Noel Edmonds will be the official host of the 2003 Cornwall Tourism Awards, to be held on 25 November at the Falmouth Beach Resort Hotel.

Entries for this year’s awards have doubled to over 500 from the inaugural event last year, with nominations coming from visitors to the county – via the Cornwall Tourist Board website – as well as self-nomination by the attractions, accommodation providers, transport operators and eating places.

Four new categories have been added – best tourism website, green tourism initiative, pub of the year and Cornish distinctiveness – for a total of nineteen.

Last year’s event saw Trebah Garden near Falmouth win the title winner of winners.

• Elsewhere in Cornwall, a conference held in Newquay on 6 November saw local tourism businesses looking at ways to win back visitors from overseas.

In a presentation by Sandie Dawe, communications director for VisitBritain, delegates heard how the organisation aims to develop the overseas market to the UK – currently worth £76bn, of which £45m is spent in Cornwall – to over £100bn by 2010.

Debbie Smith, head of marketing for Cornwall Tourist Board, said: “The conference was a fantastic opportunity for tourism businesses to learn about the exciting new campaigns being developed based on research into Cornwall’s image and brand.

“It is vital to the economic sustainability of Cornwall for the tourism industry to talk to potential visitors in a language which presents a modern county. This conference will equip businesses with the information and skills to enable them to achieve this.”