Well known travel writer and blogger Zoe Dawes will visit the county this month after accepting an invitation to host the much anticipated Pembrokeshire Tourism Awards.

When she’s not sitting in an airport departures lounge, the travel writer is a familiar face to viewers of BBC Breakfast TV sharing advice on UK and international travel and tourism and she is a regular contributor of articles for online travel websites such as Visit Britain and Late Rooms.

Recently she was also the only UK representative chosen for an international press trip to Thailand.

Zoe said: “I am very lucky that I do what I love for a living. Travel is my passion. Whether it be to India or Inverness, there is always something unusual or intriguing to discover and share.

“I am thrilled to have been asked to host the Pembrokeshire Tourism Awards, I understand how important the tourism industry is to Britain’s economy.

“The wonderful job the tourism industry does, has truly cemented the UK’s reputation as a quality global destination. Wales is an inspiring country with a huge amount to offer both UK and international visitors. I am really looking forward to visiting Pembrokeshire again and to celebrating their tourism achievements.”

Social media has completely changed the face of travel and research shows that many bloggers, writers and social media accounts have the power to influence our buying decisions.

This power has not gone unnoticed and is something travel and tourism businesses are increasingly looking to tap into. Zoe’s blog, The Quirky Traveller commands a digital audience of 300,000.

Dennis O’Connor, Tourism Liaison Manager at Pembrokeshire Tourism explained why Zoë was chosen to host their awards.

“Pembrokeshire is a very popular holiday destination for thousands of visitors each year so destination marketing and responsible management is hugely important,” he said.

“It’s the Visit Wales designated Year of the Sea and following the recent announcement that the Pembrokeshire coast was crowned ‘Best Holiday Destination’ in the BBC Countryfile Awards it’s very fitting that we should have such a renowned travel writer join us to celebrate our fantastic tourism industry.

“An award winning travel expert like Zoe is a perfect choice to host our awards which are sponsored by Milford Waterfront and we look forward to working with her to showcase the wonderfully diverse county in which we are fortunate to live and work.”

As well as hosting the awards, Zoe will travel around the county to write about her experience before delivering two training workshops on ‘Travel Writing’ and ‘Blogging’.

Pembrokeshire Tourism’s Chairperson Jane Rees-Baynes said: “We are delighted that Zoe will be hosting the tourism awards this year and also sharing her expertise with our members.

“I’m sure that by the time she leaves she will have been really inspired by what Pembrokeshire has to offer visitors.”