Wirral scoops nominations in Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards 2026

15 October 2026
Floral Pavilion theatre

Wirral businesses, attractions and tourism professionals are among those shortlisted in the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards 2026.

The 2026 awards celebrate outstanding businesses, individuals, attractions and experiences from across the Liverpool City Region, highlighting excellence in tourism, hospitality and visitor experiences and recognising the borough’s contribution to the region’s thriving visitor economy.

Among Wirral’s nominations is Sandy Davies of the Floral Pavilion Theatre & Conference Centre for the Unsung Hero Award, while the Floral Pavilion Theatre & Conference Centre is also up for Entertainment Venue of the Year alongside Future Yard CIC.

Port Sunlight Village Trust and Eureka! Science + Discovery are both nominated in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year category, with the latter also up for the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award

The Hideaway, Wirral is among those up for the Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year award and The Red Fox is named in the Pub of the Year category, while New Brighton Creative Futures CIC is nominated in both the Regenerative Tourism Award and Independent Tourism Business of the Year categories.

Chair of Wirral Council's Tourism, Communities, Culture & Leisure Committee, Cllr Jenny Johnson, said: 

It is fantastic to see so many nominations from Wirral in this year’s Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards shortlist. These nominations reflect the incredible range of attractions, venues, hospitality businesses and community-led initiatives that help make Wirral such a vibrant and welcoming destination.

I would like to congratulate everyone who has been shortlisted. Their passion, creativity and commitment make a significant contribution to our visitor economy and help showcase the very best of Wirral across the Liverpool City Region and beyond. We wish all our finalists the very best of luck at the awards.

The local visitor economy is worth £6.83billion to the region and these awards continue to receive strong support from across the tourism and hospitality industry, with entries representing the breadth and diversity of the Liverpool City Region’s visitor offer.

From accommodation providers and attractions to food and drink businesses, events, entertainment venues and the individuals who make exceptional visitor experiences possible, the shortlist recognises the quality, creativity and commitment of businesses and people across the city region.

The Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the contribution made by the visitor economy while shining a spotlight on the businesses and individuals delivering memorable experiences for visitors.

The awards are independently judged, with the process including expert judging panels and, where relevant, interviews and mystery shopping. The public will be invited to vote for the Event/Festival of the Year category. As well as recognising achievement, the judging process is designed to provide valuable feedback to businesses, helping them continue to develop their offer and raise standards across the visitor economy. 

Natalie Wyatt, Managing Director of Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership, said:

The Tourism Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the businesses, individuals and experiences that are helping to make the Liverpool City Region one of the UK’s most exciting and successful visitor destinations. 

Our visitor economy is built on the talent, creativity, investment and commitment of people right across the Liverpool City Region, and these awards give us an opportunity to celebrate that contribution while showcasing the quality of our offer to audiences both nationally and internationally.

Katie Bentley, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications, Liverpool Business Improvement District, Company, headline sponsor, said:

Congratulations to everyone who has been shortlisted for this year’s Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards. Being recognised at this stage is a fantastic achievement and reflects the quality, ambition and commitment of the people and businesses that make our visitor economy so strong.

Tourism plays a vital role in the success of our city region, driving jobs, investment and growth while creating the experiences that bring visitors back time and again. We are proud to support these awards and shine a light on the people behind that success, celebrating the creativity, passion and hard work that continues to strengthen our reputation as a world-class destination.

We look forward to celebrating with all this year’s finalists in February.

2026 Shortlist in full:

Small Accommodation Provider of the Year
Aachen Hotel

Sefton Park Hotel

Sunnyside Guest House Southport

 

Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year            

16 Queens Avenue by Happy Days Group

Aparthotel Adagio Liverpool City Centre

Citadines City Centre Liverpool

Riverside Holiday Park

Sidemersey Livings

Staybridge Suites Liverpool

The Hideaway, Wirral

 

Large Hotel of the Year  
Hard Days Night Hotel

Hope Street Hotel

Malmaison Liverpool 

Ropewalks Hotel

The Halyard Liverpool 

The Municipal Hotel & Spa M Gallery Liverpool

Titanic Hotel Liverpool

 

Business Events Venue

BOXPARK Liverpool

Crowne Plaza Liverpool City Centre

Hill Dickinson Stadium & Aramark UK

Liverpool Cathedral

 

