THE cream of York’s tourism businesses and attractions are celebrating after a glittering industry award ceremony which recognised the best the city has to offer to visitors.
Now in their 14th year, the annual tourism awards, hosted by Visit York, saw the highly prized York Tourism Ambassador award go to Ivan Martin and the Association of Voluntary Guides.
The organisation scooped the prize in recognition of its “brilliant army of volunteers” and its work in showcasing the city to more than 700,000 each year. Last year saw Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu take the prize.
Gillian Cruddas MBE, chief executive of Visit York, said: “We’re thrilled that the Tourism Ambassador title has gone to Ivan Martin and the Association of Voluntary Guides. “York has an army of brilliant tourism volunteers who do the city proud and we’re particularly delighted to be awarding this honour in the sixtieth anniversary year of the association. “My congratulations also go to all our winners for the excellent job they do in ensuring York’s continued tourism success.”
John Yeomans, chairman of Visit York, said: “York has an army of brilliant tourism volunteers who do the city proud and Ivan and all volunteers with the association have been committed to carrying on this tradition for 60 years.”
Ivan Martin, 68, chairman of the volunteers, was praised for his “unsurpassed knowledge of the city”. Barrie Ferguson, training officer for the Volunteers, said: “We are delighted that Ivan and the Association of Voluntary Guides have been given this honour.”
Last night’s black-tie event was sponsored by many of York and Yorkshire’s leading businesses, celebrated individuals and companies noted for their excellence in York’s tourism industry.
Other businesses picking up awards included The Cedar Court Grand, named Hotel of the Year. The Black Swan Inn and House of The Trembling Madness shared the spoils when they were announced joint winners of the Pub of the Year award.
The visitor attraction (less than 50,000 visitors) of the year went to Yorkshire Lavender while the award in the More Than 50,000 visitors category went to the ever popular Yorkshire Museum, with York Racecourse receiving a highly commended nod.
Celebrating too was Tom Pearcy owner of the increasingly popular York Maze, which scooped the new People’s Choice Award.
The winners of the Visit York Tourism Awards 2011
Hotel of the Year, sponsored by Yorkshire Laundry Services Ltd
Winner: The Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa
Highly commended: Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
Guest Accommodation of the Year, sponsored by NVG
Winner: Low Penhowe
Highly commended: Carlton House
Self Catering/Caravan Park of the Year, sponsored by York Hogroast
Winner: The Riverside York
Pub of the Year, sponsored by Deans Computer Services
Joint winners: The Black Swan Inn & House Of The Trembling Madness
Taste of York Award, sponsored by Morrell Middleton
Winner: Melton’s Restaurant
York & Scarborough Business Tourism Award, sponsored by Saville Audio Visual
Winner: Raven Hall Hotel
Visitor Attraction of the Year (under 50,000 visitors), sponsored by Continuum
Winner: Yorkshire Lavender
Highly commended: Complete Yorkshire
Visitor Attraction of the Year (50,000 visitors and over), sponsored by FR Fowler and Son
Winner: Yorkshire Museum
Highly commended: York Racecourse 2010 Race Season
Outstanding Customer Service Award, sponsored by Pindar Plc
Winner: Hotel Chocolat
Employee of the Year, sponsored by welcometraining.com
Winner: James Borrow, Xing Smoothies
Marketing Campaign, Sponsored by Leeds Bradford International
Winner: York Theatre Royal, for the Wind In The Willows
My York Favourite - the People’s Choice Award
Winner: York Maze
Tourism Ambassador, sponsored by Ware & Kay
Winner: Ivan Martin and the Association of Voluntary Guides
York Tourism Ambassador Ivan Martin takes MATT CLARK on a guided tour of the city
IVAN Martin says he’s like the Pied Piper. When we leave Exhibition Square there are 11 Americans, three Canadians and a couple from Wigan in tow. By the time we reach Bootham Bar, that number has doubled.
