Cardiff International White Water was last night crowned the Best Visitor Experience at the National Tourism Awards.
The awards, held at The Vale of Glamorgan Resort, showcase the very best that Wales has to offer, and are organised by Visit Wales, The Wales Tourism Alliance and Quadrant.
The Best Visitor Experience award recognises attractions and events that have something different to offer, with the awards website describing the winner as being able to “cater for visitors seeking adventure or searching for new experiences. The experience offered must be genuine and give visitors an opportunity to try something different.”
The centre which opened in March provides the UK with its first olympic-standard pumped water canoe slalom course, offering canoeing and white water rafting facilities ranging from starter to recreational,through to full international competition use and is expected to attract up to 50,000 users per year once fully established.
The centre is a landmark tourism destination and the team have developed a number of recreational offers and partnerships with Cardiff hotels to offer CIWW visitors special deals and packages to enjoy all that the city has to offer.
CIWW wasn’t the only Cardiff attraction to be recognised at last night’s awards, Cardiff Castle, was also short listed in the Best Visitor Experience category.
Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Tourism, Cllr Nigel Howells, said:”Our aspirations for CIWW was for it to be one of Wales’ top tourist attractions and its fantastic that within its first year of opening we have already been named Best Visitor Experience.
“It’s an amazing achievement and credit must be given to the staff at CIWW for all the hard work they have put in, in providing an experience that tourists and athletes can both enjoy.
“Cardiff Castle also being short listed in the same category is also testament to the capital’s tourism industry and reflects the diverse and varied attractions the city has to offer.”
For more information on Cardiff International White Water, please visit www.ciww.com