New Tourism Business Award    

Everton FC - Hill Dickinson Stadium Tours 

Drakephotography - Liverpool Photography Walks & Tuition

Santas Secret Forest

The Liverpool Storyteller Limited

 

Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award

Eureka! Science + Discovery

Liverpool John Lennon Airport

Strawberry Field

 

Regenerative Tourism Award
New Brighton Creative Futures CIC

Salt and Tar, Sefton Council

Speke Hall, National Trust

Strawberry Field

Sunnyside Guest House Southport

 

Independent Tourism Business of the Year

Daffodil

Hope Street Hotel

Liverpool Food Tours

New Brighton Creative Futures CIC

Reel Tours

Shiverpool

Splash Tours Liverpool

The World of Glass

 

International Tourism Award      

International Beatleweek Festival

Liverpool Cathedral

Liverpool Football Club Stadium Tours & Experiences

Royal Liver Building 360 Tour

The Beatles Story

 

Taste of Liverpool City Region - Cafe of the Year 

Nova Scotia Café Bar

Palm House Cafe

The Bluecoat Café

 

Taste of Liverpool City Region - Restaurant of the Year   
Barnacle Restaurant and Bar

Delifonseca Dockside

Maray Dockside

Panoramic 34

San Carlo Liverpool

The London Carriage Works

 

Pub of the Year 

Dicey Reilly’s Irish Sports Bar

Hotel Anfield

The One O’Clock Gun

The Red Fox, Wirral

 

Experience of the Year  

Classic Beatles Taxi Tour of Liverpool, Fab 4 Taxi Tours

Old Dock Tour, National Museums Liverpool

Royal Albert Dock Splashdown, Splash Liverpool Tours

The Famous Hope Street Shivers Experience, Shiverpool

 

Event / Festival of the Year (public vote opens on 19th October)

Comic Con Liverpool

Liverpool International Tennis Tournament

Liverpool Irish Festival

Reminisce Festival, Sherdley Park

Southport Flower Show

Southport 2026: Elegantly Eccentric

The Minton Tiles Reveal 2026

The Randox Grand National Festival

 

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year          

Eureka! Science + Discovery

Liverpool Cathedral

Liverpool FC Tours & Experiences

Speke Hall, National Trust

Strawberry Field

The Beatles Story

The World of Glass

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year          

Liverpool Beatles Museum

Royal Liver Building 360 Tour

Port Sunlight Village Trust

 

Entertainment Venue of the Year

BOXPARK Liverpool

Floral Pavilion Theatre & Conference Centre

Future Yard CIC

Liverpool Empire Theatre

Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse

Liverpool Philharmonic

 

Tourism Young Person of the Year            
Jago Lewis, Fab 4 Taxi Tours

Emily Wright, Hilton Liverpool

Holly Bennett, The London Carriage Works

Alexander Ford, The Municipal Hotel & Spa – MGallery Liverpool 

Lily Hibbert, Riverside Holiday Park

 

Unsung Hero Award       

Christine Wilson, Aachen Hotel

Sandy Davies, Floral Pavilion Theatre & Conference Centre

James O'Keeffe, Liverpool City Halls

Gill Tomlinson, Riverside Holiday Park

Hayley Forrester, Strawberry Field

Chinthaka Priyadharshana, The Municipal Hotel and Spa - M Gallery Liverpool

 

The Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards bring together businesses and individuals from across the region’s visitor economy to recognise excellence and celebrate the contribution tourism makes to the Liverpool City Region.

Category winners will also have the opportunity to progress through to the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, providing a route to national recognition.

The 2026 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 4 February 2027 at Liverpool Cathedral.

The support of the below organisations and the judges is hugely appreciated by all of those who organise the awards and the celebratory event.

Headline Sponsor:
Liverpool Business Improvement District

Associate Sponsors:
Liverpool ONE
Liverpool Football Club

Category Sponsors:
BDO LLP
B&L Creative
City of Liverpool College
Everton Football Club
First Travel Solutions
The Guide Liverpool
Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Experience Campus
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
London Northwestern Railway
MSP Global
National Museums Liverpool
PIB Insurance
Ticket Quarter
Virgin Experience Days
Wild Thang

View the shortlist, category criteria and information about the awards and judging process at www.lcrtourismawards.com.

For further information, visit www.lcrtourismawards.com.

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