England has long offered plenty of reasons to holiday elsewhere: some, such as the climate or abysmal trains, beyond the tourism industry's control; but others, such as stodgy cuisine and forbidding hotels, simply not good enough. Now, though, the grains of truth that fed the Fawlty Towers caricatures are the exception rather than the rule, and there are plenty of good things to celebrate.
This week, the best in domestic tourism will be honoured at the annual Excellence in England awards. Each regional tourist board selected their outstanding attractions, accommodation, websites and Tourist Information Centres; the finalists have been shortlisted in ten different categories.
Here, we run the rule over the three finalists that Visit Britain's judging panel selected in the Tourism website of the Year category. To see the full Excellence in England shortlist, see visitengland.com/excellence.
Cotswolds Japan Partnership
the-cotswolds.org
No arguments with this candidate: the selection from the Heart of England tourist board distinguishes itself by having a fully operational Japanese translation. This - my Japanese colleague assures me - is a rare phenomenon, particularly when done this well: with a search facility that accounts for readers using Japanese keyboards or otherwise, with good, flowing copy and even phonetic translation of place names on the maps.
It's an excellently targeted site, which has, they say, been rewarded with 8,500 unique visitors using the Japanese version each month - over double the number using the English version. Those of us needing the boring old English shouldn't be disappointed either with the clear search function, maps and navigation.
British Airways London Eye
ba-londoneye.com
London's selection has a lot going for it: striking, clean design, good navigation, and fully answers most queries visitors might have. One minor irritation is that the first pages on the site map and on the navigation are devoted to Marks Barfield architects - which probably isn't quite what you're looking for. In fairness, it must be quite peeving - after all, Paris has the Eiffel tower so why haven't we got the Marks Barfield Eye? At least on this site - designed by, er, Marks Barfield - they get the credit.
That aside, the content is admirable, with online booking, interactive maps and trip planners. Given that the product is essentially a 30-minute spin, there's a real wealth and range of information here, presented in an original and attractive format.
Museum of Science & Industry
msim.org.uk
The north west's selection doesn't attempt anything breathtaking but it's a very professional and clear site. The faintly interactive guides and virtual tours don't really add that much here, but it's all very accessible and informative, and designed with the museum visitor's needs at the forefront of the navigation.
One eye-catching section was the Games page, with a selection of Flash animated puzzles and illusions. It seems a good way to interest younger users - and beyond. In fact, clicking on the Vortex and then staring at your co-workers can imbue a day at the office with the kind of feeling you might normally only get after a night on the tiles.
The other six regional winners were:
Red Funnel Ferries - Tourism South East, redfunnel.co.uk
Harewood House Trust - Yorkshire Tourist Board, harewood.org
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery - Cumbria Tourist Board, tulliehouse.co.uk
Holkham Hall - East of England Tourist Board, holkham.co.uk
Lumley Castle Hotel - Northumbria Tourist Board, lumleycastle.com
Exmoor National Park - South West Tourism, exmoor-accommodation.co.uk
The winner of the Tourism Website of the Year category will be announced at the national awards ceremony at Kensington Palace in London on April 22. The judges are looking for "commitment to providing an excellent service through the website, with an attractive design and easy to navigate web pages. The website will also have reasonable measures in place for disabled site visitors, in line with the new Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) coming fully into force in October this year. In addition, the site will fit perfectly for the target market and will demonstrate proven success with promotion and sales."
