures, with the changing daylight creating a contemplative atmosphere.


Overseas category

The winner of the New Overseas Tourism Project category, nominated by Kathy Arnold, was the Haida Tribal Heritage Centre (www.haidaheritagecentre.com) on Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwai)

The Haida are a remarkable people, with a distinct social structure and artistic tradition. Their home is Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, a two-hour flight north of Vancouver. But, only 2,500 Haida remain and unemployment is a problem.

The Haida Heritage Centre is much more than a museum: it is important for the future of the tribe and their culture. Facing a bay, the complex consists of seven new sustainable-timber longhouses built in traditional style, fronted by totem poles. Inside are well-presented artefacts and contemporary art, a canoe-carving shed, a performance space etc. It takes a year to carve a 50 foot canoe, months to weave a blanket in the complex Haida pattern.

Visitors, welcomed as 'honoured guests', are invited to watch and talk to current artists about their work, their life and culture. This is no Disney experience. And, the next generation are mentored and trained in the Bill Reid Teaching Centre, named for the famous Haida artist, known and collected internationally.


UK category

The winner of the UK New Tourism Project was Blists Hill (www.ironbridge.org.uk), a recreated Victorian town at Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire - pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. Opened in 1973 around original industrial buildings, it is one of 10 museums along the Gorge and one of Britain's first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was nominated by Gillian Thornton.

Blists Hill has undergone a £12 million facelift to reposition it at the forefront of heritage education, with funding from Advantage West Midlands, the European Regional Development Fund, trust funds and livery companies. Phase One opened at Easter 2009.

The old sheds of Canal Street have been transformed with replica Victorian shops faithfully modelled on local buildings - now considered preferable to relocating original buildings. Visitors can make purchases, talk to shopkeepers and watch traditional craftsmen at work. Also new is the Clay Mine Railway - a narrow gauge ride into a blacked out 'clay mine' for an atmospheric audio-visual show.

Visitor numbers were up 30% last year to 223,000 and are up a further 10% this year. Blists Hill holds a Green Tourism Business Scheme Silver Award for its sustainable practices and a Sandford Award for its contribution to heritage education - in particular Unit 10, a new 'Victorian' shop where adults with learning difficulties sell their own rustic handicrafts.


Globe category runners up:
• Ulster Museum, Belfast - Nominated by Geoff Hill.
• Siam Park, Tenerife - Nominated by Penny Visman.

Overseas category runners up:
• Bluff Cove Museum, Falklands - Nominated by Vivien Devlin.
• Ocean Dreams Factory, Tenerife - Nominated by Gillian Thomas.

UK category runners up:
• Galleries of Modern London - Nominated by Rebecca Ford.
• The Jewish Museum, London - Nominated by Natasha Blair.