Worksop on the map as top tourist destination after award wins

The region’s outstanding tourism businesses took centre-stage at the 2026 Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards.

The prestigious event was held at Pride Park Stadium in Derby and brought together over 380 guests for a night of recognition and celebration during English Tourism Week (13-22 March).

Winners in the Worksop area included The Welbeck Estate scooping a silver in the Visitor Attraction of the Year category and Darren Phillips from DropWorks, based at Welbeck, won a bronze award in the Unsung Hero Award category.

Meanwhile the Wild Acre Village at Sundown Adventureland was top spot with a gold in the Camping, Glamping & Holiday Park of the Year category.

Megan Powell Vreeswijk, CEO of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire including Visit Nottinghamshire, said: “We are incredibly proud to celebrate the winners of the Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards and to recognise the exceptional quality, innovation and dedication shown by businesses across our visitor economy.

"These awards are a powerful reminder of the vital role tourism plays in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire - supporting jobs, driving investment and creating experiences that attract millions of visitors each year, support 22,500 jobs and generate £2.53 billion in economic impact.

“It was fantastic to come together with our partners at Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby to showcase our exceptional visitor economy sector across the East Midlands. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and we keep our fingers crossed for our Gold award recipients being picked to represent the region on the national stage at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.”

The region’s two Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) – Visit Nottinghamshire and Visit Peak District, Derbyshire and Derby – joined forces to deliver the awards ceremony in partnership for the second year, highlighting the sector’s vital £5.25bn of economic impact contribution to the East Midlands’ economy.

Finalists were recognised across 35 overall awards categories, spanning hotels, B&Bs, attractions, pubs, cafes, unique visitor experiences and unsung heroes, showcasing the very best of the local tourism industry.

Nominees progressed through a rigorous judging process – including mystery visits and independent expert assessment – before gathering at the ceremony, where Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were announced across both competitions.

The awards were held in partnership with VisitEngland and Gold winners in each core category will now have the opportunity to represent the region at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in June 2026 – the highest national accolade in English tourism.

For the full list of winners from the Nottinghamshire Tourism Awards please visit:

https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/nottinghamshire-tourism-awards/2026-nottinghamshire-tourism-awards-winners