Beyond Adventure in Aberfeldy picked up the Best Outdoor or Adventure Experience award at the Scottish Thistle Awards regional finals for Central, Fife & Tayside, with Thyme Deli and Bistro at Errichel in Aberfeldy picking up the Food Tourism Award.
The awards which are delivered by VisitScotland saw more that 500 entries submitted along with almost 1,000 nominations from members of the public who wanted to give recognitions to businesses they think play a part in making Scotland such a fantastic place to visit.
Ross Dempster, Managing Director of Beyond Adventures, said: “ We are thrilled to accept this award today! Beyond Adventure is 25 years old in November and this is the best birthday present imaginable.
“We are a wee company that works extremely hard and the team’s unique commitment is the main contributor to our success. We believe in the importance of the outdoors in a healthy lifestyle and are striving to get everybody on the water or up the hills to reap the benefits of our beautiful country.”
While Simon Robinson from Thyme Deli & Bistro at Errichel said: “We’re thrilled and honoured to be bringing this amazing award home to Perthshire. The Central region is a world-class location for food tourism, so it’s particularly amazing to have been judged as one of the finest experiences in this category.
“This award is very much one for our team, and our valued clients, customers and supporters, without whom we would not be here. We’d also like to thank the team at VisitScotland for their wonderful help and support though all the recent challenges to get us to this point!”
The Best Outdoor or Adventure Experience award celebrates businesses that provide unforgettable, quality and authentic experience to their visitors who engage with the landscape and local communities in a positive and environmentally sensitive way.
Beyond Adventure were praised by the judges for “showing a commitment beyond their own activities to supporting the success of the Aberfeldy area as a destination.”
The Food Tourism Award is designed to recognise and celebrate those business providing visitors with a unique and memorable tourism experience centred around food and drink. Thyme Deli & Bistro at Errichel is a family-run business situated on a working rare-breed hill farm just outside Aberfeldy, who provide informal dining and award-winning foods from the deli and online.
The Regional winners will now come head-to-head with competition from other tourism businesses and events across Scotland at the National Final taking place in February 2023.
Steven Walker, the Chair of the Scottish Thistle Awards industry panel said: “Congratulations to all of the winners at the Central, Fife & Tayside Regional Final of the Scottish Thistle Awards.
“The Scottish Thistle Awards shine a spotlight on the very best of Scotland’s tourism and events industry, celebrating the businesses and individuals who have worked tirelessly in the last two years to create the fantastic destination and visitor experiences that Scotland is famous for.
“The Scottish Thistle Awards mark an important celebration as we move towards recovery from the pandemic and support the ambition of Outlook 2030, for Scotland to be a world leader in 21st century tourism.
“I wish the regional winners the best of luck as they continue to the Scottish Thistle Awards National Final next year.”
For a full list of regional winners, please visit: www.scottishthistleawards.co.uk