Leading supermarket retailer Safeway was back on board for a second year running as headline sponsor of the Safeway Excellence in England Awards 2003. 

The annual awards, run by VisitBritain (formerly the English Tourism Council) aim to encourage and reward excellence in English tourism. The awards ceremony was held in London on St George's Day, 23 April 2003. 

Safeway chairman David Webster said: 'We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Excellence in England Awards again to continue to build our links with, and aid, local tourism.'

Nine of the categories in the Safeway Excellence in England Awards 2003 were run as regional heats by England's 10 Regional Tourist Boards. These were:

Bed and Breakfast/Guesthouse of the Year 
Caravan Holiday Park of the Year
Small Hotel of the Year
Large Hotel of the Year
Self-catering Holiday of the Year
Tourist Information Centre of the Year 
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Best Tourism website

View the the regional winners of each category from the 10 Regional Tourist Boards.  You will need Adobe Acrobat reader to view this document. 

View the winners of the national finals which were announced at the national award ceremony held on St George's Day, 23 April 2003.  

A further two awards, Outstanding Customer Service (sponsored by the Daily Telegraph) and Marketing in Tourism Award (sponsored by Travel Trade Gazette) were nominated by the public. 

VisitBritain (formerly the English Tourism Council) had also announced leading self-catering operator Hoseasons as a sponsor of the Awards. Both VisitBritain and Hoseasons worked together to endorse England as a top holiday destination to UK holidaymakers and encourage continued excellence in England's tourism industry.