Best West Midlands cafes, campsites, museums and festivals acknowledged at major awards night

Cosy cafes in the Black Country and historic hotels in Shropshire were among the winners across 16 categories at the West Midlands Tourism Awards ceremony, held at The Belfry Hotel & Resort on Monday.

Tourism businesses from destinations including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Solihull, Shropshire, Warwickshire, and Wolverhampton were recognised for excellence across a wide range of categories, including “Restaurant of the Year”, “Outstanding Contribution to Tourism”, and “Business Events Venue of the Year”. 

Across the Black Country and Shropshire, there were six gold awards, four silver awards, one bronze award and one highly commended entry as well.

The gold award were won by Crumbles Coffee House and Deli at Compton Care in Wolverhampton for Café/Coffee Shop of the Year, The Barns at Blackwater Meadow in Ellesmere for Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year, Stourbridge Glass Museum for Regenerative Tourism Award, The Taste of Shrewsbury Experience for New Tourism Business of the Year, Shrewsbury Food Festival for Tourism Event/Festival of the Year and Alexander Goodger at Stourbridge Glass Museum for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.

Silver awards were won by Royal Air Force Museum Midlands in Cosford for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award, Ten Steps Coffee Lounge in Brierley Hill for Café/Coffee Shop of the Year, Riverside Cabins in Shrewsbury for Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year and Westhope Country Retreats in Craven Arms for Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year.

Riverside Cabins also won a Bronze award for Regenerative Tourism Award, while Royal Air Force Museum Midlands in Cosford was highly commended for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year.

A spokesman for Crumbles said: "We’re excited to share that Crumbles has won ‘Café/Coffee Shop of the Year’ in the prestigious West Midlands Tourism Awards 2026.

"The Awards celebrate the region’s best accommodation; business, cultural and sporting event venues; food and drink settings; and visitor and heritage attractions."

In awarding the Gold Award to Crumbles the judges said: "Crumbles Cafe is a jewel in the crown of Wolverhampton’s cafe scene. 

"Its cosy atmosphere makes it a destination for local people and visitors alike. Whether it’s a quick catch up over coffee, or time spent savouring the delicious baked goods, Crumbles is a place where the food not only tastes good, it also does good.

"Profits generated from café sales are re-invested into the Compton Cares charity, which provides specialist palliative care and bereavement support for the people in the local community living with life limiting conditions. 

"Therefore, this cafe and its staff should be commended and celebrated."

The ceremony was hosted by Santina Bunting, 2024 Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year, with live entertainment provided by music group Riptides, and were organised by the West Midlands Growth Company, the region’s lead body for the West Midlands Destination Development Partnership. 

Gold and silver winners from the regional awards automatically qualify for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026, taking place in June, where West Midlands businesses will compete for national recognition. 

At the 2025 ceremony, Black Country Living Museum (Gold - Large Visitor Attraction), Mallory Court Hotel & Spa (Gold - Large Hotel of the Year) and St Mary’s Guildhall (Bronze - International Tourism Award) all achieved national success. 

Patricia Yates, chief executive of VisitBritain / VisitEngland, said: “It was fantastic to see the very best of the West Midlands’ tourism industry come together to celebrate its hard work in creating memories for visitors all year round. We wish all winners – both in the West Midlands and across England – every success as they progress to our national awards ceremony this summer. 

“Tourism drives economic growth for our regions, underpinning pride in our local communities and making them places that we want to live and work in and tell the world about. 

"Every destination has a great story to tell and, as we mark English Tourism Week, I encourage everyone to go out and support our tourism businesses, attractions and local events. You will have an amazing time and they will be pleased to welcome you.” 

The 2026 West Midlands Tourism Awards were held during English Tourism Week, held from March 13 to March 22, which is a nationwide campaign celebrating the importance of tourism to local communities and regional economies. 

The weeklong celebration promotes the innovation, quality and range of products and services on offer to boost domestic breaks.  

Andrew Lovett, OBE, Chair of the West Midlands Tourism & Hospitality Advisory Board, said: “English Tourism Week is all about celebrating the diversity, uniqueness and quality of our country’s tourism offering. 

"The winners of this year’s West Midlands Tourism Awards demonstrate that nowhere are these qualities more apparent than in the West Midlands. 

“I am always delighted to see the strength of the entries from our independent businesses in the region. 

"They are the shining lights of our thriving visitor economy scene and I wish them all the best of luck when they go on to fly the flag for the West Midlands at the national awards this summer.”