IT IS TIME to ring the bells, sound the fanfare and to remember just how remarkable we are – as the region's top tourism businesses battle to find who is the best.
The Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards (Reytas) are back for a sixth year, so get ready to celebrate all that is great about the county's top hotels, brilliant B&Bs, superb produce, great visitor events and delightful tourist destinations.
The Mail is once again sponsoring the Most Remarkable Pub category, which was clinched by The Triton Inn in Brantingham last year, as we seek out the best boozers, city centre bars and country inns across the region.
Alan Murphy, whose city centre pub The Lion and Key was a finalist in the 2014 Remarkable Pub category, said just being nominated had been a rewarding experience.
He said: "It was a fantastic experience. The whole awards ceremony was really good fun and a great staff night out.
"We did notice a knock-on for the business, too. We had a lot of customers coming in to try us out saying they'd seen us in the paper or heard about us on the radio. It was really good publicity.
"I would definitely encourage anyone to get involved this year. If you think you've got something worth shouting about, then do it."
Double award-winner Maggy Whymant, of the family-run Tickton Grange Hotel, said she would encourage any local business to enter the profile-raising awards, after it won best hotel this year and best restaurant last year.
She said: "The awards are great. Winning the Reytas has been really good for raising our profile, marketing and helping to grow our business.
"It's also given the family and staff a real boost and put a real spring in our step, elevates our level of service and that shines through and reflects with our customers."
Judith Foreman, of Mr Moo's Ice Cream, in Skipsea, which won the Remarkable Fare Award this year, agreed that the Reytas had provided a real business boost.
She said: "It was very exciting when we won. It was even better that, when we went to the award ceremony at The Spa Bridlington, it was our ice cream on the menu. But winning has been beneficial. It has provided so much publicity and helped get our name out there."
The winners of the 14 Reyta categories will be unveiled at a gala award ceremony at the KC Stadium on Thursday, March 19, when the cream of the crop will be unveiled.
But now is the time to get the entries in with the deadline of Tuesday, January 20, already looming.
Andy Gray, of organisers Visit Hull and East Yorkshire (VHEY), said the Reytas are increasingly popular as more and more business realise the benefits of being involved.
He said: "There is always a tremendous buzz around the Reytas, not least because it's a showcase for all that's best about Hull and East Yorkshire.
"The Reytas are an opportunity for our local tourism businesses to celebrate quality.
"We were amazed by the response to the Reytas this year, with entries up by 30 per cent, but believe next year will be even more keenly contested.
"We have added to the number of categories and slightly tweaked others so they reflect even better the breadth of the tourism experience on offer in the county.
"For instance, we have made a distinction between food providers and producers, rather than have them compete in one category. Similarly, we have introduced categories for tourism events large and small."
The Reytas are not only a chance to celebrate the quality of what Hull and East Yorkshire has to offer, said Mr Gray, but also highlight what a vital component tourism is of the region's economy.
"The value of the visitor economy in Hull and East Yorkshire is worth an impressive £757m per annum," he said.
"This represents an increase of £142m since the creation of the VHEY partnership in 2007. Our target is to grow this economy by 5 per cent year on year."
He said VHEY have crunched the numbers to reveal the value of the visitor economy in Hull and East Yorkshire equates to 16,581 actual jobs – 10,971 in the East Riding and 5,610 in Hull – and supports an estimated 1,800 private and public sector businesses.
Last year, there were 805,000 overnight trips to the East Riding and 352,000 to Hull, worth a combined £1,2m.
Hull's forthcoming reign as the UK's City of Culture 2017 means the tourism industry is only set to grow in the years ahead, according to VHEY.
Mr Gray said: "The award of UK City of Culture 2017 provides Hull with an opportunity to transform attitudes and perceptions of Hull, locally, nationally and internationally as a place to live, work, play and visit.
"It is estimated that UK City of Culture 2017 will grow visitor spend by £184m from next year to 2020, with new jobs in construction, creative industries and tourism driving the city in a very positive economic direction."
THERE are 14 awards up for grabs at the 2015 Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards.
The categories are:
• Remarkable Hotel Accommodation: Open to hotels large and small that provide the best overnight stay and the highest standards of accommodation.
• Remarkable Bed and Breakfast: Open to all types of accommodation, including B&Bs, farmhouses, inns and restaurants with rooms.
• Remarkable Self-Catering Provider: Recognising the best overnight stay in Hull and East Yorkshire and open to all types of accommodation.
• Remarkable Food Provider: Open to all sectors of the tourism industry in Hull and East Yorkshire that provide a visitor or dining experience linked to local food.
• Remarkable Food Producer: For all sectors of the tourism industry who are producers, processors or growers of local food and drink products.
• Remarkable Cuppa: For the café or tearoom that serves the best tea or coffee and refreshments in Hull and East Yorkshire.
• Remarkable Restaurant of the Year: For the restaurant, café, hotel, accommodation provider, pub or independent deli that serves the best food in Hull and East Yorkshire.
• Remarkable Pub: For the best pub serving the highest-quality beverages in the finest surroundings. In partnership with the Hull Daily Mail.
• Remarkable Conference and Meeting Venue: Open to any organisation in the business tourism sector, including exhibition centres, convention hotels, country house properties, conference, and training venues.
• Remarkable Visitor Attraction/Experience: For the best tourism attraction or experience in Hull and East Yorkshire that puts a smile on visitors' faces and creates special memories.
• Remarkable Small Tourism Event (fewer than 20,000 visitors per year): Recognising the best event, experience or festival in Hull and East York- shire that takes place over a day, weekend, week, month or season.
• Remarkable Large Tourism Event (more than 20,000 visitors per year): For larger events, but with the same judging criteria as the small tourism event.
• Remarkable Sustainable Award: Open to any tourism business that can illustrate their excellence and commitment to sustainable best practice.
• Remarkable East Yorkshire Passion: Selected by the Visit Hull and East Yorkshire Board to honour the person who has made the greatest contribution to tourism in the past year.
Visit www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com/reyta to enter the Remarkable Pub of the Year award or just fill in the form below.
