The stars of Pembrokeshire’s tourism industry shone through at last weekend’s prestigious tourism awards which were held at Haverfordwest’s showground.

Following a welcome from Andrew Campbell, vice-chair of Pembrokeshire Tourism, Clare Stowell, property and tourism director of the awards main sponsor, Milford Waterfront, gave an update on the development plans which will transform Milford Haven’s marina and docks area into a vibrant tourism destination for locals and visitors. The regeneration will add to the existing mix of leisure, retail and dining businesses and will celebrate arts, culture and heritage, with the aim of boosting the local economy by providing opportunities for long-term, sustainable jobs.

The awards were hosted by well-known travel writer Zoe Dawes - The Quirky Traveller who, when not sitting on an aeroplane can be seen on BBC’s Breakfast TV as one of their chosen travel experts sharing opinion and observations on British and international travel. Zoe was joined on stage for the evening by Adrian Greason-Walker from the Wales Tourism Alliance who were one of the event sponsors.

Zoe commented: “What a splendid night. I was so impressed with the quality of the finalists. Pembrokeshire has some world class attractions and tourism businesses and it was a pleasure to host the evening; everyone was very welcoming and it’s certainly given me lots of reasons to come back to this beautiful and intriguing part of the British Isles.”

The high quality of the entrants this year meant once again that there was very little to choose between the finalists in each of the 15 categories and as each of the categories were announced, hope and anticipation increased in the room.

Former hotelier Chris Osborne received a special award for his outstanding contribution to tourism.

Dennis O’Connor, tourism liaison manager, said: “The outstanding contribution to tourism award is given to those whose work has made a significant difference to what Pembrokeshire has to offer visitors. In Chris’s case, his contribution to tourism over a period of 40-plus years has benefited not only Pembrokeshire, but the Welsh tourism industry as a whole so we are particularly delighted to recognise him with this award.”

Each of the winners received a specially commissioned award made by sculptor Neil Machin, of Begelly House Wood Carving Studio. The striking award, made from a combination of stone and wood was inspired by the Visit Wales Year of the Sea and was designed using stone to depict the rocky coast and rippled wood for the shoreline.

Following the awards, Pembrokeshire Tourism’s chairperson Jane Rees-Baynes said: “Financially, tourism is incredibly important to Pembrokeshire and we are delighted that our organisation plays a central role working with dedicated tourism providers to ensure that the county remains a first class destination of choice.

“The awards are an opportunity for us to recognise, reward and be inspired by the people who year on year respond to the demands and trends of modern tourism and we would like to congratulate this year’s finalists who all showed that tourism in Pembrokeshire is in safe hands.

“We were pleased to have award-winning travel writer Zoe Dawes host the awards which demonstrates our organisations commitment to providing opportunities for our members and the county as a whole to benefit from and we look forward to supporting the tourism industry with the implementation of further initiatives as we go forward.”

The full list of category winners are: best breakfast (sponsored by St Brides Spa Hotel) - Blas Restaurant; best taste of Pembrokeshire (sponsored by the Western Telegraph) - St. David’s Kitchen; best activity provider (sponsored by Celtic Quest Coasteering) - Pembrokeshire Wake Park; best visitor attraction (sponsored by Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo) - Carew Castle and Tidal Mill; best B&B/ guest house (sponsored by Pear Communications) - Monk Haven Manor; best self catering accommodation (sponsored by Cottages.com) - Little Fox Cottage; best holiday complex (sponsored by FBM Holidays) - Croft Farm and Celtic Cottages; best hotel (sponsored by Christie and Co) - St. Brides Spa Hotel; best caravan/campsite (sponsored by The Buttles Caravan Park) - Coastal Wood Camping; best new business (sponsored by LHP Chartered Accountants) - Becks Bay Camping; sustainable tourism (sponsored by 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire) - Dr. Beynon’s Bug Farm; best access for all (sponsored by Signspeed) - Asheston Eco Barns; best impact marketing campaign (sponsored by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority) - West Wales Holiday Cottages; best Pembrokeshire welcome team (sponsored by Celtic Wines Ltd) - Giltar Hotel; best supplier (sponsored by the Stackpole Inn) - Victoria Brace Marketing; outstanding contribution to tourism award (sponsored by Milford Waterfront) - Chris Osborne.