The Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership presented its Awards for Excellence 2011 at a gala ceremony at the Sun Hotel, Warkworth on Friday 5 August 2011. The Partnership makes the Awards to acknowledge, promote and celebrate excellence in the care, management and development of our coast and countryside.

Businesses can now reach even more potential visitors via banner advertising on www.visitkielder.com. This is the official website for Kielder Water and Forest Park and attracts an average of 22,350 hits per month.

Visit our Facebook page and see all the exciting new features that help promote tourism businesses across the county. With over 1,970 followers on our Facebook page, it's another example of how Northumberland Tourism is reaching new customers.

A meeting was held with businesses on the 27th July. The first part of this meeting discussed www.visitnorthumberland.com and was attended by 10 business representatives. An online survey was advertised prior to the meeting to allow businesses to give their feedback and comments about the website.

Tripadvisor has appointed a European manager to work with registered businesses. A new number will be published, to be used by businesses when they believe untrue or unfair comments have been posted.

We are delighted to have negotiated a deal with Crown Decorating Centres, which will allow Northumberland's tourism businesses to access Crown Decorating services (from paints through to equipment) at trade prices.