Tourism South East announced the nine winners of its Awards for Excellence on Friday 31 October – with those receiving accolades going forward to the Excellence in England finals being run by VisitBritain and taking place in London on St George’s Day.

The large visitor attraction of the year award went to Blue Reef Aquarium near Portsmouth, while the smaller attraction award (under 100,000 visitors a year) went to Penshurst Place and Gardens, near Tonbridge in Kent.

Ashdown Park Hotel in Wych Cross, Sussex was named large hotel of the year with South Lodge Hotel in Lower Beeding, Essex, best small hotel of the year and Foxhills in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight awarded the bed and breakfast of the year award.

The self-catering holiday of the year award went to Latters Oast Apartments in Tudeley near Tonbridge in Kent and the caravan holiday park of the year went to Southland Camping Park in Newchurch, on the Isle of Wight.

The judges also choose Winchester as the best Tourist Information Centre and said Red Funnel Ferries had the best tourism website – receiving over 14 million hits in 2002.

The tourism for all award, designed to recognise this year's being the European Year of the Disabled, went to the family run Farming World near Faversham in Kent, where 10 per cent of the visitors have special needs.

The outstanding contribution to tourism award went to the Island 2000 Trust for its Gift to Nature initiative. The scheme encourages visitors to the Isle of Wight to make a voluntary donation towards local conservation projects through a partnership of 115 businesses including small shops and cafés, accommodation providers and attractions.

The winners were announced at a gala dinner at the Runnymede Hotel in Egham and were presented by journalist and broadcaster, Alastair Stewart.