Bath’s Roman Baths have been crowned one of the country’s best tourist attractions in the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2013.
Members of the Roman Baths team were officially presented with the silver award in the large visitor attractions category at the glittering awards ceremony held in Manchester on Monday.
The Roman Baths – managed by Bath & North East Somerset Council – were the only attraction in the South West to make it into the national final of the awards for large visitor attraction category.
It competed against the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire (gold), The Cutty Sark (bronze) and Blenheim Palace (highly commended).
VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “I would like to congratulate all those finalists in this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. We received 320 applications and the quality of submissions was higher than ever. It is therefore no small achievement for the Roman Baths to be a finalist and it can justifiably take credit and pride in earning a coveted place in the top four in its category in England.”
Council cabinet member for sustainable development Cllr Ben Stevens said: “We’re delighted that the Roman Baths have been recognised with a Silver Award at the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2013.
“This achievement builds on the Roman Baths winning gold in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards earlier this year and reflects the success of the team’s incredibly hard work. It shows the council’s continuing commitment to making this nationally important visitor attraction accessible and exciting for everyone to enjoy. I congratulate our Roman Baths team for all their dedication and devotion in going the extra mile to ensure visitors have a really enjoyable time.”
The Roman Baths made it into the national finals by achieving the highest scores in the South West awards for its “commitment to excellence in customer experience”, “sustainability” and “commitment to excellence in improvements”. The official report – based on the recommendations of the category judges and mystery shoppers – highlighted a number of positive aspects of the Roman Baths visitor experience, including:
- It is an iconic building in a memorable setting.
- Following several years of major investment, the museum and baths are very well presented and interpreted. Audio guides with a range of commentaries for different age groups, interests and languages are easy to use and informative.
- Video presentations bring the various areas to life as they would have been in Roman times, with great effect.
- There are regular free guided tours with knowledgeable staff; and costumed characters entertain around the main bath.
- The new Roman Baths Kitchen café, opened in May 2012, offers a good range of food throughout the day, with good service, quality furniture and a changing menu.
The Roman Baths were among 19 finalists from the South West in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence out of a total of 73 – meaning the region boasted more than a quarter of all contenders.
Other South West finalists included Fern Cottage Bed and Breakfast in Pucklechurch – a nominee from Bristol Hospitality Awards – which was highly commended in the highly commended in the bed & breakfast/guest accommodation of the year category, and At-Bristol, the science centre, which was highly commended in the sustainable tourism category.
For more information about Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Roman Baths visit www.romanbaths.co.uk or call 01225 477774.
Pictured, from left: Cllr Cherry Beath, cabinet member for sustainable development 2012-13; Katie Smith, visitor services manager; Stephen Clews, Roman Baths manager; Lady Cobham, presenting the silver award; and Stephen Bird, Bath & North East Somerset Council head of heritage services.
