Lancaster University Management School is backing the best tourism and hospitality firms across Lancashire once more.

The School has extended its sponsorship of the Lancashire Tourism Awards, celebrating companies with agenda-setting sustainability and accessibility agendas.

LUMS is sponsoring the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award, and the Ethical Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award – the latter through the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business – for the third time. And for a second year, the Centre for Family Business in LUMS is backing the Family Owned/Run Business Award.

The three awards are among 21 categories recognising excellence in tourism and hospitality, with latest figures showing that Lancashire attracts 64.8 million visitors annually and the visitor economy is worth £4.8bn.

Professor Claire Leitch, Executive Dean of Lancaster University Management School, said: “It is wonderful for us to continue our sponsorship of the Lancashire Tourism Awards. At the very heart of our School is a responsibility to support and work with businesses across the region, and these awards allow us to do so in a sector that is so important to the region’s economy.

“Through this partnership we are not only able to learn more about the brilliant establishments we have across Lancashire, but we can also share our knowledge and expertise with them when it comes to sustainability and accessibility, and to successful family business succession.

“In the past few years, colleagues here in the School have delivered fascinating workshops for award nominees and winners, and other tourism and hospitality businesses throughout Lancashire. I know many have benefited from accessibility training through the Marketplace & I project with Dr Leighanne Higgins in particular.

“We look forward to meeting many more of those companies throughout the judging process and beyond, and seeing where we can work with each other to mutual benefit.”

All awards are now open for applications. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, February 11^th, 2025, with the venue yet to be announced.

All qualifying tourism and hospitality businesses in Lancashire who wish to apply, must do so before midnight on Friday, July 12^th. The criteria for entry and application forms for all awards categories can be found on lancashiretourismawards.com

The Family Owned/Run Business Award is distinctive to the Lancashire event. It was designed in partnership between the Centre for Family Business and event organisers Marketing Lancashire to recognise the many family businesses across the tourism sector in the county, from long-established family hotels to new attractions or businesses built for future generations.

Maria Moriarty-Eames, Head of Partnership at Marketing Lancashire said: “We are delighted to continue to work in partnership with Lancaster University on the Lancashire Tourism Awards and in delivering added value to our partners through the university’s research and knowledge.

“Over the previous two years of our partnership, a number of our leisure and tourism partners have benefitted from training provided by the Management School on sustainability and accessibility.

“As we move forward as the official LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership) for Lancashire, and in line with our tourism growth strategy, there is an ever-growing need to meet future ambitions to become an accessible and sustainable visitor destination to meet the demands of future audiences.

“With a significant number of independent, and specifically family-owned and run, businesses playing their part in the visitor economy, we are also thrilled to continue to work with the Centre for Family Business on an award to celebrate these businesses.”

For more details on the Lancashire Tourism Awards, visit www.lancashiretourismawards.com