Vote for Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides Now

Public voting now open to find VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2024

VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2024 competition has launched today, Monday 19 February, with the public urged to get involved and cast their vote.

VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar competition, now in its 12th year, seeks to find the unsung heroes currently working in tourism who provide unforgettable visitor experiences, as well as showcasing the variety and quality of England’s tourism offer and destinations.

There are 10 finalists competing to take the title of Tourism Superstar 2024, with voting open from 19 February to 24 March. The finalist with the largest number of votes will secure the crown.

Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides are "the unsung heroes of Bury St Edmunds as a visitor destination", the team has been delivering tours across the area since 1978!

These include daily tours, ghost tours, tours for schools, media, and even for US personnel stationed in the area.

Despite being unpaid volunteers, many of the team are so passionate about sharing their knowledge and history about the area that they also volunteer at the local Visitor information point at the St Edmundsbury Cathedral Shop.

The also provide tours and talks to groups of people with health conditions or impairments and carers, as well as members of Ukrainian families who have moved to the UK due to the war.

To cast your vote for Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides visit: https://visitenglandawards.secure-platform.com/tourismsuperstar/gallery/rounds/304/details/27209.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “Tourism Superstar is a wonderful competition, not only shining the spotlight each year on the fantastic people across our industry but seeking out and acknowledging those who truly go the extra mile. From tour guides to accessible accommodation providers, from farm attraction employees to museum curators, these superstars really go out of their way to ensure that visitors have a memorable experience.

“The finalists are all winners already but only one can take the crown, so I urge everyone to get involved and cast their vote to find VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar for 2024.”

The 10 finalists were selected out of submissions from employers and destinations across England covering all areas of tourism.

The public is invited to vote for their favourite superstar on VisitEngland’s website here where they can view short films of all the finalists carrying out their duties in their tourism roles and promoting their local destinations.

VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2024 finalists are:

1. Emily Williamson, Pub Tours Ltd, Peak District

2. Field Sport UK, Leicestershire

3. Sue & Ian Rainford, Brickhouse Farm Cottages, Lancashire

4. Pete Chambers, The Coventry Music Museum

5. Lily-Rose Sheppard, Paddlesport Guide, Roundhouse Birmingham

6. Isle of Wight Ramblers: David Howarth, David Yates and Linda Jones

7. Liam White, Animal Manager, Fairytale Farm, Chipping Norton

8. Robert Dennis Brown, Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, North York Moors National Park

9. Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides, Suffolk

10. Amy Whitfield Triple A Food Tours, North East of England

The winner will be announced at the end of English Tourism Week, which this year runs from 15-24 March, with the Tourism Superstar award presented in person at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence event in the summer.

Tourism is one of England’s largest and most valuable industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of small-to-medium sized businesses, employing 2.6 million people and, in 2022, generating £66 billion for the economy in domestic visitor spending.