Salisbury International Arts Festival is a finalist in the National Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2010. Along with just two other events, The Brighton Festival and Blackpool Illuminations, the Festival is finalist in the Tourism Event of the Year category.
The Salisbury International Arts Festival has been shortlisted due to its great success in bringing tourists to the region through its outstanding record of creating unique and powerful events, working with artists of the highest calibre and presenting the events in Wilshire’s stunning countryside. The Festival makes a huge contribution through its economic impact of over £3 million annually and international profile.
The full 2010 Festival programme will be launched onMonday 1 March in Salisbury. Highlight events launched so far include a wonderful free opening night with madcap French artists, Zic Zazou performing on a roaming pyrotechnic filled bandstand, The Russian Patriarchate Choir performing by candlelight in Salisbury Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour at Old Wardour Castle and a newly commissioned string quartet by Alec Roth performed by the Allegri Quartet.
During the Festival fortnight, which runs from late May to early June, more than 55,000 people experience an eclectic range of arts events from around the world, including classical concerts, free street theatre, extraordinary outdoor spectacles, literature, dance and comedy. In 2009 over 23,000 people enjoyed free events at the Festival and over 15,000 children and adults attended family friendly events - 4,000 of them took part in the Festival’s Big Play Day.
All 46 national finalists for all awards announced today were selected from over 100 regional winners submitted by regional tourist boards and were rigorously assessed by independent assessors and a team of judges to make it through to the national final. All the winners will be unveiled at a glittering awards ceremony held in the Corn Exchange at The Brighton Dome on 23 April.
Other finalists span a large range of attractions, accommodation, tourism experiences, websites and tourist information centres.
Notes to Editors:
For further information please contact Rosa Corbishley on 01722 33 22 41 or email rosa@salisburyfestival.co.uk
About Salisbury International Arts Festival
§ The 37th Salisbury International Arts Festival runs from Friday 21 May – Saturday 5 June 2010
§ The 2009 Festival featured 11 premieres and exclusives of which 9 were commissions by Salisbury International Arts Festival.
§ The annual 16 day Salisbury International Arts Festival blazed into life in 1974 with a performance by Paco Peña and is a leading commissioning and producing Festival which attracts over 55,000 attendances each year and contributes £3m to the regional economy
§ Salisbury International Arts Festival 2009 was named ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ at the South West Tourism’s ‘Tourism Excellence Awards’
§ Salisbury International Arts Festival is supported by Principal Sponsor Friends Provident, Wiltshire Council and Arts Council England – South West.
§ Salisbury International Arts Festival’s Principal Sponsor, Friend Provident has been supporting the Festival for a wonderful 25 years
§ The full Festival programme will be announced 1 March 2010.
About the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence
§ The Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2010 celebrate the best of English tourism and are in their 21st year. They promote healthy industry competition and high standards, helping to ensure England's place as a world-class destination.www.enjoyengland.com/excellence
§ The 19 categories for the 2010 awards include: access for all tourism award, large hotel (over 35 bedrooms), small hotel (under 50 bedrooms), self-catering holiday, bed & breakfast, tourism experience, caravan holiday park of the year, tourist Information centre (TIC), large visitor attraction (over 100,000 visitors), small visitor attraction (under 100,000 visitors), tourism website, business tourism award, outstanding customer service award, taste of England, sustainable tourism award, tourism event, “Where else but England” and travel journalist of the year
About VisitEngland
§ In response to a clear call from industry arising from the 2008 British Tourism Framework Review, VisitEngland has been created as the strategic leadership body representing the public and private sector stakeholders of English Tourism. It works in partnership with VisitBritain, the RDAs and local authorities, and the private sector, creating a national tourism strategy, optimising marketing investment, and developing the visitor experience across England
§ VisitEngland continues to use its Enjoy England consumer brand in the domestic market and markets England under the VisitEngland brand in international markets
§ More information can be found onwww.enjoyengland.com and www.visitengland.com/corporate
§ VisitEngland nine Regional Tourism Partners are:East of England Tourism, East Midlands Tourism, Advantage West Midlands, Visit London, One NorthEast, Northwest Regional Development Agency, Tourism South East, South West Tourism, Welcome to Yorkshire.
· An archive of media releases and more details about the work of VisitEngland promoting England as a destination can be found on the new online press centre, www.enjoyengland.com/presscentre