BLENHEIM Palace in Woodstock had two reasons to celebrate at this year’s Beautiful South Awards For Excellence.

The Oxfordshire UNESCO World Heritage Site won gold in the International Tourism Award earlier this month and also picked up the top prize as Wedding Venue of the Year.

Oxford Mail:

The ceremony took place at The Grand Brighton hotel and was hosted by travel journalist and broadcaster Simon Calder.

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Blenheim Palace’s head of operations Emily Hirons said: “We have been working extremely hard over the past year to grow our appeal to international visitors and this award reflects really well on all the hard work undertaken by all the team. To have also won gold as a wedding venue, in what is an extremely competitive and discerning market, was particularly pleasing and again speaks volumes for the commitment, enthusiasm and attention to detail of the team.”

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The International Tourism Award is for businesses that deliver truly memorable visitor experiences, particularly for international visitors, and demonstrate excellence across every aspect of the business. The Wedding Venue of the Year is a new award that recognises wedding venues that attract visitors to the region.