Ivan is one of York’s voluntary guides. His love of York is infectious and fellow guides call him an inspiration. No surprise that Ivan’s reward is to be named York’s Tourism Ambassador for 2011.
It is a title that will, appropriately enough, be jointly held by himself and the organisation of which he is chairman – the York Association of Voluntary guides, which is 60 this year.
For Ivan, it is simply a “privilege and a joy” to be able to show people around the city he loves. But it is, he admits, nice to be appreciated. Best of all, the joint award of the Tourism Ambassador title “recognises the efforts of all the guides”.
There is nothing Ivan likes more than sharing scenes and memories from his childhood while giving a tour; from The Minster he used to paint, to the cobblestones he ran along as a lad. Not to mention history lessons in the Castle Museum on summer afternoons.
We’re high on the Bar Walls – York’s Crown Jewels, Ivan says – overlooking the Dean’s garden as the sun breaks through, casting shadows across the lawn.
“It’s a beautiful city, the finest in England to me. But it’s not just the history and heritage that make York such a great place, it’s the size. I once lived in Leeds and it was too big. Here though, life here can be very fulfilling.”
The York Association of Voluntary Guides began during the Festival of Britain in 1951. The York tours were part of a nationwide bid to lift people’s spirits after the war and were only meant to last a couple of months. But they were such a success, City of York Council made them permanent.
Now, 60 years on, Ivan is the chairman with 110 guides. And the tours have never been more popular; last year 13,000 people from 70 countries took one. Most have an interest in history or architecture and the guides tailor the commentary to the group’s interests.
Sometimes, though, Ivan is asked a few funny questions.
“We were outside the East window at York Minster one day and a Japanese tourist wanted to know how it opened. I told him, ‘It doesn’t open,’ and he replied, ‘Well, you need Japanese technology, then’.” Sadly, locals don’t tend to take the tours as the tourists do. Ivan thinks that’s a shame; we might be surprised by what we learn.
Take the shards of glass on the corner of Chapter House Street, used to detect whether a crack is moving. Have you seen them?
In today’s party, Anne Fleming, from Calgary, says she is impressed with the tour. “York really is beautiful and it’s breathtaking to be able to look across at 1,000-year-old buildings. But you don’t know what you are looking for, so these tours are a perfect introduction to the city.”
And the perfect host is York’s Tourism Ambassador for 2011.
• York Association of Voluntary Guides offers free two-hour walking tours at 10.15am from Exhibition Square. From now until October an additional tour starts at 2.15pm, and there will be a further tour at 6.45pm from June to August. No need to book, just turn up outside the Art Gallery. To arrange a group outing phone 01904 550098
Thanks for a job well done
TOURISM is hugely important for York. The city’s seven million visitors each year help generate more than £440 million for the local economy, and support about 23,000 jobs.
It is vital that we look after them, and ensure they have a visit they’ll never forget – so that they and their friends will want to come back time and again.
Beautiful York itself does much of the job for us. It is, as the Rough Guide To Yorkshire puts it, a “wonderful place chock-full of treasures” which “has a place in the history of England, and in its affections, out of all proportion to its size”.
But the city is only as welcoming as its people. It is those working in the tourist industry who are in the front line. So it is wonderful to be able, once a year at least, to recognise them for the valuable work they do.
Quite rightly it was Ivan Martin, one of York’s army of volunteer tourist guides, who was named Tourism Ambassador for York at last night’s tourism awards. He shared the honour with the Association of Voluntary Guides, which he chairs, and which is 60 this year. Few do as much as the volunteer guides to increase the enjoyment of visitors – and they do it simply out of love for the city.
A host of other organisations and individuals were also recognised last night, however, for their part in cementing York and North Yorkshire’s place right at the top of the tourism tree. They included the York Maze, Melton’s Restaurant, the Cedar Court Grand Hotel, and many others.
They, and the thousands of others working in York’s tourism industry who do so much to make this a wonderful city for visitors, deserve our thanks for a job well done.
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