By Isle of Wight Observer
Everyone’s got their fingers crossed at Monkey Haven, because they’ve been shortlisted for a major award. They have reached finals of the ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ category in 2019’s Beautiful South Tourism Awards.
This means that they could get win a highly prized Bronze, Silver or Gold award at a ceremony being held at the Grand Brighton Hotel on Tuesday, December 10.
They have already been Commended in the ‘Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism’ category. “It’s great to be green“, says Monkey Haven’s Founder, Don Walser. “We use sustainable timber in all our buildings, grow our own grub for the monkeys to eat, and the mulch in our play areas is made from recycled aeroplane tyres.
“It’s such a boost for our charity to get this commendation, and to be shortlisted for the Small Visitor Attraction is just incredible. It’s our 10th birthday next year, and to get this award would be an amazing present for our primate rescue centre. So we’ve got our fingers crossed – and hope you’ll cross everything for us too!”
The awards celebrate excellence in tourism across the South East. They aim to promote and reward businesses and individuals in the tourism industry, whatever their sector and size. Many South East winners go on to be nominated to represent the region in the national VisitEngland Awards in June 2020.
Mark Smith, Chair of Tourism South East, said that there had been a “huge increase” in the number of applicants for the 2019 Awards, up 40% on last year. “I’m blown away by the number and quality of entries we have received this year”, he commented. “Congratulations on your achievements.”
