Members of the tourism industry gathered at the Old Library, Guildhall on 10 March to celebrate London travel businesses and individuals who have gone above and beyond for the industry.
The London Tourism Awards 2022, hosted by London & Partners, brought London’s tourism industry back together under one roof for the first time in two years. It hosted 10 categories, including ‘Unsung Hero’ and ‘Resilience and Innovation’.
Following the previous awards night which took place just days before the first national lockdown, this year’s edition celebrated the likes of Neeshal Jeewon (pictured left) of the Hilton London Metropole, who won the ‘Unsung Hero’ award.
As lockdown started, Jeewon began working with charity OpenKitchen which redistributed excess food supplies from hotels to local people struggling to purchase meals. He worked to pack and label boxes for those in need every week and to date, over 50,000 meals have been delivered, in partnership with the Felix Project. He also works with the Down’s Syndrome Association to ‘buddy up’ with disabled people matched into long-term jobs at the Hilton London Metropole.
Barbican Centre won the ‘Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism’ award for its commitment to sustainability, working towards its overall aim to reach net zero by 2027.
The Postal Museum was praised for its provisions made for people with disabilities, while Up at The O2 was commended for reopening its experience just days after Storm Eunice damaged the roof of the O2 last month.
Barge East, a floating restaurant on a canal in Hackney Wick, won both the ‘Taste of England’ Award for its menu and the ‘Resilience & Innovation’ Award for its work to help food banks and provide free meals for children.
Tracy Halliwell, director of tourism, conventions and major events at London & Partners, said: “Last night’s London Tourism Awards 2022 acknowledged the challenging time we have faced as a tourism industry over the last few years, but most importantly, we optimistically looked to the future.”
The London Tourism Award 2022 winners are listed below. The winners and highly commended businesses will now automatically go through to the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence at a national level.
- Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award: The Postal Museum
- Highly Commended: Sea Containers London
- Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award: Barbican Centre
- Experience of the Year: Up at The O2
- Highly Commended: Skuna Boats
- Large Hotel of the Year: The Langham, London
- Highly Commended: Hilton London Metropole
- New Tourism Business Award: The Londoner Hotel
- Highly Commended: Terrible Thames Tour by Woods’ Silver Fleet
- Highly Commended: The Birmingham Stage Company
- Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year: The Chronicle by Supercity Aparthotels
- Taste of England Award: Barge East
- Visitor Attraction of the Year: London Transport Museum
- Unsung Hero: Neeshal Jeewon, Hilton London Metropole
- Resilience & Innovation Award: Barge East
